Regional and Urban Design Committee

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When Suburbs Go to War With Transit

  • 1.  When Suburbs Go to War With Transit

    Posted 02-24-2023 03:45 PM

    When Suburbs Go to War With Transit

    A battle over building a housing development near a Baltimore light rail station illustrates why it's so hard to make viable public transportation in the suburbs. 

    An empty light rail station platform in Baltimore, where development around transit lines has been slow to emerge. 

    Photographer: Five Buck Photos/iStockphoto

    On a recent Wednesday, I stood on the platform of a light rail station in Lutherville, Maryland, about 15 miles north of downtown Baltimore, having a flashback.

    More than three decades ago, I was the architectural project manager for the light rail system that the Maryland Transit Administration was planning for the state's largest metropolitan area. Like several other US cities in that era, Baltimore was hoping that this modern streetcar-like mode could be built cheaper than subways and spur economic development along the route. 

    here: READ FULL ARTICLE on CityLab

    or on my blog



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    [Klaus] Philipsen FAIA
    Archplan Inc. Philipsen Architects
    Baltimore MD
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