No one can say with certainty what the incoming presidency of Donald Trump will mean for the nation or the principals we hold at Bike/Walk Central Florida of making our community a safe place for cyclists and pedestrians.
As we consider the impact of a Trump presidency, we turn to two experts in the fields of city design and mass transit who wrote articles in the CNU Journal on what the future might hold: Lynn Richards, President and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism; Jarrett Walker, PhD, an international consultant in public transit network design and policy.
Both experts agree that little is known about the actual policy positions of President-elect Trump, but they maintain steps can be taken to keep our communities moving forward.
Richards says working with Republicans will be key because strong cities are important to all political persuasions.
“We cannot lose the bipartisan appeal of these core values because of one political moment. I’ve had great urbanist conversations with Tea Party activists and radical environmentalists, and I’ve worked alongside struggling communities and residents of every color, creed, and class,” she wrote.
Walker said Trump has spoken of spending money on the country’s infrastructure — which could be good news for mass transit because many cities support such systems.
Regardless of what the Trump Administration finally decides, Walker wrote, cities must continue fighting for trains, light rail and buses.
“They must set their own goals, which may be above and beyond what the region will support, and form their own plans to pursue them. Nobody knows what the Federal government will do next. But whatever it stops doing, cities and regions will have to do themselves,” he wrote.
Here are links to their thoughts:
What a Trump presidency means for New Urbanism by Lynn Richards
In urban America, transit consensus is stronger than ever by Jarrett Walker
