Can Mass Transit Save Our City

Is it possible to achieve one silver bullet strategy across state and municipality lines to achieve greater financial freedom, improved health and greater inter-connectivity between diverse racial and socioeconomic groups?

These are the great questions faced by city planners, developers and major employers across the country, and it was at the Close the Gap seminar at the Kroc Center in South Omaha that many attempted to answer these questions.

According to, Joe Reardon, the answer to all of this starts with mass transit. Mr. Reardon is not some soft headed academic, spinning wild theories within the safe confines of his tenured professorship. This is the former mayor of Kansas City and the current head of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. Over the course of his presentation Reardon demonstrated the links between mass transit and increased investment from the private sector as well as positive population growth in the areas best served by improved transportation.

Check out what our sister city to the south has done by following the link below

In addition to the key note given by Mr. Reardon, there were several smaller breakout sessions that covered topics ranging from the local startup community to the newly formed relationship between HUD and the Douglas County Health Department.

It was an energetic and impassioned call to action for all of us to consider and perhaps reconsider the way we view our city’s development both now and in the future.  The rising cost of new infrastructure forced by urban sprawl, traffic congestion, the availability and affordability of personal transportation make these discussions more relevant than ever. 

With these points in mind, I am truly excited about the future of our city. Recently, there has been a renewed focus on infill and revitalization of older sections of the metro. I for one, would welcome the opportunity to leave the car behind, especially when heading downtown to hunt for parking. As a real estate agent, mass transit may not alter my daily commute, as I will still need to meet clients all over the city, but I can see it altering the landscape of our town’s future developments.

Frankly, if a “car city” like Kansas City can adopt this strategy with such positive results to it’s economic and population growth it should be on the forefront of our minds as we look to our own growth and competitive standing amongst other metropolitan areas.

When we can provide our citizens with a cohesive and connected solution to transportation from the suburbs to the central business district we may achieve something truly special. A city with no limits, no segregations, no borders to work, play and enjoy the many unique aspects of Omaha.

For more details on this, please visit www.heartland2050.org