Week 6: (Scenario 2) What values do you think should guide transportation planning and investments over the next 10 years?
Discussion of the Week, on This Topic
Lindsey Alexander
Moderator, Students Speak Out
For the past few weeks we’ve been thinking about what life in 2061 might look like. Your perspectives have informed the development of three future scenarios. What we want to talk about this week is transportation in those scenarios. For the purposes of MnDOT’s work this is a very important piece of project, so give your answers some thought. You can use values more than once. (For example, it’s fine if you pick 1, 2 and 3 for Scenario 1 and want to pick them again for another scenario, etc.)
Now say a bit about WHY you selected the three answers that you did?
Scenario 2 (created by YOU!):
- By 2061, the U.S. no longer trades internationally except for limited trade with Canada and Mexico. In Minnesota we focus on local issues and local resources. We export water to drier Midwest areas and benefit from our investments in wind technology in the early 2000s.We also benefit from last minute additions of solar panels, allowing even more power. We have created a regional republic government with Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and South Dakota. We are now isolated from the rest of the United States.
- The five-state republic flourishes as a self-sufficient region. We have little need to travel long distances. We supply resources to all in the republic, but we figure out how to keep resources travelling the shortest distances possible. About 97 percent of young people graduate from high school annually.
- With such great payoffs from our initial investments, people look for more ways to keep the republic in a position of strength. The government mandates developers to engineer completely efficient structures capable of combating important environmental issues such as storm water runoff and climate change. Caps are set on the amount of energy a home or business can consume, so more and more buildings are equipped with renewable resources to harvest energy using wind, solar, and hydro technologies. We build underground houses to allow residents to have easier access to ground water and fertile soil, and share our technology with others.
- The five-state republic feels prepared and protected as the patterns of precipitation and climate shift worldwide. While states outside the republic are suffering greatly, they depend on the republic for resources. And the republic plays nice. The republic is also prepared in case of attack, however, because the need for resources continues to grow in other areas. Older generations worry about long-term stability, however. They believe communities within the US, and especially in the republic, have become disconnected from the world causing narrow-minded thought within the young generation.
Given this scenario for 2061, what values do you think should guide transportation planning and investments over the next 10 years? (Choose three.)
[Note the timeframe: it’s not 2061, it’s planning and investments over the next 10 years. The idea is to say, if this scenario were to happen, what do YOU think is important in planning for transportation in light of this scenario.]
- Fix it first – within each type of system (rail, highways, etc.), maintain existing transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges, tracks, etc.) before building new
- Expand choice – prioritize diversify of travel choices versus reliance on a single option.
- Support existing communities – investments in existing communities before expanding to serve yet-to-be-built communities
- Align system with other public purposes – emphasize environmental stewardship, economic competitiveness, public health, energy independence and education.
- Emphasize reliability/predictability – the reliability of the system and predictability of travel time are more important than speed.
- Ensure regional connections – key regional centers need to be connected to each other and to the Twin Cities.
- Use partnerships – coordinate with the private sector and with other units of government to make transportation projects and operations more efficient.
- Other ….. (describe)
Now say a bit about WHY you selected the three answers that you did?
Student Commentator Responses:
Ann D.
2. Expand choice
4. Align system with other public purposes
7. Use partnerships
I really have to agree with Louise on all three of these. USING PARTNERSHIPS could be so important for the five-state republic in this scenario. Though it seems as if we are already thriving, imagine how much more we could benefit from more efficient transportation projects. What we thrive off of is the ability to partner with the rest of the U.S.A. and so it'd be great to better that.
EXPANDING CHOICES of travel could also help in case of attack, as we are already preparing for this. The diversity in our travel choices would make it possible for us to seperate and raise ourselves above other places even better. ALIGN SYSTEM with other public purposes is another key choice for many of the same reasons the other two were. We need to make sure we are prepared and at our best, so no matter what happens to the other states we stay strong. Another thing is, with emphasizing our environmental stewardship we are ensuring that one of our greatest resources will remain as one of our greatest resources.
Hannah O.
3- support existing communities,
5- reliability,
6- ensure regional connections
Because the community is so close together and there is little need to travel far, it seems more logical to support the current community and making the investments into a community that is existent and will have the need to use transportation (even if it’s just local). Reliability is also very important because in order to maintain the strength and power which is what people want, there has to be a trust in the government and there has to be a positive relationship between governmental agencies and the people. Making sure people can know and rely on the predictions of arrival times and just the system as a whole is crucial to maintain that relationship. Ensuring the regional connections is super important because the republic is comprises of the Midwestern region. Making sure this region has connections to each other allows the republic to run smoothly.
Join in the Conversation!
Louise E.