Jacksonville Urban Planning circa: 1973

[spuwho]

I think many MJ'ers would be surprised what the leaders of the First Coast were thinking back in 1973 when they were pulling together the Jacksonville Urban Plan that was brought together by the JAPB (Jacksonville Area Planning Board).

http://digitool.fcla.edu/R/B25HIP6QU5NNFUYM7RVEFBF7Q5B4VYFIQ7P911GJLT4P2393R5-02796?func=results-jump-full&set_entry=000006&set_number=001192&base=GEN01

Population estimates
Road capacities
Forecasted budgets for highway updates

and the real shocker

Money to set aside for mass transit. Buses were called "short term transit". Most of the discussion was on "Long Term Transit" and a downtown people mover.

Even bike paths were discussed as part of the plan. How to improve movements around the Gator Bowl and cut down on urban pollution. Even money for a new Amtrak station ($1 Million)

There is even discussion on what to do with a vote by the Jacksonville Beach Transportation Committee to have a monorail built connecting the beach with downtown and the airport to increase tourism.

What is most galling is all the money set aside in the plan (and shown as 100% funded by the Feds) for a comprehensive mass transit plan and land use plan.

What happened? This wasn't a compilation by some idealistic set of brainstormers, the list of participants includes the mayor, city council, Clay, St Johns counties and specific request to work with the citizen advisory boards to get input.

Did they lose the will? This report came out just before the oil shocks and embargoes hit. What happened to the plans? There is a lot of time spent on the "1990 Road Plan", what kind of roads Jacksonville will need by 1990. Lots of money set aside to get JTB extended out to A1A. (This ended up being a tollway, so what happened??)

What I find interesting is everything we (on MJ) discuss as "needed" was already discussed and anticipated 40 years ago!

What happened?