Regional Setting

The Capital Region of New York is a dynamic, multi-county metropolitan area containing a number of diverse, livable communities. The strength of the region draws from its stability as a center of government, its noted educational institutions and well-educated work force, its overall quality of life, recognition of its heritage and its strong potential for economic and environmental health. Over 800,000 residents enjoy the benefits of a region composed of four central cities, several additional small cities, strong and well-defined suburbs, healthy rural areas and nearby recreational locations.

At the same time, the region faces pressing challenges: maintaining and restoring vitality in its numerous older urban areas; ensuring access for workers to jobs; providing well-paying jobs to the coming generation of high school and college graduates; carefully managing suburban development to encourage economic growth while preserving agricultural activity, open space and community livability; and fostering civic pride, responsibility and regional identity. Overall, the region has lagged the nation in economic growth in recent years and is witnessing increasing economic disparity among its communities, caused by industrial decline in older areas and commercial and residential growth in newer areas.

The REVEST initiative has helped meet these challenges by leveraging the region's strategic location in the national transportation system, by reinforcing the economic value of effective intermodal centers as focal points for urban revitalization, and by nurturing the tourist economy of the region.

Historic Context

A significant aspect of both the region's heritage and its prospects for future health is its inextricable connection to its transportation system and, more specifically, leadership in the field of transportation. The connection between transportation and the region is substantial and has had a profound effect on both the local economy and the shape of the nation. Consider the following facts:

· This region provided a unique inland tidal river port to a young nation, serving the nation's earliest expansion to the west.

· This region influenced the nation's transformation further through its role as both the origin and focal point of the Erie Canal.

· This region also introduced intercity passenger train operation to the nation, between Albany and Schenectady, ushering in an era of unprecedented overland transport speeds.

· Over nearly a century, this region manufactured a vast bulk of the locomotives that powered the nation's growth.

· This region further initiated the concept of municipal ownership of airports, converting aviation from a novelty to a substantial travel mode.

· This region later enjoyed a pivotal role in the creation of the $450 M (1950 $) New York State Thruway, helping introduce the nation to the safety and economic benefits of limited access highway design.

· Over the past twenty years, this region has led the nation in high-speed ground transportation through New York State and federal financial commitments, providing the nation's only high-speed passenger rail service serving an international market.

Today, the region continues to recognize its dependence on transportation and its tradition of transportation leadership. New York State continues to lead the nation in support for balanced transportation, providing the greatest funding among all states for public transportation in general and passenger rail in particular. The statewide canal recreationway plan promises to leverage the state's historic investment in the canal system for the benefit of communities in the canal corridor through recreation and economic development actions. Additionally, the recently completed new terminal,


parking garage, control tower and air cargo facility at the Albany International Airport have restored the region's aviation status and prospects. In fact, the widely acclaimed new airport facility put the Albany International Airport in a position to bring in a national low-fare passenger airline.

The Capital District Transportation Committee (the metropolitan planning organization), through cooperation among elected officials, transportation agencies and the general public has led to the adoption of unparalleled commitments to use transportation investment primarily to build strong communities and knit these communities together into a vibrant metropolitan area. The communities' vitality and the region's economic and environmental prospects are paramount in this region's transportation policies. The level of integration between transportation and community health reflected in the CDTC's New Visions regional transportation plan is gaining national attention as a model for other areas.

Through local and state initiatives and the Capital District Transportation Committee's planning and programming process, the region has begun to reaffirm its traditional role as a national transportation leader by using flexibility provided in the ISTEA legislation in the following ways:

· Initiating one of the nation's first regional, inter-municipal, multi-modal programs for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) deployment;

· Providing financial resources for commuter travel demand management at what may be the largest voluntary level in the nation;

· Pioneering the practice of connecting land use and access management plans to highway repair and construction projects;

· Allocating an unparalleled portion of flexible funds to urban revitalization initiatives, goods movement projects, pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, transit system modernization, intercity transportation and urban park connections.

The region’s transportation providers, notably the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), have stepped forward energetically to implement these policies and projects.

The REVEST initiative reflects the region's historic and current transportation leadership and creates a national model for the coordination of substantial transportation investment with both local and regional economic growth plans and long-range sustainability.