Comments on: The Sprawling Effects of High-Speed Rail

By: Adirondacker12800

Adirondacker12800 — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:45:19 +0000

Nobody is proposing HSR in Oregon. They are proposing upgrading the almost conventional rail.

By: Henry

Henry — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:26:29 +0000

There’s just one problem with this sprawl theory: like every other projection that exists, it assumes that the economy is a giant, happy ball of sunshine.

Unfortunately, the economy is in awful shape. The housing market is total crap, especially in California, the state where HSR will (hopefully) be finished. A significant amount of existing homes would need to be sold before developers could show interest in (and make a profit off of) more housing around the HSR stations. Sprawl is something to worry about when the economy is wonderful, not in times like these.

By: Henry

Henry — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:23:22 +0000

I’m just going to question your claim of a “large station facility” – platforms aren’t that wide, and there would be a few things like stairs and a ticket booth, but not much else.

Your theorizing about current Amtrak ridership is also flawed – it’s only very low because the service is total crap, not because there is no demand for that sort of travel.

Personally, I would prefer that there be no HSR in Oregon, not because of the “sprawl”, but because money is tight and could be better spent elsewhere. The Administration needs to set its priorities straight instead of flooding every state with cash.

By: Henry

Henry — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:13:00 +0000

Japanese politicians say that everything will lead to less centralization (and it usually doesn’t)

The centralization in Tokyo has more to do with the economy than with transportation (most Japanese cities were former manufacturing centers; think Detroit or Cleveland).

Also, about all the confusion about Europe – there’s the inner city (expensive), the inner city suburbs (poor), the outer suburbs (more expensive than the inner city suburbs, but less expensive than the city itself) and then the poor provincial towns.

By: Wad

Wad — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 07:32:31 +0000

BBNet, you should be worried of your snark falling flat.

Downtown L.A.’s BID had put total employment at 446,000 as of 2006.

You can see more details at:

http://www.downtownla.com/pdfs/econ_developments/DCBID_Report-2006.pdf

By: BBnet3000

BBnet3000 — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 01:40:34 +0000

“…huge, sprawling subdivisions in places like California’s Central Valley, which would suddenly be within striking distance of downtown Los Angeles”

If downtown Los Angeles had any jobs, maybe I’d be worried.

By: Gabriel Ratener

Gabriel Ratener — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:10:54 +0000

Theoretically any mode of transportation can lead to sprawl. Of all options for long-medium distance travel, HSR is the least likely to contribute to sprawl. This is of course because high speed trains can be built to run on modified existing railroads at lesser speeds, thus making it possible for trains to run to and from city center. However stations are often built outside of cities, so to not have noise, property destruction, etc… in densely populated areas.

By: Nathanael

Nathanael — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:14:37 +0000

“1 – outside the major centers = more clusters of village at much high dwellings/acre than traditional sprawl”

In other words, we get more beautiful streetcar suburbs and commuter villages, and fewer asphalt wastelands? :-)

Yes, seems like an improvement!

By: Nathanael

Nathanael — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:13:11 +0000

You have to remember how small the UK actually is. London to Birmingham is less than 150 miles, well within the distance people in the US commute BY CAR routinely.

Yes, rail lines of that sort of distance will create increased home values as commutes will be possible by train instead of car.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:28:15 +0000

Not to mention that cities connected to a large high-speed rail network will start to focus more on the education, beauty and transit-convienice in the city rather than the workforce. You see, for example: if you get a job in Seattle, and there is a bullet-train connecting the Eugene-Portland-Tacoma-Seattle-Vancouver Megalopolis, then that person is able to choose which city would be best to live in rather than focusing on how close he should move.

Basically, which HSRail, cities will try to appeal to those moving into the area.