ABQ, ABQ Ride, Albuquerque, Central Avenue, downtown, transit, transportation, urban

Successful Transit in Albuquerque? It’s Real.

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Why Albuquerque Rapid Transit is far from a “Lemon”

by Jordon McConnell

About the author: Jordon McConnell, a nonprofit healthcare and education professional with a background in humanities and French, channels his passion for French urban planning to reimagine Albuquerque’s urban form. His unique perspective emphasizes equitable and holistic community development, aiming to enhance the city’s quality of life for all.

In 2011, the City of Albuquerque began studying the idea of implementing a bus rapid transit (BRT) system along Central Avenue. Bus rapid transit is a form of mass transit that can vary in look and implementation, but generally requires level-boarding platforms for buses, off-board fare payment, dedicated transitways, and signal preemption at intersections (giving buses priority for green lights). By 2016, this idea was put into action, becoming the Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) project. The City sought to replace the aging Rapid Ride system with a better experience, improving passenger comfort, safety, speed, and reliability on the system while also encouraging new, denser development along one of the city’s main thoroughfares. 

The project proved to be controversial and lawsuits attempted to block ART, but construction began in earnest in 2016. At the end of construction, the city had a pair of rapid transit lines running 12 and 14 miles respectively, including 11 miles of shared, dedicated transitway. The system featured enough of the attributes of a true BRT that it was awarded the first Gold-Level service standard in the United States by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. Controversy continued after its initial opening, as buses provided by BYD Industries proved unable to service the ART routes, causing the system to be delayed. By 2019, the City procured new replacement buses and put the system into regular operation after a two-year delay. In its first few months of service, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the ART succeeded in surpassing the old Rapid Ride’s ridership by over 30%.
Despite this, in 2018, Mayor Keller infamously stated that ART was a “bit of a lemon.” This is a sentiment still felt by many Burqueños, some of whom feel that the project was a waste of money, poorly executed, or unnecessary. Is ART, in fact, a waste? Or is it an essential and successful piece of transit infrastructure and a catalytic part of the city’s urban history?

In a solid rebuke to the project’s detractors, including the Mayor, ART is actually exceeding ridership expectations despite the after-effects of the pandemic and shows a path forward toward a more urban, more equitable, and lower-emission Albuquerque. While concerns about the project’s initial design and implementation are valid, it is important to acknowledge the game-changing nature of ART and the long-term benefits it can bring to Burqueños. 

Why Was ART Built When the Rapid Ride Was Already There? 

A common view held by detractors is that the ART project was redundant or unnecessary as the previous express bus system on Central Avenue, the Rapid Ride service, was adequate. Let’s address this first. Though the system had “Rapid” in the name, it was a misnomer, as the Rapid Ride failed to accomplish the goals of a true rapid transit system. ART, however, was designed to complement the urban fabric of the corridor while enhancing and providing a more advanced, faster, and more efficient transit option along the corridor. 

As Albuquerque continues to evolve into a medium-sized metropolis approaching a million people, investing in rapid transit is not just a matter of convenience but a strategic necessity. Rapid transit projects like ART play a pivotal role in addressing the escalating challenges posed by traffic congestion, air quality, and the demand for more sustainable transportation options. By embracing efficient and environmentally friendly transit solutions, Burqueños can ensure that our transportation infrastructure aligns with our city’s growth trajectory – fostering economic development, reducing urban sprawl, and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents. In this context, ART can do what Rapid Ride simply could not.

Here’s the context: 

The Rapid Ride had lower frequencies than what we enjoy with ART. The best frequencies enjoyed on Rapid Ride (every 15 minutes for each line, or about every 8 minutes where they shared their route), are the minimum frequencies for ART on weekdays. For those of us who routinely used the Rapid Ride to commute, these frequencies were rarely actually the case, with buses often delayed. 

A large part of ART’s success is due to its dedicated busway, which Rapid Ride lacked. The frequency of Rapid Ride was often worsened by interactions with traffic congestion. This led to “bus bunching,” where a bus falls behind schedule while the next bus catches up to the delayed bus, leading to a situation where both buses arrive at the same stop close together or at the same time. It was not uncommon for bus bunching to cause up to 40-minute delays on Rapid Ride buses! In addition to traffic congestion, this phenomenon could be caused by passenger boarding and disembarking. At busy stops such as Alvarado Station (especially after a Rail Runner train arrived) or UNM at Central and Cornell, buses were often held up for as long as ten minutes while large numbers of passengers boarded the bus and paid their fare. 

As a BRT system, ART was designed to offer even greater efficiency and quality of service compared to traditional bus systems (including the Rapid Ride), by incorporating dedicated bus lanes, modern stations, signal priority, and other features. In allowing vehicles to bypass traffic congestion as well as allowing passengers to board the bus at all doors, ART was designed to stay on schedule and deliver a better experience for passengers. In addition, the level-boarding enabled by the station platforms also allows for faster boarding for folks who use mobility aids, such as wheelchairs, as well as families with strollers, bicycles, and other wheeled devices.

Another complaint is that the system was implemented along Central Avenue, rather than Lomas Boulevard. In short, the decision came down to a few major factors:

  • Central is the backbone of the city’s transit network and often had full buses that prohibited expansion on other routes, such as San Mateo. 
  • At the time, Central hosted the busiest bus routes in the city, so there was a need to improve travel times and service quality along this corridor. BRT along Central would impact and improve service for the highest number of riders as well as increase capacity to allow for future expansion to other corridors.
  • Central Avenue is a mixed-use corridor running through the city’s densest neighborhoods, a prime corridor for rapid transit, linking homes to job centers.
  • Rapid transit along Central Avenue provides the biggest potential for increasing housing, commerce, and investment in the city. 
  • The introduction of the ART system also aimed to encourage economic development and revitalization along the Central Avenue corridor, similar to how BRT systems have been used in other cities, such as along the Cleveland Health Line, to stimulate local economies.
  • For example, shifting rapid transit to the center lanes helps calm auto traffic while allowing transit to remain fast and efficient, and in doing so, induces people to spend more time (and dollars) at shops and restaurants in Nob Hill and EDo, resulting from a safer, quieter environment.  
  • Placing ART on Central Avenue aligned with broader City planning goals, such as promoting sustainable transportation, reducing traffic congestion, and enhancing the quality of public transit.
  • Travel demand patterns and congestion levels were factors in selecting Central Avenue as the route for ART. Placing the system where there is higher demand and traffic congestion, simply offered more benefits.

