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By Civic (anonymous) | Posted September 30, 2008 at 19:02:10
Back to the topic at hand:
These economic debates are moot; they only serve to distract. Transportation infrastructure is going to be essentially public regardless of the form it takes. Mass motoring and sprawl are subsidized, top-down, and planned. By the same token, transit-oriented development and new urbanism, on their own, are not going to fundamentally alter the power relations of our society.
The debate over light rail needs to be recognized for what it is: a TECHNOLOGICAL debate.
Whether fully public, or funded through a public-private partnership, light rail is a better technology than roadways clogged with single-occupant cars. The former consumes less space, less energy, and integrates better with other human activities, including commerce (though the more human scale might favour independent merchants over corporations). Overall, the expenditure needed to service a city with more compact, efficient land use will certainly be smaller.
That's why influential Hamiltonians of all classes and political stripes are starting to agree on it.
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