New Mexico Transportation and Planning in 2050 by Aaron Sussman Fred Harris

Author:Aaron Sussman, Fred Harris [Aaron Sussman, Fred Harris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, State & Local, Southwest (AZ; NM; OK; TX), Political Science, Public Policy, General
ISBN: 9780826356178
Google: N9hgCgAAQBAJ
Publisher: UNM Press
Published: 2015-07-01T00:32:33+00:00

New Mexico 2050

Given the pressures and changing patterns concerning where New Mexicans will live in the future, their housing needs and desires, and the means by which they travel, important policy decisions must be made to ensure a sustainable transportation future for the state of New Mexico. The recommendations here provide a starting point that could serve to move the state in a positive direction in the years ahead.

1 This change in emphasis can be seen in documents such as the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s State Rail Plan. The Statewide Multi-Modal Long-Range Transportation Plan, to be completed in 2015, is also prioritizing maintenance of existing infrastructure.

2 According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, New Mexico ranks tenth nationally in traffic fatalities per capita. Remarkably, this is substantially better than the traffic fatality rate in previous years.

3 Niraj Chokshi, “Population Growth in New Mexico Is Approaching Zero—and Other Bad Signs,” GovBeat (blog), Washington Post, January 17, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/01/17/population-growth-in-new-mexico-is-approaching-zero-and-other-bad-signs/.

4 American Community Survey, 2012 State to State Migration Flows.

5 It is important to note that the most recent Geospatial Population Studies Group projections are based on the 2010 Census, with updated data on fertility rates and migration, both of which were affected by the Great Recession. As a result, the numbers given here are more conservative in their outlook than previous projections.

6 Dennis Domrzalski, “Oil Boom Brings More People to Southeastern NM,” Albuquerque Business First, March 27, 2014, http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2014/03/27/oil-boom-brings-more-people-to-southeastern-nm.html. Growth in Hobbs was greater than in New Mexico overall (the state added only about 1,750 residents), meaning that if not for Hobbs the state would have lost population in 2013.

7 Census-defined metropolitan statistical areas refer to the county or counties surrounding urbanized areas of more than fifty thousand residents. There are four MSAs in New Mexico, surrounding the cities of Albuquerque, Farmington, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe. For Farmington, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe, the MSA comprises the county in which the city is located—San Juan, Doña Ana, and Santa Fe Counties, respectively. The Albuquerque MSA comprises Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia, and (somewhat oddly) Torrance Counties, resulting in a geographically large, culturally diverse grouping that contains far more rural than urban lands.

8 El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization, Horizon 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, October 4, 2013, 2.

9 Lauren Villagran, “Santa Teresa Is Catching Fire,” Albuquerque Journal, April 14, 2014.

10 El Consejo Nacional de Población, Proyecciones de la Población 2010–2050.

11 Kevin Robinson-Avila and Lauren Villagran, “Juárez on the Rebound,” Albuquerque Journal, March 9, 2014.

12 “Anuncia duarte inversion de 450 mdd en infraestructura San Jerónimo-Santa Teresa,” La Opción de Chihuahua, August 9, 2013, http://laopcion.com.mx/noticia/1307; “San Jerónimo es ruta alterna para sacar el tren de Juárez, dice César Duarte,” El Diario Edición Juárez, April 1, 2014, http://diario.mx/Local/2014–04–01_44017d5f/san-jeronimo-es-ruta-alterna-para-sacar-el-tren-de-juarez-dice-cesar-duarte/

13 Accommodating urban population growth is challenging, and urban planning strategies are also evolving. While some places still shy away from regulation—for example, neither fast-growing San Juan County nor Lea County has zoning ordinances—other jurisdictions, such as Santa Fe County, are pursuing policies that concentrate development in locations where the infrastructure already exists to support it.

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