Quote Originally Posted by ghettopalmetto View Post
Investment in transportation of any kind is a widely-recognized stimulator of economic development. And right now, Southeastern Michigan has an incredible problem getting workers in the City of Detroit to locations of employment, which are largely in the suburbs. Because of this glaring inefficiency, the regional GDP is not what it could be.

But it's also about creating places that educated, entrepreneurial people find attractive and conducive to conducting business. And yes, a good many of these people want to be able to walk to a neighborhood coffee shop, rather than get in the car to drive across the 8-lane divided highway to the strip-mall Starbucks. Should everything be centered around this demographic component? No. But ignoring it completely leaves a lot of economic potential on the table, not unlike the lost productivity due to transportation inefficiencies.

Let's be honest, though. Survey after survey shows that most people in their 20s and 30s--the Millenial generation--do not aspire for the large suburban house with a fleet of vehicles. And well, the Baby Boomers are starting to exit the workforce. So predicating the future of the region on the desires of the retiring generation , and ignoring the desires of the generation that will be working for 30 or 40 more years, is completely insane.

Frankly, the past driver of economic growth--development of suburban homes--is unsustainable. So until this gets addressed, it's going to be a long, hard slog.
Bham1982: But North Carolina.