Key Urban Issues In Albuquerque

Recently, Albuquerque government leaders and many citizens in the city have pursued urban projects usually initiated by much large cities. A huge push has resulted in the revitalization of downtown, creating restaurants, offices, and residential lofts. Downtown Central Avenue between First and Eighth streets has become a bustling, albeit short, hub of urban life, with the sort of restaurants, cafes and entertainment venues that create a big-city feel. Alvarado Station in downtown Albuquerque provides convenient access to other parts of the city. A rapid transit project is being put into action to ease some of the city's traffic woes. Light rail is being considered and would initially extend up the Central Avenue corridor from the westside, through downtown, past UNM and the Nob Hill district, and into the Uptown Area [1]. The system would later be expanded to cover Rio Rancho and the Northeast.

Some citizens and city councilors, especially from the semi-rural pockets in the city, fear Albuquerque may be "growing up too quickly." Their idea is to keep Albuquerque small and sleepy, avoiding increasing crime and traffic, worsening air quality, and enchroachment of the fragile bosque. For instance, 1995's controversial construction of the Montaño Bridge crossing at the Rio Grande resulted in the corridor only being striped for two lanes. Recognizing the need for all four lanes of travel originally intended, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce passed a board position in 2003 supporting the opening of two additional lanes [2]. They claim this measure is necessary to ease West Side] traffic woes. Another road issue is the extension of Paseo del Norte on the westside, which could cause increased traffic through Petroglyph National Monument.

Elsewhere, a sort of middle ground has been struck with the passage of the West Side Strategic Plan, which provides strict rules concerning building permits for the extreme western fringes of the city. This act is to encourage in-filling developments and discourage the fleeing of wealthy residents to outlying suburban areas, leaving an impoverished central city.

Partly because of the aforementioned geographical and legislative constraints, much of the growth in the metropolitan area is taking place outside of the City of Albuquerque itself. In Rio Rancho to the northwest, the communities east of the mountains, and the incorporated parts of Valencia County population growth is upwards of twice that of the city. The primary cities in Valencia County are Los Lunas and Belen, both of which are home to booming industrial complexes and new residential subdivisions. Rapid growth in the area is a very real and very recent thing. The Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG), which includes constituents from throughout the Albuquerque area, was formed to insure that these governments along the middle Rio Grande would be able to meet the needs of their rapidly rising populations. MRGOC's cornerstone project is the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, a commuter rail line that serves the region [4]. Phase I, which runs on existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway tracks between Belen and Bernalillo, is set to begin operation in Fall, 2005, with stops at the urban centers along the way.