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Message: [QUOTE="Sea Goat, post: 662228, member: 3716"] [SIZE=6][B]Read excerpt below - the New Haven to Amherst Knowledge corridor is real and it is developing. In and of itself, it is drawing interest. This area is considered #2 as a "knowledge corridor" region behind Boston. UConn is very well positioned in this area anchored by Yale to the south and Amherst and UMass to the north, especially with its med school in Farmington and its law school and executive MBA program in Hartford. [/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=6][B] [/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=6][B]The Knowledge Corridor, On Track[/B][/SIZE] [IMG]http://www.rpa.org/sites/rpa.civicactions.net/files/styles/thumbnail/public/kennedy_amanda_0.jpg?itok=-Qzkcokc[/IMG] By Amanda Kennedy, Associate Planner, RPA Connecticut By [URL='http://www.rpa.org/staff/amanda-kennedy.html'][U][COLOR=#0066cc]Amanda Kennedy[/COLOR][/U][/URL], Associate Planner, RPA Connecticut Here in the Connecticut office of RPA we find ourselves thinking more about the Hartford region, which while not technically part of RPA's traditional 31-county region, will soon get better rail service that links it more closely to Greater New York. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has set a goal of 2016 for expanding rail service on the "Knowledge Corridor" between Springfield (MA), Hartford, and New Haven, with most trains in New Haven connecting to NYC-bound trains and a few continuing directly to New York City. Connecticut's only local rapid transit system will also be up and running, with the New Britain-Hartford Busway connecting downtown Hartford and its western suburbs. Two weeks ago, about 90 people came together in Hartford, under a program set up by RPA's America 2050 initiative, to discuss the potential of these impending new connections. We organized the program with the assistance of Capitol Region Council of Governments and the Connecticut Chapter of Urban Land Institute, with funding from the Rockefeller and Surdna Foundations. At the forum, experts in the field told us from their experiences improving regional rail corridors in Maine and California that economic benefits from rail service don't just happen. State, regional, and local leaders must aggressively market train services to multiple ridership segments, link trains with connecting local transit and push for ever-increasing frequencies, and get communities with stations actively involved in developing and maintaining their station areas. Partnerships need to be formed and nourish - between and among towns, state agencies, freight railroads, and the private sector - and rail lines need ongoing public and political support. Patricia Quinn told us how towns with [I]Downeaster[/I] service in Maine own and operate their train stations, giving them a vested interest in promoting ridership. Gene Skoropowski showed us incresed frequency on California's Capitol Corridor has nearly quadrupled ridership over 10 years, and getting legislators riding trains to the Capitol in Sacramento helped raise the profile of transit in California. Greater Hartford is often described as an "economic cul-de-sac," which although close to both Boston and New York City, hasn't benefitted from the economic successes of either. Traffic congestion in I-95 and lack of transit options has made it difficult for residents living in the I-91 corridor to get to jobs on Connecticut's southwest coast, exacerbating the problems of affordable housing in Fairfield County and unemployment in Connecticut's interior. I probably see the potential for a better-connected state more than most – I'm a Knowledge Corridor baby, having grown up just outside of Springfield and having spent about 8 years of my adult life in either Hartford or New Haven. The region stretches from New Haven to Springfield (and beyond to Northampton and Amherst, MA) and is Connecticut's second largest concentration of jobs and population, after Fairfield County. Region promoters coined the "Knowledge Corridor" moniker due to its concentration of colleges and universities, and it's an appropriate nickname. Our research in advance of the program showed us that the corridor specializes in knowledge industries such as precision manufacturing, defense, insurance and financial services, education, and renewable energy. Also called the Connecticut River Valley, it's home to the state's largest center of employment, Hartford, with over 100,000 jobs within city limits.New Haven has gained over 6,000 residents over the last 10 years, more than any other Connecticut city or town. Its polar opposite, Springfield, is just coming out of an economic crisis and now faces recovery from destructive tornados that hit the week of our conference. Over the next few months, RPA will be compiling what we learned at the forum and from our work elsewhere into a guide for the region and towns of the New Haven/Hartford/Springfield corridor to follow as they plan development and promote ridership. All the pieces will need to fall in place - leadership at the state level, cooperation of station towns, and coordinated land use and local transit services - in order for rail to transform the region's economy. But the combined efforts of the Malloy administration and of local municipal leaders (many of whom were in attendance at our program) can and should put the Knowledge Corridor on the right track. © 2013 Regional Plan Association | Site by [URL='http://www.civicactions.com/'][U][COLOR=#0066cc]CivicActions[/COLOR][/U][/URL] [/QUOTE]

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