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BUILDING COMMUNITIES
Building
Communities Through Expansion
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One of the
keys to the reinvestment in and recreation of "front porch"
neighborhoods in the St. Louis region is the further development
of MetroLink.
A good, high
quality transit system encourages walking, thus stimulating storefronts,
and compact urban design.
St.
Clair County is utilizing this idea in station development for
Phase II of MetroLink which opened on May 7, 2001 to record ridership.
The St. Louis
region is an area developed from a transit system with basic housing
density, street grids and existing retail on a neighborhood scale.
By bringing MetroLink back to these
neighborhoods, the ridership community and neighborhood development
opportunities will abound.
Building
Communities Through Clean Air
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With an air
quality problem recognized by the EPA, CMT is working to improve
the air quality in the region to build a better community to live
and breathe.
CMT
works directly with employers to improve air quality by reducing
the number of people who commute alone to work.
Through our
corporate members, CMT works with
more than 35,000 employees to promote alternative commute options
including MetroLink and the bus
system.
The TMA hosts
programs such as the Guaranteed Ride
Home Program, Bike to Work Day, Try Transit Week, Tastes of
Transit, Team Up with Transit, Subsidy programs and others to change
St. Louis commuting habits to
improve the quality of our neighborhoods.
Ensuring
the Future of Communities
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To ensure the
future of communities through rail transit investment, CMT is actively
monitoring the Proposition M collections and expenditures by the
Metro Agency.
In this watchdog
role, CMT urges Metro to bank Proposition M funds for light rail
expansion.
CMT is a leader
in grassroots support for light rail expansion. Several St. Louis
organizations have recognized CMT for its leadership in improving
transportation and being the driving force in bringing MetroLink
to St. Louis.
These organizations
include the St. Louis Real Estate Board who awarded its "Sold
on St. Louis" Award to CMT; The Public Relations Society of
America, who presented CMT its "Silver Anvil Award" and
the local chapter of the St. Louis PRSA who awarded CMT its "Lamplighter
Award."
CMT is also
a leader on the national front. Well-known on Capitol Hill, CMT
Board members and friends have urged Congress to push for federal
dollars for transit projects. CMT in partnership with Metro hosted
Rail-Volution in St. Louis in Oct. 1997, a national conference with
more than 700 participants
CMT needs
your help to play a vital role in building public support for community
development through rail transit expansion.
By becoming
a member of CMT, your voice will help to build more livable,
friendly communities in the region while revitalizing historic neighborhoods.
In sum, rail transit is a means to
an end, and with your help, CMT can achieve that end - a higher
quality of life.
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Building
Communities Through Alliances
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With
St. Louis occupying 350% more land than it did 40 years ago
while the population has increased by only 35% during the
same period, sprawl is a serious threat to maintaining our
neighborhood connections.
Sprawl
has caused the region to separate homes from shopping, neighborhoods
from schools, parishioners from churches, and parents from
children.
Working
to preserve these St. Louis communities, CMT is a leader in
the St. Louis Smart Growth Alliance, a group of more than
20 educational, civic, environmental, religious, business
and other institutions.
Using transportation policy
favorable to transit fits into CMT's vision of fostering neighborhood
development through the thoughtful expansion of MetroLink.
Building
Communities Through Development
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As a
proponent of light rail expansion in St. Louis, CMT believes
that "new urbanism" or transit-oriented development
is the key to rebuilding communities.
New
urbanism which began in Florida and California features strong
transit, compact development, walkable streets and neighborhoods
and mixed use development, elements that are already in place
throughout the older parts of St. Louis City and County.
As an active member of the
Congress of New Urbanism, CMT is promoting these development
techniques through a lecture
series, educational materials, CMT Committee on Neighborhoods
and the St. Louis Smart Growth Alliance.
Transit
Oriented Development (TOD)
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Transit
Oriented Development as seen in areas such as Portland,
OR and San
Jose, CA builds communities and neighborhoods alongside
transit, increasing accessibility, street level activity and
opportunities to live and work closer to home.
Areas such as San Jose, Sacramento,
and San Francisco
have seen redevelopment of older, established neighborhoods
around light rail as well as new development opportunities
created by the transit systems.
New housing including single
family dwellings and multi-family structures have occurred
as a result of the light rail system.
Also, commercial opportunities
in these areas have increased especially in the light rail
corridors.
Transit experts across the
country continue to tout the benefits of TOD as a way to save
and revitalize older neighborhoods.
Citizens
for Modern Transit is addressing TOD through its Community
Sustainability Committee.
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