It's not the meters that encourage sprawl and subsidize exurban development,
it's the road system itself and the continuing belief that the solution to
traffic congestion is more roads and wider freeways. The state legislature
needs to understand smart growth and spend transportation dollars
accordingly, but, even that isn't enough for Minneapolis. When traffic
reaches the joking point and people start locating jobs and housing closer
together, Minneapolis will still be competing with the suburbs for jobs and
residents and businesses will continue to locate where employees live.
Lacking a unified vision, we too often look for a single solution (turn off
the meters, build a downtown entertainment center, build light rail,
increase affordable housing) to a complex set of issues that together
determine our collective "quality of life." In truth, it's a complex issue
that requires a clear vision and a multi-layered solution. The solution is
not affordable housing or market rate housing or light rail or bike paths or
new development or housing rehabilitation programs or better schools or
better parks. It's all of the above.
