The Northeast megalopolis (also Boston–Washington corridor or Bos-Wash corridor) is the second most populous megalopolis in the United States with over 50 million residents, the most heavily urbanized agglomeration of the United States, and the one with the world's largest economic output. Located primarily on the Atlantic Ocean in the Northeastern United States, with its lower terminus in the upper Southeast, it runs primarily northeast to southwest from the northern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, to the southern suburbs of Washington, D.C., in Northern Virginia. It includes the major cities of Boston, Providence, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., along with their metropolitan areas and suburbs. It is sometimes defined to include smaller urban centers beyond this, such as Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia to the south and Portland, Maine to the north.
Importance of evolution of human settlementsVijesh Kumar V
IMPORTANCE OF EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
1.Origin of civilization,
2.Effects of civilization on Human settlements,
3.Determinants of Human settlements,
4.Ancients towns in India.
Urban planning and urban design are two closely related fields that aim to shape and improve the built environment in cities and urban areas. Urban planning involves the development and implementation of policies and strategies to guide the growth and development of cities, while urban design focuses on the physical and aesthetic aspects of the built environment, including the design of buildings, public spaces, and transportation systems. Together, these disciplines seek to create livable, sustainable, and inclusive urban environments that meet the needs of diverse communities.
Postmodern Urbanism and the New PsychogeographyTina Richardson
This lecture provides an overview of some of the theoretical approaches to the postmodern city highlighting the issues that pertain to the appearance of urban space under neoliberalism. You will be introduced to some of the leading contemporary thinkers from the field of urban theory/planning and urban cultural studies. Many of the motifs that arise in the theories of contemporary urban life have been incorporated into the critical practices of a number of today’s urban walkers. These practitioners have developed their own form of psychogeography which responds to the complexity of postmodern space in different ways. Tina’s lecture will tease out some of these motifs and will demonstrate how they have been incorporated into the various methodologies of the New Psychogeography.
Asian cities are more complex and add different pictures to the domain of Spatial planning. But, unfortunately many of the decision makers like to see things in more formal, neat and clear paths. This is an attempt to understand how informal networks are powerful in cities. Aren't they the driving force of cities....
261
Megaregion Planning
and High-Speed Rail
Petra Todorovich
c h a p t e r 2 4
?
On April 16, 2009, President Obama stood before an audience at the Eisenhower
Executive Office Building and made an announcement that signaled a new era of
passenger rail in the United States. Months before, the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) had provided $8 billion for a new program at the
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to issue competitive grants to states to
make capital investments in high-speed and conventional passenger rail. Little did
the president know that providing the single largest boost for intercity rail plan-
ning in this country in a generation had also motivated a sudden and giant leap for-
ward in planning and governing megaregions. Luckily, regional planners had been
studying emerging megaregions for the previous five years, in affiliation with the
New York–based Regional Plan Association’s (RPA) America 2050 program. Again
and again, the planners had identified high-speed rail as the key transportation
investment to serve megaregion economies. But high-speed rail was a distant
dream. That all changed with the passage of ARRA at the nadir of the Great
Recession. Now a federal program exists to support high-speed rail planning
and implementation. Making that program a success will largely depend on the
ability of multiple actors at the local, regional, state, and binational levels to come
together as megaregions to coordinate and leverage federal rail investments.
Revisiting Megalopolis: RPA Resurrects
the Megaregion Idea
As if planning for the Tri-State New York metropolitan region was not sufficiently
complicated, in 2005 the Regional Plan Association launched a national program
called America 2050 that focused on the emergence of a new urban scale: the
megaregion. This was not actually a new concept for RPA. In 1967 a volume of the
Second Regional Plan documented the emergence of “The Atlantic Urban Region,”
an urban chain stretching 460 miles from Maine to Virginia (Regional Plan
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EBSCO Publishing : eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 5/8/2020 3:56 AM via SAN JOSE STATE UNIV
AN: 435124 ; Montgomery, Carleton.; Regional Planning for a Sustainable America : How Creative Programs Are Promoting Prosperity and Saving the Environment
Account: s7380033.main.cmmc
Association 1967). Earlier that decade, French geographer Jean Gottmann had
coined the term “Megalopolis” to describe the same region in his 1961 book,
Megalopolis: The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States (Gottmann
1961). The .
