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Talking Transit with Taskforce Member Doug Hunt
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How the RiverRail creates new housing opportunities 

One of the greatest opportunities TheRiverRail can bring is new housing opportunities for folks of all ages to live in a walkable, “livable” South Bend and Mishawaka.

 

According to AARP, a livable community is “safe and secure, contains housing that’s affordable and appropriate, features transportation options, access to needed services and opportunities for residents to engage and participate in community life.”

 

One of the best sources of information about housing and the “livable, walkable city” is a book by a graduate of the Notre Dame School of Architecture, Daniel Parolek, who has made a national splash with his book “Missing Middle Housing,” about the great variety of housing types and choices that cities used to have… and can have again.

 

According to Daniel, “The household and cultural demographics of the United States have shifted dramatically – nearly 30 percent of all households are now single person. By 2035 one in five Americans will be over the age of 65 and households without children will make up 84 percent of the change in households between 2015 and 2025. Baby Boomers and Millennials are increasingly saying no to the suburbs and choosing a walkable urban lifestyle.”

 

The proposed RiverRail Modern Streetcar for the South Bend/Mishawaka/Notre Dame communities will be the transportation backbone of this coming future.

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