Millennials, Even Those With Children, are Multimodal and Urban
Better! Cities & Towns – October 8, 2013
Given this generation’s current, heavily urban lifestyle, the suburban choice is likely to be close to the city. Note that parents are less likely to say having a family requires a move to the suburbs.

The Plain Math of Disaster Preparedness: ‘Every Dollar We Spent Saved 5 Dollars in Future Losses’
The Atlantic Cities – October 8, 2013
“As much money as we spend on disasters in this country,” he said, “Our future in disaster preparedness is mitigation and prevention. It’s got to happen.”

LA Study: Open Streets Gives Local Business a Major Boost
Alliance for Biking & Walking – October 7, 2013
A recent study from UCLA’s Luskin Center found that local Los Angeles businesses made 10% more in sales during the June 2013 CicLAvia than during typical Sundays. And businesses that actively participated in the Open Streets event — with vending tables out front, music or signage — saw a phenomenal 57% sales boost.

California Governor Signs Bill Exempting Bike Plans from Environmental Review
Cyclelicious – October 8, 2013
Frazier introduced AB 417 to remove what some observers believe is an abuse of the environmental review process.

Abandoned Homes Are the Future: Imaginative Ideas Turn Blight into Beauty
Salon – October 5, 2013
“In the past 24 months alone, five states have enacted comprehensive land bank legislation,” says Frank S. Alexander, a professor at Emory Law School in Atlanta who helped write those laws.

Atlanta No Longer ‘Sprawl City’?
USA Today – October 3, 2013
“This is the end of that trend. The pendulum is now swinging in the other direction.”

Atlanta Says Goodbye (Sort of) to Sprawl
The Wall Street Journal – October 5, 2013
The suburban-type development has started to wane even in the most auto-centric places, according to a report released this week by Christopher Leinberger.

Smart Growth Expert Says Bus Rapid Transit Fits New Development Trends
Northern Colorado Business Report – October 4, 2013
Cities are developing differently, and bus rapid transit systems fit into these new development patterns, said Roger Millar, vice president of Smart Growth America, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates for planned growth.

Economic Growth and Better Health in Oklahoma City
Bipartisan Policy Center – October 2, 2013
[Cornett’s] efforts have revitalized the city’s downtown, spurred economic growth, helped residents shed a combined one million pounds, and landed the city on the Wall Street Journal’s 2011 “Best Places to Live” list.

40% of Americans Say Their Neighborhood is Unwalkable
The Atlantic Cities – October 3, 2013
The lack of nearby walkable destinations ranks as the second most often cited reason for not walking.

At MAP-21s Halfway Mark, Leaders Gather to Start a Walking Revolution
DC Streetsblog – October 3, 2013
This week, in the midst of a government shutdown, at least one thing was moving and shaking in Washington: the first-ever Walking Summit.

Local

This Is What’s Wrong With Expanding Highway 23
Fon du Lac Reporter (WI) – October 2, 2013
The losers are the taxpayers. We are spending billions of dollars in Wisconsin to construct highways that all too frequently are unjustified. The result is less money for local roads, police, fire and schools.

Have We Reached Peak Sprawl?
The Atlantic Cities – October 2, 2013
“If [walkable development] is happening in Atlanta, it’s happening in a lot of different places,” Leinberger says.

El Paso Teaches New Urbanism to Architects, Engineers
Governing – October 2, 2013
Hoping to reinvent the sprawling city, El Paso officials decided to teach the development community the importance of new urbanism. Now, other cities are following in its footsteps.

NLIHC Campaign Kicks Off in MI to Discuss Mortgage Interest Deduction and Housing Solutions Statewide
Loan Safe (dot) org – October 2, 2013
Dr. Crowley will meet with local community members, housing professionals, and media to discuss the United for Homes proposal to reduce the size of a mortgage eligible for a tax break to $500,000, and convert the deduction to a 15% non-refundable tax credit.

SSTI to Transport Officials: Start Planning for a Future with Less Driving
Streetsblog DC – October 2, 2013
The reasons for the current decline, SSTI reports, are broad cultural and economic trends that are likely to be “permanent,” or “remain in effect for a generation or more.”

Millennial Generation Desires Multi-Modal Transportation System
American Public Transportation Association (APTA) – October 1, 2013
According to the study Millennials and Mobility, nearly 70 percent of millennials, people 18 to 34, use multiple travel options several times or more per week.

Houston: The Surprising Contender in America’s Urban Revival
Governing – October 2013
“At some point, it’s not enough to keep grabbing the suburbs and roping them in,” she says. “You’ve got to make the system as a whole function, and you do things to bring people back to the inner core.”

The U.S. Transportation System has $100 Billion Worth of Inefficiencies
The Atlantic Cities – October 1, 2013
The best response might be to target these inefficiencies bit by bit, as Winston suggests, through local experiments.

One Way States Can Improve Veterans Transportation, In One Slide
Transportation Issues Daily – September 30, 2013
Reliable, affordable and accessible transportation choices are critical for the many veterans who need to access to medical care, social services, and jobs among other things.

Climate Change and Urban Sustainability: Building the Infrastructure for Resilience
The Huffington Post – September 30, 2013
Transit-oriented, energy-efficient developments (TOD) must also become a priority in our city planning if we are going to move the dial on climate change and create livable cities.

Federal Shutdown May Affect Transit Funding, but Not Highways
StatesmenJournal (OR) – September 30, 2013
“All transit providers could feel the effects of a shutdown if it’s long,” Brouwer said. “Smaller providers do not have the cash flow of larger providers, so they may feel the pain first.”

Cities Can No Longer Turn to the Federal Government for Bailouts, Author Tells CEOs for Cities Gathering
MLive (MI) – September 30, 2013
Federal funding is still important to metropolitan areas, the most successful metropolitan areas are developing their own futures through networks of corporate and local government leaders, said Katz, pointing to cities such as Denver, Portland and Cleveland.

Local

Walkability Audit Complete in Carlisle
The Des Moines Register (IA) – September 30, 2013
Roger Millar, the director of Smart Growth America, said making a community ‘walkable’ encourages smart growth and development by creating a safer environment to shop and explore a city.

Feds Establish National Center to Pick Up the Slack on Sustainable Transportation
Next City – September 27, 2013
Despite transportation becoming cleaner, quieter and safer over the past few decades, little has been done to limit how passenger and freight travel contribute to climate change. That’s why the U.S. Department of Transportation this week announced a $5.6 million grant to help six universities establish the National Center for Sustainable Transportation.

What FTA is Prevented from Doing if Government Shuts Down
Transportation Issues Daily – September 29, 2013
USDOT started notifying employees Thursday of whether they would be subject to furloughs. Official furlough notices will go out Tuesday if there is a shutdown. About 18,000 USDOT employees are subject to furlough.

Advocates Applaud Sen. Boxer’s Transportation Funding Proposal
The Hill – September 29, 2013
Transportation advocates are encouraged by a proposal this week from Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) to increase funding for road and infrastructure projects.

Local

Mason Street Corridor Housing Tour Planned
Northern Colorado Business Report – September 26, 2013
The event will feature Roger Millar, vice president for Smart Growth America.