Importance of evolution of human settlementsVijesh Kumar V
IMPORTANCE OF EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
1.Origin of civilization,
2.Effects of civilization on Human settlements,
3.Determinants of Human settlements,
4.Ancients towns in India.
Urban planning and urban design are two closely related fields that aim to shape and improve the built environment in cities and urban areas. Urban planning involves the development and implementation of policies and strategies to guide the growth and development of cities, while urban design focuses on the physical and aesthetic aspects of the built environment, including the design of buildings, public spaces, and transportation systems. Together, these disciplines seek to create livable, sustainable, and inclusive urban environments that meet the needs of diverse communities.
Postmodern Urbanism and the New PsychogeographyTina Richardson
This lecture provides an overview of some of the theoretical approaches to the postmodern city highlighting the issues that pertain to the appearance of urban space under neoliberalism. You will be introduced to some of the leading contemporary thinkers from the field of urban theory/planning and urban cultural studies. Many of the motifs that arise in the theories of contemporary urban life have been incorporated into the critical practices of a number of today’s urban walkers. These practitioners have developed their own form of psychogeography which responds to the complexity of postmodern space in different ways. Tina’s lecture will tease out some of these motifs and will demonstrate how they have been incorporated into the various methodologies of the New Psychogeography.
Asian cities are more complex and add different pictures to the domain of Spatial planning. But, unfortunately many of the decision makers like to see things in more formal, neat and clear paths. This is an attempt to understand how informal networks are powerful in cities. Aren't they the driving force of cities....
261
Megaregion Planning
and High-Speed Rail
Petra Todorovich
c h a p t e r 2 4
?
On April 16, 2009, President Obama stood before an audience at the Eisenhower
Executive Office Building and made an announcement that signaled a new era of
passenger rail in the United States. Months before, the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) had provided $8 billion for a new program at the
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to issue competitive grants to states to
make capital investments in high-speed and conventional passenger rail. Little did
the president know that providing the single largest boost for intercity rail plan-
ning in this country in a generation had also motivated a sudden and giant leap for-
ward in planning and governing megaregions. Luckily, regional planners had been
studying emerging megaregions for the previous five years, in affiliation with the
New York–based Regional Plan Association’s (RPA) America 2050 program. Again
and again, the planners had identified high-speed rail as the key transportation
investment to serve megaregion economies. But high-speed rail was a distant
dream. That all changed with the passage of ARRA at the nadir of the Great
Recession. Now a federal program exists to support high-speed rail planning
and implementation. Making that program a success will largely depend on the
ability of multiple actors at the local, regional, state, and binational levels to come
together as megaregions to coordinate and leverage federal rail investments.
Revisiting Megalopolis: RPA Resurrects
the Megaregion Idea
As if planning for the Tri-State New York metropolitan region was not sufficiently
complicated, in 2005 the Regional Plan Association launched a national program
called America 2050 that focused on the emergence of a new urban scale: the
megaregion. This was not actually a new concept for RPA. In 1967 a volume of the
Second Regional Plan documented the emergence of “The Atlantic Urban Region,”
an urban chain stretching 460 miles from Maine to Virginia (Regional Plan
C
o
p
y
r
i
g
h
t
2
0
1
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.
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EBSCO Publishing : eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 5/8/2020 3:56 AM via SAN JOSE STATE UNIV
AN: 435124 ; Montgomery, Carleton.; Regional Planning for a Sustainable America : How Creative Programs Are Promoting Prosperity and Saving the Environment
Account: s7380033.main.cmmc
Association 1967). Earlier that decade, French geographer Jean Gottmann had
coined the term “Megalopolis” to describe the same region in his 1961 book,
Megalopolis: The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States (Gottmann
1961). The .
261
Megaregion Planning
and High-Speed Rail
Petra Todorovich
c h a p t e r 2 4
?
On April 16, 2009, President Obama stood before an audience at the Eisenhower
Executive Office Building and made an announcement that signaled a new era of
passenger rail in the United States. Months before, the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) had provided $8 billion for a new program at the
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to issue competitive grants to states to
make capital investments in high-speed and conventional passenger rail. Little did
the president know that providing the single largest boost for intercity rail plan-
ning in this country in a generation had also motivated a sudden and giant leap for-
ward in planning and governing megaregions. Luckily, regional planners had been
studying emerging megaregions for the previous five years, in affiliation with the
New York–based Regional Plan Association’s (RPA) America 2050 program. Again
and again, the planners had identified high-speed rail as the key transportation
investment to serve megaregion economies. But high-speed rail was a distant
dream. That all changed with the passage of ARRA at the nadir of the Great
Recession. Now a federal program exists to support high-speed rail planning
and implementation. Making that program a success will largely depend on the
ability of multiple actors at the local, regional, state, and binational levels to come
together as megaregions to coordinate and leverage federal rail investments.