Decisions like where to make rapid transit investments are complex and involve numerous considerations. Ultimately, the choice of Central Avenue over Lomas Boulevard for the ART system resulted from a combination of factors that aimed to maximize the benefits for the city, its residents, and its transportation infrastructure.

How ART has Succeeded

Beyond its functional transportation utility, ART has also succeeded in reimagining Albuquerque’s urban landscape. Its design philosophy, focused on safer streets, efficient movement, and pedestrian-oriented streetscaping, has revitalized the aesthetics of the station areas and made Central Avenue a safer and more enjoyable corridor. The incorporation of dedicated bus lanes, sheltered station platforms, and pedestrian-friendly features enhances the overall ambiance, transforming Central Avenue into a more vibrant space that encourages people to walk and explore. Here are just a few of the ways ART has been a success. 

Connecting Albuquerque’s Urban Hubs:

Albuquerque’s cultural richness extends far beyond Downtown, flourishing along the Central Avenue corridor, crafting a vibrant and diverse cultural landscape. While Downtown remains a vital urban destination within this corridor, cultural facilities and captivating locales are scattered across the city’s expanse. The true triumph of ART lies in its remarkable ability to unite Albuquerque’s varied urban centers. As it strings together neighborhoods and cultural hubs, it sparks interactions among diverse populations, forging connections that transcend socioeconomic boundaries. This success serves as a powerful symbol of unity and shared experiences.

What sets ART apart from many other rapid transit projects in the United States is its unique role in bridging both the wealthiest and most economically challenged areas in the region. This connectivity significantly impacts residents’ access to job opportunities throughout the city. At a public meeting about the project in 2014, Tim Trujillo spoke with a resident who lived on the West Side and worked near Sandia Labs who stated that ART and the changes it brought would allow her to cut her commute time in nearly half and spend more time with her family.

With future improvements to the corridor, particularly along the eastern stretches of Central Avenue, Albuquerque is leading by example in promoting urban equity in our country. A transportation system like ART, which serves a wide cross-section of socioeconomic populations, provides a valuable tool for individuals to access enhanced education and employment opportunities, offering transformative pathways toward economic empowerment for all.

A Revolution in Transit-Oriented Development:

As mentioned previously, ART’s alignment was carefully planned to intersect with areas that showed potential for growth. This deliberate approach has spurred transit-oriented development, attracting businesses, residences, and entertainment venues that are located in close proximity to ART’s 21 platform stations. The convenient access to rapid transit is already encouraging new development along the corridor. New multi-family residential developments such as the Broadstone Nob Hill bring in dense, market-rate housing that helps relieve pressure on rent prices while providing residents with transit-adjacent lifestyles.

The City has also worked to create more affordable housing along the corridor, such as the new Hiland Plaza Apartments at Central and Jackson, which will primarily house low-income families. Future developments are already planned to break ground throughout the corridor, including a recently awarded grant to transform the Uptown Transit Center into a dense, transit-oriented neighborhood. Zoning reforms that were implemented in 2016 in anticipation of ART helped bring these projects online, and the potential for further zoning reforms along important transit corridors could help push these improvements further. Ultimately, this growth in transit-oriented development will lead to an Albuquerque with stabilized rent prices, diversity in neighborhood and housing choices, and built-in support for local retail and restaurants.

Uptown Transit Center reimagined, image by CABQ Transit Department

Lifesaving Pedestrian Improvements and Increased Foot Traffic:

Throughout the ART corridor, project design includes improved streetscaping features such as wider sidewalks, landscaping, benches, public art installations, and pedestrian-friendly crossings. These elements make the station areas more visually appealing and inviting for pedestrians. HAWK signals, which are pedestrian-activated signals that stop traffic for crossing, help prioritize the pedestrian experience and facilitate safer crossings on Central. The improvement in safety is now documented in the data, too, and dramatically at that. Nicholas Ferenchak, professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering and leading the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety at UNM, has studied Central Avenue and found ART to have significantly contributed to improved safety on the corridor. In the years since ART has been in service, his research has found a decline of 65% in serious and fatal injuries, mostly due to “lowered vehicle speeds and prohibiting left turns.” 

The significance of these statistics extends beyond mere numbers. ART’s impact is particularly profound when viewed through a social justice lens. The neighborhoods served by ART encompass diverse demographics, including many individuals and families who are disproportionately low-income, PoC, refugees, immigrants, and new Americans. In the realm of social justice, concerns have often arisen over rapid transit projects potentially contributing to gentrification, displacement, and inequitable access. However, ART’s remarkable safety enhancements coupled with its commitment to inclusivity challenge these critiques. It stands as a model that demonstrates how public infrastructure projects can be vehicles for positive change, fostering both safety and accessibility while promoting economic equity for all residents, regardless of their background or circumstances.

In areas like East Downtown and Nob Hill, ART has helped create a “Main Street” feel, slowing traffic, and encouraging small business and residential development. ABQ Uptown has attracted retailers with their artificial construction of Main Street-esque facilities. The redesign of Central to accommodate ART allows for neighborhoods along the corridor to compete by leveraging their authenticity as true Main Street neighborhoods. ART provides an alternative to car travel, reducing dependence on private vehicles. As people shift to transit for more of their travel, they are more likely to walk to and from transit stations (and therefore by local businesses) instead of driving, especially for short distances. When combined with the transit-oriented developments mentioned above, we have a Central Avenue primed for human-centered growth and activities. 

While ART construction did bring short-term challenges and growing pains, it’s crucial to emphasize the lasting benefits. As seen in cities like Portland, Oregon, during the MAX Light Rail construction in the 1980s, disruptive rapid transit projects initially caused local businesses to close along their routes. However, over time, these projects have been credited with revitalizing neighborhoods and promoting local businesses. Areas like the Pearl District in Portland and the Midtown Exchange in Minneapolis have become thriving urban centers with a strong focus on local businesses. These examples demonstrate that the initial disruption may well be worth it. ART’s long-term vision prioritizes pedestrian-friendly environments, convenient transit, and community vitality. As a result, these neighborhoods are more resilient and authentic, making ART’s enduring impact a compelling success story.

