Stories worth reading – 5/13/15

Here are a few curated stories we’re reading and talking about this week:

Transportation Emerges as Crucial to Escaping Poverty
The New York Times
“In a large, continuing study of upward mobility based at Harvard, commuting time has emerged as the single strongest factor in the odds of escaping poverty. The longer an average commute in a given county, the worse the chances of low-income families there moving up the ladder.”

Why Baltimore needs the Red Line
The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board
“Right now, Gov. Larry Hogan is reviewing whether to allow two major transit projects, the Red and Purple lines, to move forward. Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars already spent on planning and preparation for these light rail projects in Baltimore and suburban Washington, he’s held them up on an issue of affordability. We think that’s a flawed way of looking at them — much like the narrow focus of the farebox recovery rate.”

Let Our Cities Move
The New York Times
“Even if Congress averts this immediate crisis, the long-term threat to our economic security is just as serious. Right now, congressional leaders and the Obama administration are debating the size of the Highway Trust Fund and the direction of the federal surface-transportation program. Some are content with business as usual: a short-term extension and lurching from crisis to crisis. This would fail to provide the long-term certainty needed to plan and carry out multiyear transportation projects.”

Millennials surpass Gen Xers as the largest generation in U.S. labor force
Pew Research Center
“This milestone occurred in the first quarter of 2015, as the 53.5 million-strong Millennial workforce has risen rapidly. The Millennial labor force had last year surpassed that of the Baby Boom, which has declined as Boomers retire.”

New Balance Bought Its Own Commuter Rail Station
The Atlantic
“When athletic company New Balance decided to expand its headquarters and build retail, a hotel, a track, and skating rink in one Boston neighborhood not served by public transit, it didn’t wait for the city to agree to build new train stations or add bus routes, which could have taken years. Instead, it decided to build a commuter rail station itself.”