Revisiting Megalopolis: RPA Resurrects
the Megaregion Idea
As if planning for the Tri-State New York metropolitan region was not sufficiently
complicated, in 2005 the Regional Plan Association launched a national program
called America 2050 that focused on the emergence of a new urban scale: the
megaregion. This was not actually a new concept for RPA. In 1967 a volume of the
Second Regional Plan documented the emergence of “The Atlantic Urban Region,”
an urban chain stretching 460 miles from Maine to Virginia (Regional Plan
C
o
p
y
r
i
g
h
t
2
0
1
1
.
R
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EBSCO Publishing : eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 5/8/2020 3:56 AM via SAN JOSE STATE UNIV
AN: 435124 ; Montgomery, Carleton.; Regional Planning for a Sustainable America : How Creative Programs Are Promoting Prosperity and Saving the Environment
Account: s7380033.main.cmmc
Association 1967). Earlier that decade, French geographer Jean Gottmann had
coined the term “Megalopolis” to describe the same region in his 1961 book,
Megalopolis: The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States (Gottmann
1961). The .
Essays
BEVERLY
HILLS
sounl
PASADENA
sIII(
GABRIEL T
5
AUlAMBRll
IH6LfWOOD
NAWHORNE
wnm
SOUlH
GAIE
LYHWOOO
Fig. 1 Los Angeles freeway system, 1998. Map dates indicate opening
of first segment (from David Brodsly, L.A. Freeways: An Appreciative
Essay [Berkeley: University of California Press, 198 I ] )
The Folklore of the Freeway:
Space, Culture, and Identity in Postwar
Los Angeles
Eric R. Avila
Modern environments and experiences cut across all
boundaries of geography and ethnicity, of class and
nationality, of religion and ideology: in this sense,
modernity can be said to unite all mankind. But it
is a paradoxical unity, a unity of disunity: it pours
us all into a maelstrom of perpetual disintegration
and renewal, of struggle and contradiction, of am-
biguity and anguish. To be modern is to be part of
a universe in which, as Marx said “all that is solid
melts into air.”
-Marshall Berman, A21 That Is Solid Melts into Air
Man loves to create roads, that is beyond dispute.
But may it not be . . . that he is instinctively afraid
of attaining his goal and completing the edifice he
is constructing? How do you know, perhaps he only
likes that edifice from a distance and not a t all a t
close range, perhaps he only likes to build it, and
does not want to live in it.
-Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from the Underground
Los Angeles in the age of the freeway saw a profound trans-
formation in the shape of the city and the color of its inhabit-
an ts . I t fulfilled i ts destiny by becoming the ult imate
“fragmented metropolis.”’ The acceleration of suburbanization,
coupled with the dramatic expansion of the city’s nonwhite
population (African Americans and Chicanos in particular) ,
created a regional geography splintered into isolated pockets
Aztlan 23:l Spring 1998 15
Avila
of race and class. As the historic ethnic diversity of commu-
nities like Boyle Heights and Watts gave way to expanding
brown barrios and black ghettos, new communities sprouted
on the urban fringe, insulated from the racialized masses of
the inner city. This was not an accident of poor planning. It
was, in fact, the intended consequence of homeowners,
realtors, developers, and government officials who sought to
preserve southern California’s legacy of building separate and
unequal communities.2
Various civic institutions of postwar Los Angeles under-
pinned the construction of suburban whiteness. Central to that
process was the freeway, which furthered the production of
white space within the larger urban region. The freeway did
not cause white flight, but it did sharpen the contrast between
white space and nonwhite space in the postwar urban region
by creating a conduit for capital flight away from downtown
and by wreaking havoc upon the inner-city communities of
East and South Central Los Angeles. Although many urban
historians have traced the evolution of the freeway system and
it.
