Comments on: The journey’s half the fun http://westnorth.com/2007/07/05/the-journeys-half-the-fun/ an irregular view on cities Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:54:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: paytonc http://westnorth.com/2007/07/05/the-journeys-half-the-fun/#comment-12107 Thu, 22 Nov 2007 03:23:06 +0000 http://westnorth.com/2007/07/05/the-journeys-half-the-fun/#comment-12107 The point is echoed by Charlotte Observer columnist Tommy Tomlinson:

Two weeks ago, on the night that voters chose to keep the transit tax, I talked to Bob Morgan, the president of the Charlotte Chamber and one of the biggest boosters of light rail.

He talked about how Bank of America, Wachovia and Charlotte’s other big corporations recruit employees from New York and D.C. and Chicago — cities where rail is a common way to get around.

His fear was toppling dominoes: recruits who don’t want to come here because Charlotte isn’t urban enough, followed by big companies leaving because they can’t land recruits.

I tend to doubt that the lack of light rail would cause Charlotte’s key industries to take off. But Chamber folks are paid to be scared of just such things.

And there’s no doubt that light rail will create a new Charlotte lifestyle. Cities with outerbelts run the danger of turning into a reverse doughnut — lots of action in the center and on the outer edge, empty in between. Development along the light-rail lines can preserve the in-between places.

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