Elevating Sense of Place with Improved Aesthetics:

ART’s design philosophy acknowledges the importance of aesthetics, transforming the streetscape into a more inviting environment. This has created an appealing atmosphere that draws people to explore the area, whether for shopping, dining, or leisure. Decisions to move median plantings and trees to the streetside provide shade and decrease the urban heat-island effect as trees mature. Trees placed along the sides of a street live longer than those placed in the center of the street as in the previous configuration of Central Avenue. With increasingly hot weather resulting from climate change, the provision of shade and cooler urban spaces has become an essential aspect of planning for the future. New lighting was also installed to help complement the visual appeal of the surroundings and the historical nature of the street while simultaneously addressing safety concerns and ensuring that pedestrians can comfortably navigate the area during both day and night.

Finally, ART’s dedicated stations serve as landmarks and neighborhood anchors, with distinctive designs that set them apart from regular bus stops. This helps establish a clear identity for the ART system, making it easily recognizable to passengers, including visitors, and contributing to the system’s overall branding. ART stations offer amenities such as sheltered waiting areas, seating, and real-time arrival information. These features enhance the passenger experience, making the system more attractive to potential riders and encouraging higher ridership.

Through-the-Roof Ridership:

As of June 2023, ART has not only recovered but exceeded its pre-COVID ridership, hitting over a million riders between January and June of this year. This figure placed ART as the 6th busiest BRT in the United States, just behind heavy hitters like Los Angeles Metro’s Orange Line and Boston’s Silver Line.   It is actually ahead of Richmond’s Pulse Service, Indianapolis’s Red Line, and even the Cleveland Health Line, which inspired many of the United States’ BRT projects, in ridership (National Transit Database, 2023). With increased ridership continuing, it is poised to continue on this trajectory of success. With recent cuts to ABQ Ride’s regular bus system accounting for a 30% reduction in service for most local routes due to a bus driver shortage, ART’s ability to outperform the rest of the system is a testament to its utility and ability to attract riders. ART’s ridership success is also happening while downtown office vacancies remain high in the aftermath of COVID-19. Having started service only a few months before the pandemic, it is hard to avoid wondering what ridership on ART could be today had it never happened. Despite that, we can now look forward to ART cementing its place within the post-pandemic urban fabric of Albuquerque. 

While exceeding pre-COVID ridership levels is a positive sign, continued investment in maintaining and improving the system will be important to ensure its long-term success and continued positive impact on the community. Improving ridership and ART’s success will include future changes to land uses along transit corridors and constructing new ART lines to bring benefits to more of the city while also enabling more people to shift their travel to transit and away from private vehicles. 

Graph situating ART’s ridership with other BRT networks in the United States*

What Can ART Do for the Future of Albuquerque? 

It is important to view ART as a foundational step towards a more comprehensive rapid transportation network. Initial setbacks should be taken as lessons learned, and future improvements and adaptations should be made to optimize the system’s performance and efficiency. In embracing ART, Albuquerque has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. By promoting the use of public transportation, the City is making strides toward reducing carbon emissions and minimizing the environmental impact of individual commuting choices. In prioritizing transit-oriented development along the Central Corridor, ART also works to decrease housing market pressures and create more choices for Albuquerque residents by providing diverse neighborhoods to live in. This is a success that resonates far beyond the confines of city limits, as it sets an example for other communities to follow, particularly other cities in the West that struggle to get projects like ART off the planning table.

The 24-Hour Economy

Soon after being elected, Mayor Keller stated he wanted Albuquerque to invest in its 24-hour economy. One area where Keller and the city council can support the 24-hour economy is in implementing late operating hours for ART. Late-night transit options improve accessibility for individuals who work late-night or early morning shifts, have evening social commitments, or need to travel during non-traditional hours. This inclusivity ensures that the transit system meets the needs of a diverse range of riders. A robust, late-night transit service can encourage people to enjoy nightlife activities, such as dining out, attending events at Popejoy or Downtown, and visiting entertainment venues up and down the corridor. This can boost local businesses and contribute to a vibrant urban environment. Late-night transit can serve as an alternative to ride-sharing services, which are expensive during peak nighttime hours. Like many cities, Albuquerque struggles to bring inebriated driving under control. By providing an alternative to expensive taxis and ride-share services, we can cut down on this dangerous behavior. 

As mentioned previously, ART serves as a connection to better employment opportunities for many in our city, and late-night hours would only enhance and expand that access to more people. Serving all three of the major hospital hubs, the University, Downtown, Uptown, and Nob Hill, ART already connects the densest neighborhoods in the city with many of our largest employers. Nurses and custodians working overnight, hotel workers, and restaurant and bar employees would all benefit from later hours on ART. If we care about having a 24-hour economy, ART plays a major part in ensuring we have one. 

Improving Dedicated Busways 

ART’s dedicated bus lanes are a key component of its success, but there are areas where they can be improved. For example, in sections where ART runs in a shared or dual-directional busway, many passenger vehicles become confused and cross the lane, which can be dangerous. One solution that could be employed on these dual-direction busways is to install short, center-running curbs that are low enough for the buses to straddle, but high enough to direct traffic from side streets from crossing Central Avenue. Examples of this exist on Indianapolis’s Red Line, another BRT project built at the same time as ART. In addition to the bi-directional lanes, ART would benefit from dedicated lanes on Copper and Gold downtown. Though these lanes would replace parking spots, it would help increase speed for ART through the downtown core. A queue jump heading east from 10th Street may also help ART vehicles circumvent congestion that can happen at 8th, Central, and Park, particularly when cruisers are taking to the streets (though recent closures of the roundabout that essentially divide the circle in two have helped alleviate this concern on Sundays). 

Example of the center curb used in the bus lane in Indianapolis, from The Fox and the City. Read their great look into Indy’s new BRT.
An ART Bus stopped at the Main Library Station at 6th and Copper, where ART would benefit from dedicated lanes through Albuquerque’s core. 

Future Expansions of ART are Needed

The changes mentioned above are changes that are all readily available to be implemented quickly. But what about further down the line? We have already seen how ART is helping to change land use and increase safety, transport efficiency, and job accessibility. These are not changes that need to be constrained to the present ART Corridor. At present, several important job centers and corridors are absent from ART service, including the Montgomery corridor, much of 4th Street, Cottonwood Mall, and the Journal Center. 

A quickly done, imagined service map of what a wide-running ART System could look like.

