Everyone who wants to live in a walkable area should be able to, but there just simply isn’t enough supply. New development is dramatically skewed towards sprawling suburbs on the fringes of town far from jobs and affordable transportation. The REHAB Act—Revitalizing Economies, Housing, And Businesses Act—is a bipartisan bill that would create a federal tax credit to support redeveloping old (but non-historic) buildings near public transportation.
Watch a brief presentation about the REHAB Act, a discussion about how it would work, and information on what you can do to ensure this vital bill becomes law.
- Calvin Gladney, President & CEO, Smart Growth America
- Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
- Jeff Ziarko, Founder and Principal, Economic Policy Strategies
- Jill Jones Borak, Acting Director, LOCUS
The current real estate market is flawed. Developers are able to easily build and offer a glut of drivable suburban housing, even as more and more buyers demand walkable urban neighborhoods. Communities across the country are struggling during an economic crisis brought on by COVID-19. The unmet demand for walkable, transit-connected neighborhoods leads to expensive housing in towns and cities, and oversupplied development in sprawling suburbs far from jobs and affordable transportation. And current federal incentives for community development, while important, are narrowly focused on individual buildings or businesses, rather than helping revive entire neighborhoods or communities.
Read more about (and take action on) the REHAB Act here.