Why Downtowns Matter

Ask Long Islanders what they love about our region and the answers include our beautiful beaches, open space, and access to the water. But there’s plenty to drive us crazy, too. The big three? No surprise that Long Islanders say higher taxes, the high cost of living here, and, of course, the traffic.

Is there a way to preserve what we love and change what we don’t? Many worry that there has to be a tradeoff where to solve one problem, we do it at the expense of what keeps us here. But does it have to be that way? After years of researching these concerns on Long Island, and closely examining other suburban communities around the country, the Long Island Index has found that a means for resolving our issues is actually much closer at hand than we might have realized -- in our downtowns. There, we can envision:

A place to concentrate homes at multiple price points such as rentals, townhouses, garden apartments -- to address the expense of living here while preserving open space outside downtown.

A place to create business opportunities for revitalization of our local economies and house workers to attract larger employers. More business leads to more jobs and lower taxes.

A place to build new transportation options and reduce our dependence on cars.

Some say we should stop growing but even if that were possible, it would not solve the problems we already have. A more direct approach is needed that changes what isn’t working while keeping what we all love about our region.