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The UM 2050 Transit Plan - Good Intentions With Fractured Implementation

Looking at the transit section of the Campus Plan 2050, we find a collection of progressive, sustainable planning themes within the realm of mobility around the University of Michigan’s 3000 acres of academic, research, operational, and residential grounds. With ambitious future plans, including the hotly discussed automated transit system (ATS) between the North and Central campuses, the University aims to increase multimodal networks of mobility and “shift emphasis away from single-occupancy vehicle use.” But beyond the visually appealing pastel-colored maps, and the grandiose, exciting vocabulary, many sustainability and equity considerations remain untouched due to the University’s overly independent and un-collaborative approach.

Any discussion of proposed bus or bike lanes is sure to get most urbanists excited about the future, especially in a place where they spend most of their time. Don’t be mistaken, the plan’s considerations for pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation infrastructure on campus is a welcomed expansion of the already present mobility networks; it will surely improve students’ experience using active transportation to access classrooms and other facilities around campus. But that’s just it—the plan will help students in their daily mobility, but does little to support transportation efforts outside of University borders where the majority of staff and some students live, many of whom are lower-income. Effective mobility networks do not exist in a bubble of one single geographic area. A truly effective mobility network extends beyond just the origin or destination of its users, and ensures that riders can hop from mode to mode seamlessly, without delay, throughout their entire commute or journey. Approximately 80,000 people commute to Ann Arbor each day, largely for the employment and educational opportunities the University offers, and due to the continued Ann Arbor housing crisis—partly caused by the University’s lack of student housing on campus—forcing residents further and further from the city center. It is simply not enough to only consider the immediate mobility needs of those already on campus. Throughout the transit section of the plan, there is no mention of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority or county or state Departments of Transportation, and only loose mentions of the City of Ann Arbor as a collaborator to help achieve their stated goals.

In the wake of a climate emergency, the University must step up to the plate as the leader in sustainability and green action it touts itself as. The University should start intergovernmental and interagency conversations around mobility and land use within and around the City of Ann Arbor, as well as regional transportation throughout Southeast Michigan as a whole. Not doing so would be, frankly, irresponsible. As stated in their book, “From Mobility to Accessibility”, Jonathan Levine, Joe Grengs, and Louis Merlin assert that a transportation plan is sometimes only as good as the land use plan that surrounds it, dictating what types of people and uses can be accomplished with transportation in a given area. Opportunities to use the bus or a bike on campus are nice, but a true shift to active mobility must come in the form of a culture shift away from private vehicles entirely. Instead of supporting commuters by offering more perimeter parking resources around campus, the University should be supporting its commuters in farther-reaching transportation efforts that would serve other residents and community members in the process. The University has a sphere of influence in many aspects of life for many different people. It’s time to make the institution use that power to positively shape the future of Michigan sustainability and transportation.

Urbanism Club wants to help the University and the supporting regional agencies achieve this vision. Project RIDER is a student-led project team aimed at facilitating conversations around transportation on and surrounding the U-M campuses. During the 2050 plan’s implementation, the University, city and AAATA must be held accountable to engage all stakeholders in conversations of mobility and consider the needs of those beyond its immediate student body on the Ann Arbor campus. Project RIDER would like to assist the University in these efforts by hosting a community engagement event to allow students, faculty, and officials from the relevant agencies to give feedback and discuss options for transportation in the area. If you would like to get involved, visit Project RIDER’s website here, and fill out the contact form linked in the top-right corner. Let’s work to improve transportation for all and keep Michigan moving through sustainable forms of mobility.


Thanks for reading. This is my second ever blog post! I am aiming to post a piece every month on topics relating to urban planning/technology, transportation, public policy, socio-economics, and more. I hope you’ll follow along for more.

This post will also be shared on Micropolis, the offical blog for Urbanism Club at the University of Michigan. Take a look at the other posts in the series on the Campus 2050 Plan if you are interested in more!

Feedback on my writing is always welcomed and appreciated. You can reach me through the social accounts linked in the bottom of the side-bar.

This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.