Imagine an ART line connecting the Sunport or Downtown with the Journal Center and the Westside. In addition to these areas, a key restraint to more development of multi-family housing at Mesa del Sol is the lack of high-capacity transit. A common complaint about ART is that Central Avenue already had good transit and that the money should have been invested to improve transit elsewhere. Though we have touched on why it was appropriate to develop Central Avenue first, the heart of the critique IS very relevant. Much of Albuquerque DOES need more investment and there are people who would happily leave their car at home if it was more convenient for them to do so. The City’s “ABQ Ride Forward Initiative” is currently looking at ways to rebalance the bus network so that wider parts of the city would have greater access to frequent bus lines. This is definitely a step in the right direction. However, the initiative is simply a rebalancing, moving around current infrastructure without adding anything new. What would investing more in the transit system look like?

ART Can Catalyze the Creation of “Urban Villages”

With an expanded ART network, we could begin reimagining areas of the city so that amenities, housing, retail, and employment opportunities could be accessed over a wider territory. Creating what are called “urban villages,” mixed-use areas with medium to high density that can anchor otherwise suburban areas, is a strategic approach to fostering sustainable urban development and vibrant communities. In Uptown, we are slowly seeing the district infill with new apartment buildings, hotels, and amenities. Winrock Town Center may very well become a new urbanist infill project, in addition to the Uptown Transit Center being rebuilt as mentioned before. As Uptown slowly becomes an urban center in its own right, we should imagine how we can create urban villages in other areas of the city. Imagine how a rebuilt, enhanced ART Blue Line could help transform the area around Cottonwood Mall. Currently, the Cottonwood Mall area is a crossroads of the West Side, connecting various West Side neighborhoods to nearby metro communities like Corrales and Rio Rancho. It is home to one of the largest high schools in the region and near the Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute. A new ART line could help densify this area, adding options for employment, entertainment, and commerce, and over time, alleviating cross-river commutes. 

Images above, from the book Sprawl Repair Manual. 

The images above paint a picture of how Cottonwood and other areas of the city could be reimagined as new “urban villages,” serving as hubs within sectors of the city. With a good rapid transit system connecting them, Albuquerque would be much better suited to meet the challenges and demands of the 21st century. 

Improved Regional Connectivity

If you are a New Mexican living far from Albuquerque with a chronic illness such as cancer, HEP-C or HIV, it is likely that you travel into the city regularly for continued treatments. Albuquerque serves as a regional healthcare and services destination hosting some of the only specialized medical, educational, and business centers in the state. It isn’t uncommon for residents in underserved outlying communities to delay care or other activities due to a lack of transport and means. Good public transit inside the city can help create the environment to better support regional transit as well. As Rio Metro slowly improves the Rail Runner to (hopefully) run hourly throughout the day in the next decade, that could bring additional rider demand into the city. But what do you do once you get to, say, Montaño Rail Runner Station?

An expanded ART could better connect the Rail Runner to regional job and services hubs at UNM Health Sciences Center, Journal Center, Cottonwood, and Sandia National Labs, as well as other areas that aren’t necessarily surrounding a station. Suddenly, a lot of those motorists from Santa Fe, Los Lunas, and Los Alamos who did not want to deal with a 40-minute bus ride or a $20+ Uber have options, lessening congestion on I-25 and improving environmental outcomes. With improved regional bus and rail connections, these benefits can extend to underserved populations, who desperately need fewer barriers to accessing care, education, and opportunities. Many New Mexicans would love to have expanded rail and bus options from Albuquerque and expanding ART can help lay the groundwork to make that possible. As the state’s central hub for just about everything, we can leverage ART to help promote better health outcomes and economic prosperity throughout New Mexico. 

An ART bus arrives at Alvarado, where it interchanges with Rail Runner, Amtrak, and Greyhound Bus Lines. 

Where Should ART Expand Next? 

Let us know in the comments below, or reach out to the team at UrbanABQ for further discussion!

*BRT Ridership for Cleveland Health Line reflects passenger numbers as of May 2023.

All photos of ART were taken by the author.

ABQ, Albuquerque, Central Avenue, downtown, streetscape, urban, walkable

A Vision is Critical for Downtown ABQ to Flourish

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Time to Update & Upgrade that Sector Plan

by Tim Trujillo

About the author: Tim Trujillo is one of the co-founders of Urban ABQ. He is an urban designer and planner currently based in San Francisco, CA

A view of Downtown Albuquerque looking west, feat. the Rail Runner, One Central, the Convention Center, and other assets/destinations. Image source: Ben Bunner

In the late 1990s, there was considerable discussion and press around the return to cities as many were envisioning what their downtowns might one day look like after decades of white flight and the ravages of Urban Renewal. Some cities were already experiencing a return of professional workers and creatives looking to find lower rent in walkable neighborhoods, typically in larger cities with an existing stock of dense housing or converted warehouses near their cores. After numerous attempts to redevelop Albuquerque’s city center, this seemed like the right time to jump on the bandwagon as stars were aligning for the re-urbanization of cities.

Cover of the Downtown Sector Plan

History & Background

In 1998, then-mayor Jim Baca oversaw the creation and subsequent adoption of the Downtown 2010 Sector Plan, which called for a form-based code and catalytic projects intended to galvanize downtown Albuquerque. Though revitalization got off to a quick start, political and economic headwinds ultimately slowed it to a frustratingly slow crawl by the end of the aughts. As Albuquerque continues to weather economic boom and bust cycles, a succession of political leaders listlessly wonder how or what to do about one of the most important neighborhoods in the state. A vital answer is in the one key piece of the plan that was never formulated: a vision, or spatial blueprint, articulating where and how all of the pieces should come together to create a legible and vital urban core. 

The 2010 Sector Plan referred to downtown and surrounding areas as “the District”, a snazzy new marketing term at the time. The plan had the lofty objective of making downtown “the best mid-sized downtown in the U.S.” This was to be achieved by delivering a laundry list of catalytic projects that included 5,000 new downtown residents (which downtown is well short of in 2023), an arena and/or stadium (nope), a grocery store (check), performing arts center (nope), and street tree irrigation (really? Not even this is completed?), among a few others.

The heart of the plan was an emerging form of development regulation called form-based zoning code that controls the form (heights, widths, setbacks, entryways, among others) of buildings and enables a plethora of urban-related uses. The authors of the plan were the Pasadena, CA-based architecture firm Moule & Polyzoides, whose founder was a former president of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and had lectured at UNM. While this plan had some early success, headwinds quickly developed, which, over time led to its ineffectiveness.

It is worth noting that Sector Plans, especially in critical areas such as downtown, should be updated at least every 10 years as social and economic conditions change.

It has been 25 years.  

An illustrative graphic of Downtown ABQ, feat. the Theater Block.