Essays
BEVERLY
HILLS
sounl
PASADENA
sIII(
GABRIEL T
5
AUlAMBRll
IH6LfWOOD
NAWHORNE
wnm
SOUlH
GAIE
LYHWOOO
Fig. 1 Los Angeles freeway system, 1998. Map dates indicate opening
of first segment (from David Brodsly, L.A. Freeways: A n Appreciative
Essay [Berkeley: University of California Press, 198 I ] )
The Folklore of the Freeway:
Space, Culture, a n d Identity in Postwar
Los Angeles
E r i c R. Avila
Modern environments and experiences cut across all
boundaries of geography and ethnicity, of class a n d
nationality, of religion and ideology: in this sense,
modernity can be said to unite all mankind. But it
is a paradoxical unity, a unity of disunity: it pours
us all into a maelstrom of perpetual disintegration
a n d renewal, of struggle a n d contradiction, of am-
biguity a n d anguish. To be modern is to be part of
a universe in which, as Marx said “all that is solid
melts into air.”
-Marshall Berman, A21 That Is Solid Melts into Air
Man loves to create roads, that is beyond dispute.
But may it not be . . . that he is instinctively afraid
of attaining his goal and completing the edifice he
is constructing? How do you know, perhaps he only
likes that edifice from a distance and not a t all a t
close range, perhaps he only likes to build it, a n d
does not want to live in it.
-Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes f r o m the Underground
Los Angeles in the age of the freeway saw a profound trans-
formation in the shape of the city and the color of its inhabit-
a n t s . I t fulfilled i t s d e s t i n y by becoming t h e u l t i m a t e
“fragmented metropolis.”’ The acceleration of suburbanization,
coupled with the dramatic expansion of the city’s nonwhite
population (African Americans and Chicanos in particular) ,
created a regional geography splintered into isolated pockets
Aztlan 23:l Spring 1998 15
Avila
of race and class. A s the historic ethnic diversity of commu-
nities like Boyle Heights and Watts gave way to expanding
brown barrios and black ghettos, new communities sprouted
on the urban fringe, insulated from the racialized masses of
the inner city. This was not a n accident of poor planning. It
was, in fact, t h e intended consequence of homeowners,
realtors, developers, and government officials who sought to
preserve southern California’s legacy of building separate and
unequal communities.2
Various civic institutions of postwar Los Angeles under-
pinned the construction of suburban whiteness. Central to that
process was the freeway, which furthered the production of
white space within the larger urban region. The freeway did
not cause white flight, but it did sharpen the contrast between
white space and nonwhite space in the postwar urban region
by creating a conduit for capital flight away from downtown
and by wreaking havoc upon the inner-city communities of
East a n d South Central Los Angeles. Although many urban
historians ...
Transportation Technology for the 21st CenturyIBM Government
Learn about an innovative approach to improving transportation technology by marrying information with global air, rail, road, and water transportation networks. The result is true globalization, and the first step is streamlining transportation logistics.
This integrated media series is about some of the most widely visited cities across North America and what features make the city distinctive and appealling. This presentation includes details about key features of the city such as climate, demographics, and popular tourist destinations.
Running head LOS ANGELES UNION STATION AS A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPME.docxcharisellington63520
Running head: LOS ANGELES UNION STATION AS A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
LOS ANGELES UNION STATION AS A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
Los Angeles Union Station as a Sustainable Development Project
Institution
Course Name
Name
Date
I. Development description of rebuilding the Union Station in Los Angeles
Located strategically in Northeastern of Downtown Los Angeles, the Union Station celebrated its 75th anniversary this year since it began operations. Owned by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a private governing body, this public facility serves approximately 1.643 million passengers a year. Significant dates of this station include beginning official operation in 1939, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and became part of the Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1972 (Maltzan, 2011). In September 17, 2014 the master vision of upgrading this facility was revealed. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) revealed the final project’s master plan that seek to transform this historic station into a more modern facility in the contemporary environment that need sustainability.
II. Purpose of rebuilding
The Union Station is due for major innovation to build a modern super transportation station. Although several projects including New transit station on El Monte Busway, Southern California Regional Interconnect Project, and Former Run-Through Tracks Project have been proposed before and fail to receive attention from legislators, the approved 2014 master plan was developed for California High-Speed Rail project. This project seeks to transform the Union Station into a major hub of transportation with new rail system and new railway station infrastructure. The Metro Authority indicated that the California High-Speed Rail system project will improve rail transportation and passengers will be able to travel from this station to Transbay Terminal in San Francisco in less than three hours(Chester and Horvath, 2010). As the master plan of the new station reveal, the project will feature aerial structures that will be built above the existing platform and underground structures. Apart from improving transportation, increasing convenience and serving more passengers, this project aims to utilize resource in order to enhance sustainability in the transport sector in California. In America, California is the most populous State, with most polluted cities from motor vehicles, port operations and various industries; any sustainable transportation project is welcome.
