Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

REGIONAL OPPORTUNITYwithin walking distance of transit. TOD projectsincrease the density of people near transit, includingresidents, employees, visitors, and customers, in abuilt environment that is pedestrian-friendly andconnected to transit. Mixed-use buildings, projects,or areas with a mix of uses are active from early in themorning to late in the evening, making theenvironment safer for pedestrians and providing peakand off-peak customers for transit service. A TODmay be a single building, a group of buildings, or amultiple block district.”Transit-oriented development is not exceptional,either today or in the past. In a certain era, it was acommon development pattern, as neighborhoodsclustered around subway stations, streetcar lines, andthe like. After a period of decline which coincidedwith the growth in auto use and suburban sprawl,TOD experienced a 1990s revival in response toadvocacy for smarter growth policies, expandedtransit systems, and the drive for central cityrevitalization. What remains exceptional are TODprojects that meaningfully anticipate their potentialgentrifying impacts and, therefore, develop antidisplacementmechanisms in an inclusive andcommunity-based process.Historically, new developments (transit-oriented orotherwise)—particularly subsidized developmentsin inner-city communities—spur a familiar patternof displacement and gentrification. Publicinvestment canmotivate a greaterWhat remains exceptional investment fromare TOD projects that the private sectormeaningfully anticipate their and attract newpotential gentrifying impactsresidents to apreviouslyand, therefore, develop antidisplacementmechanisms neighborhood. Thisdisinvestedin an inclusive and increasedcommunity-based process. desirability feeds aquick run-up inland values andrelated costs (e.g., rents, property taxes). Singlefamilyrentals are sold and converted tohomeownership and substandard properties arerazed or improved so as to meet the demands of thenew, higher-income residents. Existing residents aresubjected to multiple displacing pressures andexisting businesses/employers face rising operatingexpenses and the loss of their customer base.Affordable rental property, residential orcommercial, becomes harder to find. To somedegree, displacement and gentrification result fromexclusive decisionmaking. It is more likely and moreextensive where potentially affected communityresidents, particularly those most at risk ofdisplacement (low-income people, people of color,the elderly, the disabled, and small businesses) lackmeaningful opportunities to access and influencedevelopment decisions. In their absence, suchdecisionmaking is less likely to prioritize an antidisplacementagenda.The East Harlem Community Link InitiativeIt is against this backdrop that the Regional PlanAssociation (RPA), an independent, not-for-profitregional planning organization, strives to improve thequality of life and economic competitiveness in the31-county New York-New Jersey-ConnecticutRegion through research, planning, and advocacy.Released in 1996, RPA’s Third Regional Plan, “ARegion at Risk,” called for building a seamless 21 stcentury mass transit system, creating a three millionacreGreensward network of protected naturalresource systems, maintaining half of the region’semployment in urban centers, and assisting minorityand immigrant communities to fully participate inthe economic mainstream.A key recommendation of RPA’s plan was the revivalof the long-dormant Second Avenue Subway projectin the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City.Proposals to build a north-south subway line alongSecond Avenue date back to 1929, with several plansand false starts in the following decades. Fastforward to 1995, the Metropolitan TransportationAuthority (MTA) began the Manhattan East SideAlternatives (MESA) Study. The MESA study teamcompiled a list of more than 20 alternatives toresolve existing and future transportation issuesidentified within the study area, but proposed ashortened version that would fail to connect manylow-income communities to job opportunities indowntown Manhattan. The Regional PlanAssociation and its allies commenced acomprehensive, successful campaign involvingadvertising and local elected officials, and the MTAboard eventually allocated $1.05 billion in its 2000-2004 Capital Program to complete the planning anddesign and initiate construction of a full-lengthSecond Avenue Subway.101Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities