Author: Smart Growth America

Guest post: Dick Moe's legacy for history, community, and sustainability

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This post by SGA board member Kaid Benfield, originally appeared on his blog at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). We thank him for allowing us to reprint his post in full here, encourage you to read his blog daily, and join him in recognizing and thanking Richard Moe for his years of service preserving, building and advocating for American communities at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. As Kaid said to me, Smart Growth America might not exist without him. – Stephen Davis, SGA Communications Associate.

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Climate bill totally up in the air: Washington Update

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Climate Bill Timing is Uncertain
OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE POSTPONED

Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) have been working on bi-partisan climate legislation behind the scenes for months. The scheduled April 26 release of the bill language came and went last week, and has now been postponed until further notice. The climate bill negotiations fell apart last month when Senator Graham indicated that he was going to pull out due to shifting legislative priorities within the Administration and congressional leadership. Graham wrote in a letter on April 24th that he was compelled to withdraw from the climate effort following reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid might bring an immigration package to the Senate floor ahead of the climate bill….

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Smart Growth America hires Roger Millar, planner and implementer of great places

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Smart Growth America today announced that Roger M. Millar, Jr., AICP, PE, FASCE, is joining SGA as Director of Land Use and Transportation Policy. Roger Millar is a planner and an engineer with an international reputation for innovative approaches to planning and design. His career has been dedicated to improving communities as diverse as New York City and McCall, Idaho. Projects in which Roger played a leadership role are seen as national models for livability. Likewise, Roger has been instrumental in the successful evolution of sustainable practices within rural and gateway communities throughout the American West.

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The Recovery Act at One Year: State Jobs Data Show Growing Advantage from Stimulus Investments in Public Transportation

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Through the end of 2009, investments by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in public transportation have created almost twice as many jobs per dollar as investments in highways – and the advantage is growing. The most recent data from states shows that every billion dollars spent on public transportation produced 19,299 job-months, compared to 10,493 job-months for every billion spent on highway infrastructure. Public transportation projects create more jobs than road projects because they spend less money on land and more on labor, and because projects are often more complex, whether laying track or manufacturing vehicles.

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Stimulus TIGER Projects: What Happens When We Use Transportation Dollars to Strengthen Communities, States, and the Country

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In today’s announcement of $1.5 billion in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) awards, the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) showed the kinds of transportation projects that move people and freight in a way that makes places stronger, cleaner, and safer. DOT received 1,380 applications for the $1.5 billion pot, for a grand total of $56.5 billion in funds requested. The 51 projects announced under TIGER, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), include…

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Obama Administration's Improved Screen for Transit Projects Will Help The Economy, Environment and Local Communities

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Transportation for America and Smart Growth America applaud repeal of rules that hampered communities seeking deserving rail and rapid bus projects. In response to Secretary LaHood’s announcement today that funding guidelines for major transit projects will be selected based on livability benefits, including economic development and the environment, James Corless, campaign director of Transportation for America, and Geoff Anderson, president and CEO of Smart Growth America, had the following reactions:

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How should Congress spend additional jobs money? AP study hints at the answer

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An Associated Press report on the impact of transportation stimulus spending underscores the need to make the right transportation investments in Congress’s current jobs bill to produce more jobs. “The AP report highlights an important question that data from the stimulus have already answered: where should we be spending money in Congress’ upcoming jobs bill to get the most bang for our buck? The facts on that point are crystal clear. Investing more of money in public transportation creates more jobs — nearly twice as many per dollar compared to traditional highway spending,” said Smart Growth America president Geoff Anderson.

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New Report: What We Learned from the Stimulus

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In the first ten months of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), investments in public transportation have created twice as many jobs per dollar as investments in highways. A new analysis by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Smart Growth America, and U.S. PIRG shows that by mimicking funding levels for transportation set out in ARRA, the Jobs for Main Street Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in December missed an opportunity to create additional jobs where they are needed most. Read more on the report, “What we learned from the Stimulus, and how to use what we learned to speed job creation in the 2010 jobs bill.”

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Report Finds House Jobs Bill Misses Opportunity to Create Most Jobs

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Lessons Learned from Recovery Act Show Superior Job Creation from Spending on Public Transportation WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new analysis by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Smart Growth America, and U.S. PIRG shows that in the first ten months of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), investments in public transportation have created twice as … Continued

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