III. Demographic Snapshot of the Los Angeles
The neighborhood is an important stakeholder and a major consideration during a major infrastructure development. The proposed station will have numerous activities going on during building. During the process of rebuilding this station, it is expected to give inconveniences to the Los Angeles residents and neighboring residen.
Presentation by Jared Jageler, David Adler, Noelia Duchovny, and Evan Herrnstadt, analysts in CBO’s Microeconomic Studies and Health Analysis Divisions, at the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Summer Conference.
ZGB - The Role of Generative AI in Government transformation.pdfSaeed Al Dhaheri
This keynote was presented during the the 7th edition of the UAE Hackathon 2024. It highlights the role of AI and Generative AI in addressing government transformation to achieve zero government bureaucracy
Monitoring Health for the SDGs - Global Health Statistics 2024 - WHOChristina Parmionova
The 2024 World Health Statistics edition reviews more than 50 health-related indicators from the Sustainable Development Goals and WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work. It also highlights the findings from the Global health estimates 2021, notably the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
Donate to charity during this holiday seasonSERUDS INDIA
For people who have money and are philanthropic, there are infinite opportunities to gift a needy person or child a Merry Christmas. Even if you are living on a shoestring budget, you will be surprised at how much you can do.
Donate Us
https://serudsindia.org/how-to-donate-to-charity-during-this-holiday-season/
#charityforchildren, #donateforchildren, #donateclothesforchildren, #donatebooksforchildren, #donatetoysforchildren, #sponsorforchildren, #sponsorclothesforchildren, #sponsorbooksforchildren, #sponsortoysforchildren, #seruds, #kurnool
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
This session provides a comprehensive overview of the latest updates to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (commonly known as the Uniform Guidance) outlined in the 2 CFR 200.
With a focus on the 2024 revisions issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), participants will gain insight into the key changes affecting federal grant recipients. The session will delve into critical regulatory updates, providing attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate and comply with the evolving landscape of federal grant management.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the rationale behind the 2024 updates to the Uniform Guidance outlined in 2 CFR 200, and their implications for federal grant recipients.
- Identify the key changes and revisions introduced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the 2024 edition of 2 CFR 200.
- Gain proficiency in applying the updated regulations to ensure compliance with federal grant requirements and avoid potential audit findings.
- Develop strategies for effectively implementing the new guidelines within the grant management processes of their respective organizations, fostering efficiency and accountability in federal grant administration.
Preliminary findings _OECD field visits to ten regions in the TSI EU mining r...OECDregions
Preliminary findings from OECD field visits for the project: Enhancing EU Mining Regional Ecosystems to Support the Green Transition and Secure Mineral Raw Materials Supply.
2. WHATIS A MEGAPOLIS?
A megalopolis is formed when several urban areas that had
been separated for a while merge to form one huge
metropolitan region over time due to the growth and
expansion of the fragmented urban centers. For a region to
qualify as a megalopolis it has to have at least 10 million
inhabitants, it must be a conglomeration of more than two
urban areas, and it has to be well supplied with a developed
network of infrastructure. Nearly every continent has
megalopolises strewn across different countries.
3. WHATIS A MEGAPOLIS?
The term Megalopolis has even come to
define something much more broadly found
than just the northeastern United States.
The Oxford Dictionary of Geography defines
the term as "any many-centered, multi-city,
urban area of more than 10 million
inhabitants, generally dominated by
low-density settlement and complex
networks of economic specialization."
4. REGION ● The megalopolis encompasses the District of Columbia and
part or all of 11 states: from south to north, Virginia, Maryland,
Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
● It is linked by Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1, which start in
Miami and Key West, Florida, and terminate in Maine at the
Canadian border, as well as the Northeast Corridor railway
line, the busiest passenger rail line in the country. It is home to
over 50 million people, and metropolitan statistical areas are
contiguous from Washington to Boston.
● The region is not uniformly populated between the terminal
cities, and there are regions nominally within the corridor yet
located away from the main transit lines that have been
bypassed by urbanization, such as Connecticut's Quiet Corner.