Unfortunately for downtown, Mayor Jim Baca only served a single term and was replaced by Marty Chavez who had already served the prior two terms. Mayor Baca had not only delivered the 2010 Plan but oversaw the construction of the Alvarado Transportation Center and Theater Block, which together represented downtown’s nascent ascendance.

During Mayor Marty’s administration, it was becoming clear that cities with revitalizing downtowns were growing more competitive when it came to attracting new jobs and a young, educated workforce that was driving the new knowledge economy. However, downtown was low on his list of priorities and, thus, the mayor never carried forward any of the prior administration’s or the 2010 Plan initiatives, nor did he have anything planned aside from a tepid attempt to build an arena, which was quickly shot down by a surly land owner. Seemingly grown out of the void in leadership was the Downtown Mainstreet Organization, which worked toward the incremental enhancement of the city’s core. The Executive Director, staff members, and their pro bono board worked to study, plan, and execute small projects for which funding could be found, largely through humble grants and civic goodwill. 

An illustrative vision of Downtown Albuquerque. Note an indoor stadium on the Innovate ABQ site, as well as high-rise development adjacent to the Convention Center.

When Chavez’s tenure came to a close and Republican Richard Berry was elected mayor in 2009, The Great Recession halted any remaining vestiges of momentum and downtown revitalization went idle for several years, aside from the efforts of Downtown Mainstreet. In a surprising turn of events, Mayor Berry determined that revitalizing downtown would aid in retaining talent and attracting young professionals and investment to the city. To his credit, he contributed a fair amount to revitalization, including:

  • Rehabilitation of the Convention Center;
  • The Innovate ABQ Master Plan;
  • The Railyards Master Plan and some early site work that instigated the weekly market;
  • The Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) bus system, designed to whisk riders in and out of the city center and connect to UNM & Uptown.

By this point downtown had some momentum again with a combination of the efforts by the mayor along with Mainstreet’s contributions like the neon lighting along Central Avenue, taking on the Downtown Grower’s Market, the planting of new street trees, and the activation of Civic Plaza. However, the mayor did not like that Mainstreet’s efforts were not organized through his office so he pulled the plug on city funding for the organization, which significantly reduced their impact moving forward. 

At the end of Mayor Berry’s second term in 2017, voters opted for Democrat Tim Keller, who promised to restore Albuquerque…to some hyperbolic end as all new mayors do. When he entered the mayor’s office he disregarded his predecessor’s work by letting the Innovation ABQ Master Plan languish, also decided not to fund ABQ Mainstreet, and for nearly six years had been mostly aimless in his attention to downtown. He also threatened to pull the plug on the ART system (which was 99% built and had mostly been paid for with Federal funds), and then at the eleventh hour came through to act as its savior. He re-released RFPs (something Berry did at the end of his term but ran out of time to see through) for projects at two sites, Civic Plaza North and another behind the Theater block, yet nothing has come from those despite intriguing entries.

To his credit, he did add a police presence by giving APD space within the city-owned building at 4th and Central, which, judging from news reports, does not seem to be solving any issues. It certainly hasn’t increased business nor visitation. He also recently presented a concept for the Rail Trail, which does have the potential to spark renewed interest in downtown. However, all we’ve seen are pretty renderings so far. As someone who has designed and built a similar facility in another city, there are a million complications that come with high costs when dealing with a project like the Rail Trail that will take serious effort by the city and administration to see through to fruition. Also, I’m doubtful $80 million will be enough given those elevated segments, art pieces, and the 7-mile length. I’ll bet that amount of money for a downtown soccer stadium would have a better return on investment for downtown but I digress. Time will tell. 

The RFP Submittal for Civic Plaza North included a performing arts theater and a condo/hotel tower

Next Steps

Returning back to the late 90s when Jim Baca hired the new urbanists to shape Albuquerque’s downtown, designers were still learning how urban building form worked with market forces. Professionals were still learning how to design cities based on models that were created for millennia before the arrival of the automobile led cities in a new, sprawling direction. The new urbanist theory proposed that within these denser, more urban areas, commercial and retail should front all of the streets the way they did in older cities. Unfortunately, this is not how market dynamics play out in the real world and economic forces shift over time.

In the couple of decades that have passed, we learned that low-to-medium density urban areas such as our downtown cannot support retail and commercial uses along every street and corner. The arrival of online retail has only further exacerbated the issue by siphoning off cash from local businesses. Retail and commercial require disposable income to be viable and until downtown further increases residential density and attracts thousands more jobs, the Groundhog Day-like cycle of retail and commercial turnover in existing spaces that we have witnessed for decades won’t end.

Downtown Houston Vision. Source: Asakura Robinson

What the city critically needs is a new, illustrative, contemporary vision for how downtown should grow over time so that current and future leaders will have an updated roadmap for which residents can hold city officials to account. Some people will point out that we have a “Downtown Forward Plan” put forth by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA), but it’s mostly a list of initiatives (the Railyards, Rail Trail, and Media Academy) set forth by this mayor (not the community), as those were never priorities from previous planning efforts. A new vision should be in the form of an updated, new Downtown Sector Development Plan.

Barcelona had the Cerda plan, Paris had Haussmann, Chicago had Burnham, and DC had L’Enfant. Today, no one person generates these plans as they are typically awarded to national and international firms that specialize in such plans, and more importantly, their processes. While the 2010 Plan, ahem, now the 2025 Plan (and largely unchanged since it was written 25 years ago!) has a punch list of desired projects to choose from, it does not offer a firm vision as to where any of those projects should be placed, nor how they should be connected. It is overly focused on architecture and lacks direction for the equally important ingredient: the public realm. What is missing are commitments to delivering key elements of a plan such as open space, mobility, housing, ecology, and urban design that will guide all of the city’s placemakers (e.g. mayor, private developers, the university, labs, and municipality) to methodically and strategically chip away at completing the community’s vision over time.

For example, downtown needs a carefully crafted strategy that will guide retail and commercial ground floor uses to foster an inviting experience for residents and visitors. Scattering these uses around downtown will be less effective than concentrating them together along, say, Gold Ave and 4th Street. Although the 2010 Plan (sorry, the 2025 Plan) calls for a first-class pedestrian experience, it does not define what that means. And while Jeff Speck’s strategy document has some good ideas, they were more tactical in nature, suggesting a temporary condition intended to make incremental enhancements.

