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1. A national land usage plan will be developed over the next five years, and executed from thereon.
2. The national land usage plan will set up strict Urban Growth Boundaries (UGB's) around the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas. Development outside the UGB's will be severely restricted. These growth boundaries many times will be located within the existing developed area of the metropolitan region, thereby putting a halt on all new development there.
3. A federal property tax targeting homes and some businesses (retail, etc.) in zones labeled as "suburban sprawl" by the national land usage plan will be introduced. The rate will vary depending on how far outside the CBD (Central Business District) the property is located, but will start at a minimum of 2% of the property's value annually and rise to 5% for the most distant, expensive properties.
4. The monies collected by the tax in #2 will be used, in combination with the new gas and car tax (see separate thread), to fund public transportation and subsidize urban housing and commerce.
5. Areas will be designated for mixed-use development (a combination of retail and residential development) in the national land usage plan. The federal government, in collaboration with local planners and private industry, will subsidize mixed-use buildings. Newly opening or re-locating businesses may be required to use the retail space of these buildings should it be unoccupied for a long period. Essential businesses (grocery stores, banks, hypermarkets, etc.) will be encouraged and even on occasion receive government subsidies to locate in or around mixed-use developments.
6. Bike routes or paths will be installed on or along all existing arterial roads in cities with populations above 10,000. In addition, construction of a federal bike interstate highway system will begin in order to reduce carbon emissions, combat obesity, and promote healthy recreation. The FBIHS will normally abut an existing interstate highway until it enters a developed area.
7. Public transportation will be increased immensely. Buses, streetcars, and PRT (personal rapid transit) will be used for short-distance trips; subways and light rail for medium-distance travel; and heavy rail for long-distance journeys.
8. The objective of these seven steps will be to end car dependency and create a walkable and bikeable urban environment.
I am an urban planner and I think that most, if not all, of what you listed should be the responsibility of local government. With that said, some of the things you listed are an over-reach by government.
As I understand your proposal, a property that is designated suburban sprawl and is valued at $10 million would pay $500,000 annually into a fund. Also flowing into this fund would be all kinds of gas taxes.
Now all of this money, of course, requires some kind of government entity to properly channel monies for the vision.
The proposal ends interstates at the city limits, and says nothing about industry, only retail and residential uses.
So we now have huge amounts of money being redistributed for a grand objective, stated as:
8. The objective of these seven steps will be to end car dependency and create a walkable and bikeable urban environment.
I already live in an area with a UGB. I wouldn't want to even imagine what this place would look like without it (first city in nation in 1975, I believe).
It's a great starting point, but I'm surprised about the rest of it, frankly. Couldn't fathom how it could be governed on a federal level.
Is this for real, or just playing imaginary urban planning?
As I understand your proposal, a property that is designated suburban sprawl and is valued at $10 million would pay $500,000 annually into a fund. Also flowing into this fund would be all kinds of gas taxes.
Now all of this money, of course, requires some kind of government entity to properly channel monies for the vision.
The proposal ends interstates at the city limits, and says nothing about industry, only retail and residential uses.
So we now have huge amounts of money being redistributed for a grand objective, stated as:
8. The objective of these seven steps will be to end car dependency and create a walkable and bikeable urban environment.
Actually, what it's referring to is the bicycle interstate highway system:
6. Bike routes or paths will be installed on or along all existing arterial roads in cities with populations above 10,000. In addition, construction of a federal bike interstate highway system will begin in order to reduce carbon emissions, combat obesity, and promote healthy recreation. The FBIHS will normally abut an existing interstate highway until it enters a developed area.
However, it would be a smart idea to re-route interstates around cities, tear down interstates, and build normal arterial roads and development along them.
It would cost A LOT of money and it would cause as much social destruction as it would prevent. It would also make much of the property in the suburbs useless (and what is better for urban revitalization than huge swaths of abandoned houses, mini-malls, and shopping centers?). You'd think that idealists would have learned after restrictive zoning laws, the placement of freeways through downtown areas, excessive property taxes, and public housing projects helped create the urban dead zones we see today. But, no, we quite frankly haven't come up with a GRAND enough design!
Its never going to happen. There is just to much land to go around here in the states.
People are living in cities, more than at any other time in human history today, thats for sure. However, some of us just prefer to live out in nowhere land. Its not the duty of our government to do that, just read the constitution, it says nothing about urban planning.
Last I checked, property taxes are still higher in town, then out in the country.
Create a Personal rapid transit system that is cheap and works in all weather, and you've fixed all our problems. And if you can make a cross-country network, even better. I would love to just sleep on my 7-hour drive to my sisters house.
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