5. This Northeast megalopolis of the USA contains almost 20 percent of the people of the USA but
only about 2 percent of the land area. Also known also as the Northeast Corridor and part of the
Eastern Seaboard, about 10 percent of the world's largest companies are headquartered here. The
near continuity of the lights seem to add credence to the 1960s-era prediction that the entire
stretch is evolving into one continuous city.
6. HISTORY
Around 60 years ago, French geographer Jean
Gottmann described the term Megalopolis using
the example of the coherent urbanized stretch
between Boston and Washington.
02
7. HISTORYOF SETTLEMENT
The Eastern coast of the United States of
America, due to its proximity to Europe, was
among the first regions of the continent to
be widely settled by Europeans. Over time,
the cities and towns founded here had the
advantage of age over most other parts of
the US. However, it was the Northeast in
particular that developed most rapidly,
owing to a number of fortuitous
circumstances.
8. While possessing neither particularly rich soil (except New England's
Connecticut River Valley)—nor exceptional mineral wealth, the region
does support some agriculture and mining.The climate is also
temperate and not particularly prone to hurricanes or tropical
storms, which increase further south.
However, the most important factor was the "interpenetration of land
and sea,"which makes for exceptional harbors, such as those at the
Chesapeake Bay, the Port of New York and New Jersey,
Narragansett Bay in Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston Harbor.
9. The coastline to the north is rockier and less sheltered, and to the
South is smooth and does not feature as many bays and inlets that
function as natural harbors. Also featured are navigable rivers that
lead deeper into the heartlands, such as the Hudson, Delaware, and
Connecticut Rivers, which all support large populations and were
necessary to early settlers for development.
Therefore, while other parts of the country exceeded the region in
raw resource value, they were not as easily accessible, and often,
access to them necessarily had to pass through the Northeast first.
10. TIMELINE
by
1800:
The region included the only four U.S. cities with
populations of over 25,000: Philadelphia, New York,
Baltimore, and Boston.
by
1850:
New York and Philadelphia alone had over 300,000
residents, while Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn (at that time a
separate city from New York), Cincinnati, and New Orleans
had over 100,000: five were within one 400-mile strip,
while the last two were each four hundred miles away from
the next closest metropolis.
The transportation and telecommunications infrastructure
that the capital city mandated also spilled over into the
rest of the strip.
Washington DC was
made capital of USA
1790:
the region held over one-fifth of the total
U.S. population, with a density nearly 15
times that of the national average.
by
1950:
The proximity to Europe, as well as the
prominence of Ellis Island as an immigrant
processing center, made New York a "landing
wharf for European immigrants," who
represented an ever-replenished supply of
diversity of thought and determined workers.
11. UPSIDES &
DOWNSIDES
OF A
MEGALOPOLIS JOB OPPORTUNITIES
INCREASE IN
POPULATION
CRIME RATE
INCREASE
DIVERSITY
POOR
SANITATION
MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE
INCREASE IN
SLUMS
PRICE
HIKE
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
17. RAIL SYSTEMS
Commuter Rail in the United States Due to historical factors and business
interests, freight trains are given priority on American rail lines, with both
long-range and commuter passenger trains taking secondary priority. The fact that
commuter trains play a vital role in the daily lives of millions of Americans have led
many to question if the American commuter rail system is in need of an overhaul.
Such expansion raises at least three key questions. First, can commuter rail
systems provide an environmentally sustainable alternative to automotive
commuter systems? Second, would commuter rail systems alleviate congestion
issues experienced in many American cities? Finally, would viable commuter rail
systems provide sufficiently appealing alternatives to justify the capital
expenditure necessary to put them in place?
Only 6 percent of the 380 metropolitan areas in the United States host functioning
rail systems-a total of 24 functioning rail systems nationwide. The largest and most
developed rail system in the United States exists in the Northeast Megalopolis
(including the Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.,
metropolitan areas); two-thirds of U.S. rail commuters live in New York City.
18. SHORT& LONG COMMUTES
The rail systems that occupy the Northeast Megalopolis are connected by
the National Passenger Railroad Corporation, known as Amtrak; however, a
minority of Amtrak's activity focuses on longer distance travel. Amtrak
operates on 21,000 route miles in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and
three Canadian provinces. Of those 21,000 route miles, only 363 miles
reside in the Northeast Corridor between
Boston and Washington, D.C.
