From the FTA: A $293 million investment announced today by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood means that residents in dozens of communities nationwide will soon enjoy major transit improvements, including new streetcars, buses, and transit facilities. The nearly $300 million investment is part of the Obama Administration’s livability initiative to better coordinate transportation, housing and … Continued
Over 430 individuals attended a webinar on July 1 hosted by federal officials from HUD and DOT to discuss the jointly issued TIGER II Discretionary Grants and HUD Community Challenge Planning Grants. If you were unable to attend, we have included some key notes from the webinar below to help your state and community compete … Continued
While livability is one of USDOT’s main objectives, state and local governments are often the ones who translate this objective into on-the-ground community improvements. ICF International is here to help with a webinar on July 14 from 12pm-1pm EDT to address: How to implement a multimodal corridor strategy What livability means in small towns and … Continued
In an effort to enhance livability and sustainability initiatives, DOT and HUD have created a new process that removes conflict between HUD and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) contracting requirements. The initiative was published in today’s Federal Register. From the Federal Register notice… Under this initiative, the FHWA will utilize Special Experimental Project No. 14 (SEP-14) to permit, on … Continued
Webinar: National Infrastructure Investments (TIGER II Discretionary Grants) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Challenge Planning Grants Date/Time: Thursday, July 1 at 2:00pm EDT The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and HUD have issued a joint solicitation for the two planning grant programs in order to better align transportation, housing, economic development, … Continued
USDOT and HUD have created one point of entry to apply for joint TIGER II Planning Grants and Sustainable Communities Challenge Grants. As part of the Sustainable Communities Partnership, this effort is rooted in — and encourages projects that reflect — the six federal livability principles. The program rewards innovative, collaborative approaches to sustainable development … Continued
A few of the record-breaking 1,700 attendees at the New Partners for Smart Growth conference in Seattle might have been pinching themselves on Thursday night after hearing three of President Obama’s cabinet secretaries emphasize the importance of smart growth, sustainability and livability as core goals shaping the work of their three massive federal agencies. Demonstrating the Obama Administration’s commitment to making neighborhoods more livable, sustainable and affordable, Secretaries Ray Lahood and Shaun Donovan of the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development came to Seattle to discuss their plans to use their giant agencies’ budgets and programs in unison to help American families in rural, suburban and urban communities have better options for affordable housing and getting where they need to go each day.
President Obama’s budget for the 2011 fiscal year, released this morning, contains more than $1 billion in programs and grants that will help create and support livable, sustainable communities and neighborhoods across the country. “This is good news for anyone looking to cut their transportation costs, find an affordable home in a walkable neighborhood, or live in a community with a multitude of transportation options,” said SGA President Geoff Anderson.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) stepped up its commitment to complete streets yesterday with its adoption of a formal Complete Streets Policy. The new document fleshes out many details and sets a clear exceptions process.
There’s some exciting news out of Washington, DC to report this morning, where US EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced in Senate testimony this morning that EPA is joining with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Transportation (USDOT) in a special partnership to work together to promote smart growth and more livable, sustainable communities across America.