In urban and even suburban and rural areas, younger generations want to live without being tied to car ownership. If we want to attract and retain talent in all employment sectors, we need to make our towns and cities appealing and livable.

People travel to our cities and towns to experience local shops, restaurants, night life, nature, and culture - not to experience traffic congestion, aggressive drivers, and loud streets. 

Whether it's a seamless train ride from the airport to downtown, or ensuring that street parking doesn't obscure shop displays, building thriving tourist economies means giving people the option to get around without stress and the hassle of a car. 

According to APTA, every $10 million in capital investment in public transportation yields $30 million in increased business sales and every $10 million in operating investment yields $32 million in increased business sales.

Shopping and business districts need to be easy to get to and walk around in if we want them to be successful. We can't let access to (and cost of) parking limit how many people visit our shops, restaurants, and services.

Workforce mobility isn't just an issue in cities–we need much more investments in rural and suburban transit systems. Commuters don't want to waste their valuable time sitting in traffic, low wage workers in all areas needs access to reliable transit, and people who can’t drive still need to earn a living. We need to provide options for everyone to participate in our economy.