The District Magazine Vol. 1 Issue 2, Summer 2016 | Page 43

become overcrowded people begin to resent the
amount of time and delay they suffer. This has never
been truer than today and Tampa is a great example
of how connected and dependent business and
suburban living are to transportation expansion.
But something else is also happening amongst the
population.
There is an increase in people who decide they
want a simpler less car dependent lifestyle. They want
shorter commutes or the ability to walk to almost
everything. Some of them seriously don’t want a car
at all. These urban dwellers are making conscious
decisions to move and redevelop areas that had
been abandoned in and closer to downtown. Part of
that decision is built around freeing themselves from
the dependence of their personal vehicles. Their
concerns about transportation are turned toward the
expansion and re-creation of supporting alternatives
to vehicles including a strong desire for robust public
transit with busses that run on time often enough to
make them practical. This gives way to conversation
about implementation of commuter rail. For more
local trips, walking and biking became a key part
of the lifestyle. Urban business development goes
with residential development, But businesses need
places to park vehicles. Thus inspired visionary
civic leaders to begin a push for a more equitable
concentration of funds to build and support mass
transit. It can be summarized in a simple question.
If there is no more room for cars in the downtown,
then you want to park the cars where there is room,
and transport vehicle dependent individuals to their
work in the urban environment by mass transit.
This transformation and redevelopment is alive
and well in Tampa. Historic neighborhoods have
regained value attracting resident investment.
Formerly blighted or vacated business and industrial
areas have begun to attract developers who are
intense about making the most for their investment
dollar. High-density multi-family developments
begin to rise from formerly blighted properties.
This combined with the recovery of close in historic
areas runs head long into the need for expanded
right of way for roadways. The life-style shift
away from vehicle dependence has finally forced
consideration by planners and development
specialists. Unfortunately, there is a conflict between
the suburban development mindset with its need
for larger and faster roadways and the urban
lifestyle which doesn’t want to sacrifice tax funds or

neighborhoods to make way for additional lanes.
Roads are expensive to build and maintain.
Transit systems regardless of type are expensive to
build and maintain. Both issues end up in debate
over how tax dollars should be spent and how they
should be paid for. Complicating the issues is the
fact that most governmental entities have not been
able to afford to maintain roads as the intensive
use accelerated the damage to the roadways.
Roadways are expensive, alternative development is
expensive, and maintenance is expensive. Thus, the
debate over how to pay for any improvements and
repairs is often contentious because so many dollars
are involved.
Expanding highways disrupts and sometimes
destroys neighborhoods for the benefit of people
who don’t share the same values of the urban
lifestyle. The suburban and businesses that depend
upon the larger suburban cohort of citizens as
customers are just as committed to the notion that
without