Travel behavior changes have generated demand for ever-expanding road capacity throughout the Twin Cities region, expansion that no longer is politically or financially feasible. The stage has been set for a public-policy conflict: the motoring public appears to want what it cannot have at the prices it is willing to pay.

This is one conclusion from the first report of the Transportation and Regional Growth Study. Led by Professor John S. Adams of the Department of Geography, The Role of Housing Markets, Regulatory Frameworks, and Local Government Finance is the first in a series of projects that address Twin Cities regional dynamics, using an integrated mix of statistical and cartographic analyses.

The series is part of a multiyear initiative of research and public education on Transportation and Regional Growth. This first report is meant to provide a backdrop for subsequent reports, which will take a more detailed look at the complexity of interactions relating transportation infrastructure and flows, housing market dynamics, economic development processes, local government finances and regulation, and their influence on the shape and substance of American metropolitan growth.

Other conclusions from the study include the following:

• Growth may benefit the entire region, or it may benefit some areas at the expense of other parts of the region.
• The cumulative effects of federal, state, and local regulations during the last 50 years have pushed residential, commercial, and industrial development out of the central city and pulled it into the surrounding suburban fringe. The tendency to develop on the edge has noticeable effects on transportation requirements: an increase in automobile dependency, higher traffic volumes, greater fossil fuel consumption, reduced efficiency of public transit systems, and persistent calls for additional high-volume, high-speed roads.
• A variety of tax laws, zoning codes, development rules, and related land use regulations operate in concert with housing market activity and consumer preference to promote low-density, suburban development, and to discourage rehabilitation and reinvestment in core areas of the metropolitan region. The result is a creeping outward of low-density development that affects the region as a whole in wasteful, inefficient, and often unjust ways.
• Although it is thought that rapid growth may ensure a city's prosperity, such growth often is linked to traffic congestion and even fiscal stress, and thus is questioned as a panacea for the financial woes of a community.

To read the full executive summary of the report, please see the study's Web page, www.umn.edu/cts/TRG/TRG.html. To order a copy of the report, call Eric Hinsdale at 612-626-1023.

Committees Provide Oversight and Guidance for Study

The Policy Leader Committee provides strategic direction and guidance, defines issues, shares concerns, evaluates research relevance, and provides linkages to a broader public involvement process. Members are:

• Mike Brinda, Director, Neighborhood Employment Network
• Ed Cohoon, Deputy Commissioner, Mn/DOT
• James Denn, Mn/DOT Commissioner
• State Senator Carol Flynn
• Tom Fisher, Dean, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
• Curt Johnson, Chair, Metropolitan Council
• George Latimer, Professor of Urban Studies, Macalester College
• Larry Laukka, President, Laukka Development Co.
• Ron Lifson, Vice President/General Manager, LDI Fibers, Inc.
• State Representative Dan McElroy
• john powell, Executive Director, Institute on Race and Poverty
• Arthur Rolnick, Senior Vice President and Director of Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Minnesota
• Lee Ronning, Program Director, Land Stewardship Project
• Bill Schreiber, Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Policy, Mn/DOT
• Mary Hill Smith, Vice Chair, Metropolitan Council
• State Representative Jean Wagenius
• Chuck Whiting, Editorial Writer, Minneapolis Star Tribune
• Donn Wiski, Council Member, Roseville
• The Program Management Team guides program administration and contract management. Members are:
• John S. Adams, Department of Geography
• Gina Baas, Center for Transportation Studies
• Bob Benke, Mn/DOT Office of Research Administration
• Nacho Diaz, Metropolitan Council
• Randy Halvorson, Mn/DOT Transportation Research and Investment Management
• Tim Henkel, Mn/DOT Metro District
• Robert Johns, Center for Transportation Studies
• Connie Kozlak, Metropolitan Council
• Barbara Lukermann, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs
• Laurie McGinnis, Center for Transportation Studies
• Abby McKenzie, Mn/DOT Office of Investment Management
• Gerard McCullough, Center for Transportation Studies
• Craig Rapp, Metropolitan Council
• Peggy Reichert, Mn/DOT Office of Access Management
• Tom Scott, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs
• Dick Stehr, Mn/DOT Metro District

The Faculty Advisory Committee conducts research, provides advice and evaluation, and participates in forums. Members are:

• John S. Adams, Department of Geography
• John Brandl, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
• Gerard McCullough, Center for Transportation Studies
• Lance Neckar, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
• Tom Scott, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs
• Tom Stinson, Department of Applied Economics
• Craig Swan, Department of Economics