As mentioned above, the historic factors that limited rail systems in the
United States largely contained those systems to the northeast. However,
the west is not completely without rail systems. The most prominent of
those Pacific Coast rail systems is the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
system. The first track of this system was laid in 1946; its initial
development was driven largely by postwar migration to the area and a
corresponding lack of motorways in the area. In fact, counter to the
anti-rail trend in the rest of the country, BART was actually developed in
order to avoid total dependence on automobiles.
19. SHORT& LONG COMMUTES
Focussing in on Boston, New York,
Philadelphia and Washington, DC and look at
commutes ranging from 50 to 100 miles, as
there is a good bit of overlap and this fits the
'long-distance' threshold used by many,
including Rapino and Fields.
Most people, of course, don't commute these
kinds of distances but let’s particularly look
into the relationships over longer distances
as it says a lot about the pull of individual
cities. In the case of the above, it's actually
the county-level that is targeted (so New
York County (Manhattan) for NYC, Suffolk
County for Boston and so on).
Source
20. HSR
The 2005 studio team identified transportation linkages as a
major weakness in the mega-region, with particular emphasis on
the lack of strong connections between strong cities and
under-performing cities. High Speed Rail (HSR) is the most
appropriate mode to service the needs of mega-regions
stretching from 200- 500 miles across. An HSR system, much
like those in Europe and Japan, could provide quick links
between major cities, whereas regional and local systems can
remain in place—with major improvements in maintenance and
operations.
Three strategies are essential in realizing this vision of a
tightly-linked transportation network for the mega-region. First,
due to the large amounts of money involved, investments should
be phased in starting with upgrading the existing infrastructure
then adding a HSR demonstration line between Philadelphia and
New York. Second, institutional and funding reforms must be
enacted: the federal government must come to terms with the
fact that public transit will never be a profit-making business,
but is a public service. Third, and most salient to riders, there
must be improved standards of service with greater rates of
on-time arrivals, faster service, and more affordable tickets.
Although the initial investment costs may seem staggering, the
longterm pay-offs for the region as a whole are incalculably large
and far-reaching.
21. METRO
Currently, only a small number of people
commute between New York City and
Philadelphia, the nation’s largest and fifth
largest metropolitan centers. Although these
two city centers are only 90 miles apart, the
current highway commute is very congested
and subject to delay and uncertainty.
Although Amtrak provides Acela and regional
rail service between the two cities, these
services are relatively slow, expensive,
unreliable and infrequent. As a result, in
2000, only 7,538 people lived in the
Philadelphia metro region and commuted to
work in the New York City metro region. And
1,656 who lived in the New York metro region
commuted to work in the Philadelphia metro
region.
22. The Megalopolis corridor, as a result of the declining rail service, has become a region that is a victim of congestion, urban
decentralization, and socioeconomic inequity. From 1920 to the present, these issues have compounded, causing the Northeast
Rail Corridor (NEC) to focus on ways to address these issues.
The declining passenger rail system, which was brought on by the development of the automobile, has shifted riders from rail
onto the road causing significant congestion. The typical trips that were once by train slowly turned into more convenient,
accessible, yet congested automobile trips (DeCerreno, 2007). The passenger rail system’s inability to provide effective and
reliable service continued to reduce ridership. Lack of funding also led Amtrak and the other owners to defer necessary
maintenance, again decreasing ridership (Todorovich and Vallabhajosyula, 2007). Figure 9 shows changes in transportation
modes based on US vehicle miles from 1994 to 2004.
Influence of Passenger Rail
Decline on Megalopolis
Corridor
23. Megalopolis is a “transportation corridor” rather than a corridor that formed as a function of urban decentralization. It was the
strategic placement of the rail lines that provided a transportation “spine” for which the future highway system developed. Since
its decline, alternative modes such as the automobile and air travel have drastically increased. This caused the passenger rail
system to continue to suffer from lack of funding and decreased ridership. Unfortunately, it is the reliance on these alternative
modes that cause congestion, sprawl, global warming, socioeconomic clustering, and other Megalopolis corridor challenges for
the future.
These challenges of the Megalopolis corridor must be addressed to maintain an acceptable quality of life for its residents. In the
future, the passenger rail system would be a viable service in order to reduce drivers on the road, promote infill development,
and reduce fuel emissions. With adequate funding and increased ridership, the railroad “spine” could re-develop and influence
the corridor as it did over a century ago.
CONCLUSION