LOCUS

The latest developments, events, and resources from LOCUS:

Congress’ COVID relief is welcome, but “must simply be a downpayment, with more help on the way”

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Late last night, after months of fruitless negotiations and inaction, Congress finally passed a $900-billion COVID relief package at the same time as a $1.4-trillion omnibus appropriations bill to fund the government through the end of the FY 21 fiscal year. Congress’ actions are a good start, but America needs more in order to survive and bounce back from this health and economic crisis. This bill must simply be a downpayment, with more help on the way.

Advocacy LOCUS Transportation

Segregation persists, climate change is here, and demographics are rapidly shifting: It’s time for a Great Real Estate Reset

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The real estate industry is failing to fully address persistent segregation by race and income, pent-up demand for more attainable housing, destabilized regional housing markets fueled by climate change, and other converging trends. It’s time for a real estate reset.

Climate Change LOCUS Resilience

How the Biden administration can make immediate strides on climate and racial equity

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Smart Growth America, along with some of our programs, identified immediate executive actions and long-term policy changes that the incoming Biden administration can implement to eliminate structural inequities and address catastrophic global climate change.

Advocacy Climate Change Complete Streets Economic development LOCUS Transportation

New report: Are Opportunity Zones boosting the prospects of small businesses?

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The new Opportunity Zone tax incentive was conceived as a tool to promote economic development, job creation, poverty reduction, and support for new businesses in areas of concentrated poverty. A couple years in, is it having the desired effects for small business stability and growth, especially for minority-owned legacy businesses?

Economic development LOCUS

All eyes on Congress as they negotiate a fourth phase of COVID-19 relief

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With the country still in urgent need of more economic relief from the pandemic, Congress continues to be deadlocked on producing a legislative package. In the latest proposal, Senate Republicans unveiled the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act last week—their latest legislative response to COVID-19 following the HEROES Act passed by the House more than two months ago.

LOCUS

New House climate plan endorses Smart Growth America’s holistic recommendations for reducing emissions

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The House Select Committee on Climate Change released a new legislative blueprint this week for tackling the climate crisis that incorporates many of SGA’s recommendations across our programs, demonstrating how smart growth is at the very core of any potential plan to reduce emissions.

Advocacy Climate Change Complete Streets Economic development LOCUS Resilience Transportation

House’s massive infrastructure bill brings housing, land use and transportation together

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This week the House will consider the Moving Forward Act, a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that reflects many of Smart Growth America’s core priorities, including a new kind of transportation bill, billions to invest in new or rehabilitated affordable housing, and support for more inclusive and equitable development around transit to help give more Americans access to opportunity. 

Advocacy Complete Streets Economic development LOCUS Resilience Transportation

INVEST Act amendment would help finance more transit-oriented development

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One of the amendments to the House’s transportation bill (INVEST Act) we are supporting would expand one of the federal government’s biggest infrastructure financing tools to include more economic development near public transportation stations—increasing private investment in transit and helping multiply the impact of the INVEST Act’s sizable increases in transit funding.

Advocacy LOCUS Transportation
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