The administration’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities testifies before Congress, representing Housing, Transportation, and the Environment. Photo from DOT. This is part one of a two-part series. Read part two here. From the President down to the Secretary of Transportation, administration officials have spent the year vocally supporting a focus on livability from the federal government … Continued
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced a sea change in federal transportation policy yesterday, issuing a new policy statement that calls for full inclusion of bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders of all ages and abilities in transportation projects – essentially, a Complete Streets policy.
Should an apartment, townhouse, or condo automatically be considered affordable – no matter the cost or rent? That would be crazy, right? A New Jersey State Senator has introduced a bill that would do exactly that, letting cities and towns off the hook for producing desperately needed affordable housing units if they merely have a lot of multi-unit buildings.
Last week, I attended the White House’s Clean Energy Economy Forum “Livability and Sustainable Communities – Taking Action for a Clean Energy Future.” Clearly, the Administration wants to lead – by providing communities with the resources to innovate.
It’s one of our most basic needs, and one we take most for granted — clean, fresh water. But polluted stormwater runoff, overtaxed sewer systems, increasingly urbanized areas and shrinking forests and grasslands are threatening Americans’ water quality. Tell your Representative to support green infrastructure now!
This week we report on: three new policies adopted by Bozeman, MT, Franklin, PA, and the Madison County Council of Governments in Indiana and policy progress in several more communities and states.
This American Public Health Association report, “outlines how the connection between health and the built environment impacts the pocketbook; it also provides a summary of the process of planning, funding and building transportation systems, and discusses key opportunities for public health professionals to get involved in the process.”
This APTA report, “based on a March 2010 survey, provides a national perspective on the extent to which the current recession is affecting public transit agencies and the tens of millions of Americans who use their services. The survey asked APTA member transit agencies to report on actions they have taken since January 1, 2009 in response to the economic downturn and those actions anticipated in the near future.”
Atlantic Station in Atlanta in 1971, today a superb example of a successful brownfield restoration. The economic downturn changed the landscape of communities across the country — creating growing numbers of abandoned homes, shuttered auto manufacturing plants, and vacant land parcels. Distressed and economically disadvantaged areas have been hit worst of all, and more communities … Continued
In case any doubt remains, let me remove it. The fortunes of our country will rise and fall with the fates of our cities and metropolitan areas. For the first time in history, more people worldwide live in cities than anywhere else. In the United States, our largest 100 metropolitan areas house a staggering 65 percent of our population.