santa fe pursuing visionary multimodal transition plan

The City of Santa Fe has issued a Request for Proposals for the development of a five-year plan dedicated to enhancing multimodal opportunities in the city.

The plan is being done in conjunction with the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization.  The goal, according to city documents, is to “specifically identify infrastructure improvement projects, policies and programs” throughout Santa Fe.

Potential multimodal projects could include “parking solutions, active transportation, and transit investments.”

The 5 to 10-year multimodal blueprint includes the goals of “minimizing demand for private vehicles and vehicle storage, increasing walkability, active transportation, transit ridership, and increased community and economic vitality.”

Ultimately, the idea is to find a way of incorporating urban design, landscape architecture, zoning, and transportation systems as part of a “comprehensive approach to reducing dependence on the automobile and increase livability.”

The multimodal movement first gained traction more than a generation ago in the transportation industry where goods were being moved by a combination of different transportation forms including truck, train, and boat.

According to the website Smart Cities Dive, cities around the world in recent years have embraced the concept of multimodal integration, or a “seamless connectivity between the different transport modes to maximize the impact of mass transport and enable sustainable urban mobility.”

Submission deadline for the RFP is December 30.

By Garry Boulard

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