A diagram that illustrates the desired mobility hierarchy in cities

A downtown vision should illustrate a holistic street network strategy for active mobility, transit, delivery, and freight that lays out clear street section guidelines indicating dimensions for landscape buffered sidewalks, street trees, and buffered bike lanes. The City did update its standards for sidewalk design to help facilitate the type of comfortable and attractive streetscape that is appealing and comfortable for pedestrians and contributes to urban vitality. But now the city needs to know exactly how and where to apply those new standards. Additionally, a new plan should contain ecological objectives, which would include a framework for the delivery of stormwater management and tree canopy, as well as updated and new types of open spaces, such as parks, pocket parks, parklets (parquitos!), and publicly-accessible private open spaces, meant to serve a growing and thriving downtown populace. I, for one, am ready to reimagine Civic Plaza and would also love to see new parks in the area south of Central. A lot has changed about the way we interpret urban living and the Sector Plan should reflect a contemporary vision – not one from a quarter century ago. 

2035, Downtown Albuquerque

Picture it: people are pouring into downtown via ART, the RailRunner, the Rail Trail, and a new streetcar (a guy can dream, right?) and making their way to dinner in anticipation of opening night for a highly anticipated movie (Barbie III, perhaps?), which is occurring the same night as a flamenco performance at the Kimo, a New Mexico United soccer match at a new downtown stadium, and a philharmonic concert at the new performing arts hall across from Civic Plaza. The vibrancy that is derived from people of all walks of life rubbing shoulders at local venues, restaurants, bars, on the sidewalks, and in the streets is what makes downtown Albuquerque unique to the entire state of New Mexico. It belongs to everyone in the city and it deserves priority. Vibrancy derived from activation of the public realm is the magic of cities that we experience when we travel and we occasionally get hints of it at events such as Summerfest or First Fridays. 

Conclusion

As of today, downtown Albuquerque has fallen behind its peer cities of Omaha, Tucson, and Oklahoma City, along with lower-tier cities like Asheville, NC, Greenville, SC, and possibly even El Paso and Colorado Springs. Waiting any longer to move forward is senseless when we know what the first step should be. We need to update the Downtown Sector Plan and envision an aspirational downtown Albuquerque so that we can collectively roll up our sleeves to build it into a more vibrant, unique, and exciting place, not just during special events but on a daily basis. No single project is going to be the panacea to the cause; it will take many investments, both large and small and both private and public. An updated Sector Plan with a proper public process can save us from the whiplash of mayoral and council priorities, (in)abilities, and whims, along with indecisiveness about where to place catalytic projects like concert halls, arenas, and stadiums. While we have many well-intentioned agencies and leaders, what V.B. Price wrote in Albuquerque: A City at the End of the World in 1991 still holds true: “Albuquerque, with all its artists, writers, and PhD’s, is strong on gifts of genius, but leadership is not among them.” There is some hope in recently enacted Legislation (Senate Bill 251) that will help send additional funding to our Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA), who will reinvest the funds in downtown infrastructure. An updated vision will help the MRA prioritize how and where to spend those funds as they become available so that over time, the city can lay the groundwork for further investment that will contribute to the progress of our little, beloved downtown according to our collective vision. Someday we’ll get there but it’s about time we put the effort in the next gear.  Perhaps then Downtown ABQ could make the claim that it is the best midsize downtown in the U.S.

Source: Photo by Frank D, courtesy of ABQ Artwalk
ABQ, Albuquerque, downtown, transit, urban, walkable

The Importance Of A Downtown Soccer Stadium

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by Tim Trujillo

About the author: Tim Trujillo is one of the co-founders of Urban ABQ. He is an urban designer and planner currently based in San Francisco, CA

The recently completed Weidner Field multi-use stadium in Downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, is shown here during a concert with development in the background.

A recent headline announced that City of Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller is doubling down on his decision to build a soccer stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park. When leaders make decisions like these it’s the community that ultimately has to live with them for decades and generations. We all want the NM United soccer team to stay and thrive, but the city has a chance to do better than placing a sports venue in the outskirts where there is little potential for residual economic value creation. Balloon Fiesta Park lacks transit options for the thousands of attendees, thus forcing most attendees to drive (usually after a few drinks) to and from a sea of parking to attend events. Meanwhile, global warming is wreaking havoc on society. This is not the return on investment (ROI) or value creation we want and need from spending large sums of public capital. 

We’ve seen this before in cities like Arlington, TX, Philadelphia, and San Antonio. These cities spent large sums of public money to construct arenas and stadiums in suburban locations surrounded by parking lots. The result has been traffic congestion, acres of rarely used asphalt parking lots contributing to the urban heat island issue, and little residual value creation or vitality aside from what occurs in the venue during events. Without mass transit options, these places don’t exhibit equity. It is the complete and total opposite of sustainability, which most cities (and leaders) claim to value. 

Most cities in the developed world have witnessed the results of poor planning and have gone in a different direction – cities like Denver, El Paso, Louisville, Des Moines, Omaha, Houston, Seattle, Sacramento, Portland, Raleigh, Denver, Charlotte, Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Nashville, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg…you get the idea. They constructed sports venues in or near their city cores in order to utilize existing infrastructure and reap the residual benefits. Increased spending at local retail, restaurants, and bars, hotel bookings for visitors, and increased land values drive investment and ultimately send additional tax money back to the city to pay for municipal services. San Antonio has begun discussions to build a new downtown arena for the Spurs and make good on their previous mistake because they want the resultant vitality that comes from thousands of visitors spending money at local businesses and driving value in their downtown. 

Back in the early aughts, Albuquerque made the decision to redevelop the old Albuquerque Sports Stadium, where the former Dukes baseball team had played for decades. There was debate about whether to renovate the old stadium or build a new one downtown. In the end, the powers that be agreed that renovating the stadium would be cheaper and faster. Unfortunately, that premise was proved false because the price tag crept up after the decision was made and ultimately cost nearly the same as the proposed new downtown stadium. This was at the same time that revitalization had kicked off in earnest downtown, leaving many feeling as if they’d been bamboozled, knowing that a downtown stadium would have created additional momentum in the revitalization process – a better ROI. There’s an apt saying: you get what you pay for. 

Later in the same decade, the state decided to renovate The Pit instead of building a new arena downtown. The state promised that the renovations would restore the facility to its former glory and include all of the modern comforts of new arenas. For $60 million, the result is a facility that is still only good for a limited number of sports, has terrible sound for concerts, and never met the standards set forth by the NCAA to host the annual men’s basketball tournament. Again, you get what you pay for. 

