Light Rail: 'The Castor Oil Of Urban Development'

Greg Allen argues that Kansas City's light rail plan, influenced by "trendy" ideas such as "Smart Growth" and "New Urbanism" won't work.

1 minute read

July 30, 2001, 8:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"In isolation, light rail may sound like a great idea. The plan is based on all the trendiest ideas in urban development -- 'smart growth,' 'the New Urbanism' and so on -- and it's supposed to improve air pollution, traffic congestion and other urban problems...our city is not densely populated, and we prefer it that way... Light rail is the castor oil of urban development: They say it's good for you, but almost no one ever takes it if they have a choice."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

Monday, July 30, 2001 in The Kansas City Star

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