Future Opportunities

Now the city has a chance to learn the lessons of its own past, as well as the lessons of other cities’ successes and failures, and invest in centrally located public venues that leverage existing infrastructure, spur investment, and meet community goals for downtown redevelopment, and do so in the most sustainable manner. Our downtown has existing transit connectivity and large amounts of unused parking. Downtown business owners would love to receive a shot in the arm in the form of increased sales. Hotels would receive relief from pandemic-related impacts through room bookings for visitors to the city looking to attend events. Land values would increase and more tax dollars would get recirculated back into the state and municipal coffers for critical services. This sort of value creation does not occur at the fringes of town with few amenities nearby. For downtown to thrive, our government needs to make these large investments to drive people, value, and spur private investment. Scattering dollars here and there just doesn’t have the same impact. I’d bet that a downtown soccer stadium would have a significantly greater impact on downtown revitalization than a ~$80 million Rail Trail for roughly the same amount. But imagine if they were placed in proximity to one another to leverage those combined investments. 

The urbanist fantasy depicted in the above diagram (click to expand) was developed as a very rough study to better understand the capacity of downtown to house large public venues like an arena, a soccer stadium, and a performing arts theater, catalytic projects that would boost revitalization. What emerged is a blaring series of opportunities between 1st Street and Broadway Boulevard on both sides of the railroad tracks that allow for flexibility and considerable new development of all types in a manner that meets the community goals for redevelopment. Imagine the impact this level of investment would have not only on downtown but the region’s psyche of who we are and what we can achieve. The above illustration is just a concept meant to start a conversation. The following is an explanation for each element of the diagram.

Soccer Stadium

The parcels bounded by Lomas, Broadway, Mountain, and the railroad tracks comprise just over 18 acres in total. USPS had been looking to relocate to a more modern facility with better freeway access a decade ago and this site is a glaring opportunity. The area is large enough to place a soccer-specific stadium and still has enough space for new residences and open spaces such as stadium plazas and a neighborhood park. The parcel is deep enough to allow for liner buildings along Broadway that would help buffer Martineztown – which is already buffered by commercial and a new stormwater facility. A stadium footprint could be oriented to minimize visual, audible, and circulation impacts on nearby neighborhoods. The stadium footprint I used to illustrate this concept is the 11,700-seat (expandable to 15,300) Louisville FC Stadium. This location is close enough to leverage the mass transit availability at Alvarado Transit Center where fans from as far as Belen and Santa Fe can alight and walk less than 10 minutes to the stadium and not have to worry about driving home after the match. Others who chose to drive would have a plethora of parking options in downtown’s numerous and underutilized parking garages and lots. The key here is to not only consider a stadium but the way that it can spur development and cultural placemaking. 

Louisville FC Stadium

Once upon a time (not long ago) when I lived in Seattle and Portland, some of my favorite memories involve attending soccer matches at CenturyLink (now T Mobile) Field and Providence Park with friends. In Seattle, we would ride the Link light-rail trains to King Street Station and make our way by foot to or from the stadium, with a stop (see: stops) at watering holes with thousands of other fans. In Portland, we would either take the MAX light rail or ride our bikes to the stadium area for pregaming (a euphemism for beer-guzzling) at a nearby bar. There is nothing like being around thousands of other fans in the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat and not worrying about the drive home. While tailgating is fun too, it’s just not the same. Having both options is the best of all worlds.

An example of pre & post-game festivities in a walkable area

New Neighborhood and Open Space

An analysis of the 18-plus acre USPS site highlights just how much potential there is to deliver much more than a stadium and parking lot. While a garage could certainly fit, there is ample space for residential development capable of accommodating up to hundreds of new residents at an appropriate scale between the single-family homes of Martineztown and the mid-rises of north downtown. I wanted to illustrate how the stadium could be tucked near the tracks while medium-density mixed-use structures, like the new ones at Old ABQ High Lofts, could line Broadway to provide spaces for small businesses, activate the street, and buffer Martineztown.  

Arena

The existing footprint of the 1980’s east wing convention center expansion, in addition to the parking lot just to the south, could fit a 16,000-seat arena. This is the footprint of the Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. You might be wondering, but what about the convention center? I’ll get to that next. An arena here would cause very little disruption to the surrounding area because it would replace an existing large floor plate structure. Meanwhile, the garage could be retained or expanded in the existing location and be augmented by garages at One Central, Civic Plaza, and garages at Silver and 2nd and Silver and 5th. A key feature of downtown is having A.R.T. and the RailRunner, offering the ability to deliver thousands of attendees to downtown in a much more efficient and sustainable manner than in automobiles. This is why you build this kind of urban mobility infrastructure – for its efficiency. Further, elimination of the Tijeras connection under the tracks would open up a lot of newly developable land on the east side of the tracks for a plethora of uses including an expanded Innovate ABQ, new residential, office, mixed-use, and/or another garage for the arena and soccer stadium.

Convention Center

Here we have a few options. The cheapest option would be to convert Kiva Auditorium into meeting space, which would actually create more meeting space than exists in the east wing meeting rooms. Technically, Kiva Auditorium would be redundant with the arena due to its ability to host concerts and other stage performances. A new performing arts center (see next item below) would add additional redundancy and expand capabilities for conventions. A much more audacious and expensive undertaking would be to rebuild the convention center’s west wing to be taller, adding additional levels and square footage. This seems like a longer-term opportunity due to the slowly recovering convention market but I’m just throwing it out there as it is feasible without requiring additional land. In either option, the floor level of an arena could double as exhibition space to replace the east wing’s large showroom. 

Civic North RFP Proposal: Performing Arts Center

I dropped in the footprint from my favorite Civic North RFP response, Reunion Center, which proposed a 2,500-seat theater, a black box theater, a 220-room hotel, over ten thousand square feet of retail, and 117 residences in a stunning tower. The city lacks a theater like this (the nearly 60-year-old Popejoy Hall is smaller and can only host so much) and we have heard for years that downtown needs more hotel rooms to compete for bigger conventions. Seems like a win-win. Does anyone know why Keller canceled this RPF?

Railyards Park

The Railyards are the southern anchor of the Rail Trail. Something missing from downtown is a variety of open spaces for people to relax, socialize, and be surrounded by trees and vegetation. It would be nice to see additional space carved out for open space uses along the Rail Trail and this seems like a great opportunity. 

Conclusion

Of course, a vision like this comes with a hefty price tag but big plans are intended to be completed over time, sometimes within a decade if well planned and funded. As Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized.” A careful phasing and funding approach would be key to making something of this scale work.

Oklahoma City provided a sublime template for how to fund and construct large projects over time to greatly increase the quality of life in a city, which has paid dividends in increased commerce and improved in-migration patterns following an initial investment of just over $300 million. Similarly, Des Moines spent $217 million in 2002 for their arena and convention center, while Omaha spent $507 million in 2000. The result for these cities has been billions of dollars of private investment due to the scale and location of their infrastructure and venues, along with events that those cities were never before capable of attracting. Cities who chose to locate venues in downtown have all seen their city cores come back to life as a result of their commitments, yet we continue to ask why downtown Albuquerque is failing and why young and educated folks are leaving for more exciting cities.

No philanthropist is going to rush to our aid and no billionaire is going to bail out downtown or build our venues. Albuquerque will need to commit to investing real money if we truly want downtown to thrive. If we’re going to spend these large sums of money, we better be damn certain we’re getting the best bang for the buck (ROI) and hold our city leaders accountable for their whims. Keller should not propose the stadium at the Balloon Fiesta. Every person rooting for downtown, as well as every soccer fan, balloonist, urbanist, and environmentalist should let the mayor and their councilors know that this is not the answer. I’m curious to know how the ballooning community feels about a large structure near the landing field and I’m also highly doubtful that this is the favored option by New Mexico United ownership. What we do know is that the Balloon Fiesta Park Master Plan explicitly prohibits outdoor stadiums, in which case it is unlikely that the community will feel any different this time around. Regardless, we should hold off until we receive a better proposal.

People are always impacted by big decisions, but our leaders are supposed to stand up for the right thing for the entirety of the city, not capitulate for votes and what is easy and cheap. People shouldn’t need a car to attend events at public venues, where is the equity in that? 12th and I-40 is the next best option as it is centrally located and builds off the Rail Trail. For crying out loud, even a Fairgrounds stadium would be leaps and bounds better than Balloon Fiesta Park. Just say no to a stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park.

For perspective on successes and failures in cities and their stadia, check out this YouTube video from an urban planning expert who goes by the name CityNerd.

ABQ

Next 5 Steps for Creating a Transit System in Albuquerque

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– And Why They Are Critical to the Future of Our City

By the Urban ABQ Communications and Outreach Committee

Click/tap on any image in this article to enlarge

A rapid transit network should connect our regional job centers

Despite multiple years of job growth, Albuquerque is still lagging behind our peer cities when it comes to our local economy.

From Houston to Denver to Phoenix to Los Angeles, cities in our region and across the country, cities with fast growing economies, are investing in regional rapid transit networks. They are doing much more than building single lines or projects. Instead, they are creating networks to connect their job centers.

An effective public transportation system can help our city, making Albuquerque work for the businesses and people who are here now, and for those that might want to join us in the future. For all its controversies, the Albuquerque Rapid Transit is an important first step towards building the transit system of the future.

Transit systems should, fundamentally, increase access to the city for the people within it. There are many ways to increase access to services, one of which is changing land use, something our recently updated zoning code and comprehensive plan attempts to address. However, changing land use takes a long time. If we want to quickly connect more people in Albuquerque to more opportunities, creating a transit network is essential. Of course, there are many other major benefits to creating a transit network, including a fast track towards cleaner air and less pollution.

In short, construction on Central is complete. Soon, clean quiet all-electric buses will arrive, and rapid transit service on Central between Unser, Tramway and Uptown will begin.

It is time to start thinking about the Future of Transit in ABQ

According to various reports and studies, the Next 5 Steps for improving the transit system in Albuquerque should be:
Click here to read more!

ABQ

Car Share Can Save City of Albuquerque Money While Making It a Better Place to Live

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By Will Maus
Edited by the Urban ABQ Communications and Outreach Committee

Editor’s note: At the Citywide Summit on Nov 18th, many amazing ideas for shaping the future of urban Albuquerque were suggested and discussed. One idea which emerged was a proposal for car sharing in Albuquerque. Below is a detailed 20 year plan for car sharing in Albuquerque. If you’re interested in this issue, click here to follow “NM Car Share” on Facebook! 

Car Sharing in Albuquerque: Why Should We Care?

Conventional vehicle ownership as we know it is rather uneconomical. A car, truck, or SUV is the largest or second largest asset most people have, and it sits unused 96% of its life, depreciating, with an average annual cost in the high four figures. Combined with all the other alternative transportation modes (e.g. transit, ride sharing, biking, walking, etc.) car sharing offers a credible, economical substitute to private car ownership.

This image outlines many of the benefits fo car sharing. Car sharing provides short term access to a vehicle in your neighborhood without having to own a vehicle.

Car share members can forego all the pitfalls of car ownership while having convenient access to a broad fleet of vehicles. Discrete quarter-hour pricing leads to discrete use of vehicles, encouraging efficient use and saving members dollars they can spend locally, instead of sending to out-of-state carmakers and oil companies. Safe, well-maintained, insured vehicles displace older, less safe, less fuel-efficient, often uninsured vehicles- and at a rate of one shared car to perhaps a dozen private cars, free up hundreds of square feet of parking.

Car share vehicles typically have designated parking spaces in cities. A collection of these parking spaces is sometimes called a “pod”.

Car share vehicles get high levels of use and are more likely to be run while warm, therefore emitting less air pollution. Plus, car sharing can introduce extremely efficient vehicles in substantial numbers, often offering members the chance to grow familiar with new technology – as in hybrid and battery-power – without the risk of purchase.

Moving Car Sharing Forward in Albuquerque: What We’ve Done So Far

Smart phones or key fobs are typically used to unlock the vehicles, allowing customers to easily and quickly access them.

At the Citywide Summit, we floated the topic of developing car sharing to its fullest potential in our region. That became the basis for a collaborative push to evaluate the region’s institutional fleet needs and to see how combining them along with public use can create the critical mass of members needed for effective car sharing, while saving scarce budget dollars and offering a new level of accountability of asset use.

We had a meeting in early December 2017 attended by stakeholders from the City of Albuquerque, City Council, Bernalillo County, UNM, Mid- Region Council of Governments, and ABQ Ride. We heard from car sharing veterans in Boulder and Philadelphia about growing car sharing while saving millions of dollars of vehicle expense.

Click here to watch that meeting.  

Car Sharing in Albuquerque: A 20 Year Plan

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