All posts from the month of July 2009
Daily Headlines — 07/27/09
July 27, 2009By Masood Habib
- The government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program begins today. (New York Times)
- Senator Schumer proposes federal legislation to ban transit operators from text messaging while operating. (Newsday)
- Secretary LaHood tackles his former congressional colleagues over the stimulus. (The Hill)
- The debate goes on about the fate of the transportation bill; Oberstar pushes $3 billion patch. (Roll Call)
T4 America Co-Chair Shelley Poticha to head new HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities
July 24, 2009By Transportation for America
| CONTACT: David Goldberg |
| 202.412-7930 david.goldberg@T4America.org |
The Obama Administration has appointed Transportation for America Co-Chair Shelley Poticha to be Senior Advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the department announced today.
Poticha, who is also President and CEO of Reconnecting America, is expected to head a new HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities that would be created under legislation to be sponsored by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT).
“Shelley will help lead HUD’s effort to change the way we think about how our communities fit with how Americans live their lives,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “Her wealth of experience will help move us forward in creating sustainable, greener and smarter communities.”
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| Photo via Reconnecting America |
Poticha has been Co-Chair of the Transportation for America campaign since its launch in 2008. As president and CEO of the national nonprofit Reconnecting America since 2004, she has become a national leader for the reform of land use and transportation planning and policy. In that role, and as former executive director of the Congress for the New Urbanism, she has helped stimulate a national conversation about the role of transportation in shaping communities and making them more sustainable and affordable. She also has been a tireless advocate for diverse and inclusive neighborhoods.
“Shelley understands how transportation, housing, energy and environmental policies impact the real lives of people,” said James Corless, Director of Transportation for America. “She will be a powerful voice to ensure we make smarter investments at the federal level to make American communities safer, healthier and more prosperous. We are sad to lose her leadership of our campaign, but are proud to see her take on this new and exciting challenge.”
“Shelley has worked with all levels of government on the issues of livability, sustainability and affordability. Secretary Donovan couldn’t have made a better choice,” said New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, President of Reconnecting America’s Board of Directors and a member of the T4 America executive committee. “Shelley is one of this country’s foremost experts on sustainable communities.”
Poticha will advise HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims on sustainability issues. Sims was previously County Executive for King County, Washington.
“Shelley is a visionary and well-respected expert in growth management and urban policy and will help all of us focus on how to create better living environments for all Americans,” Sims said.
HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities will provide technical and policy support for energy, green building and integrated housing and transportation programs at HUD and around the nation. Additionally, the office will manage the department’s key relationships with other federal agencies.
Poticha has helped forge an interagency partnership between HUD and the Federal Transit Administration to link transit and land use policy and funding, and to study the interplay between housing and transportation costs. One of the products of this partnership was a report entitled “Realizing the Potential: Expanding Housing Opportunities Near Transit,” which examined the strategies being used to create and preserve mixed-income housing near transit in five case study regions. The report was authored by the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, a partnership of Reconnecting America, the Center for Neighborhood Technology and Strategic Economics. The report is available here.
Shelley has co-authored several books, including The New Transit Town: Best Practices in Transit-Oriented Development, Street Smart: Streetcars and Cities in the 21st Century, and The Next American Metropolis, as well as the Charter of the New Urbanism, and many reports and white papers.
T4 America co-chair appointed to HUD’s sustainable communities office
July 24, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
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| Photo via Reconnecting America |
Shelley Poticha, president of Reconnecting America and a co-chair of the Transportation for America campaign, has been appointed to be senior advisor of Sustainable Housing and Communities at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
It’s a new office at HUD that would be created by legislation currently being assembled by HUD and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd. Among the other duties involved, she would be a HUD representative in the recently-announced EPA/HUD/DOT livable communities partnership.
From the Transportation for America statement:
“Shelley understands how transportation, housing, energy and environmental policies impact the real lives of people,” said James Corless, Director of Transportation for America. “She will be a powerful voice to ensure we make smarter investments at the federal level to make American communities safer, healthier and more prosperous. We are sad to lose her leadership of our campaign, but are proud to see her take on this new and exciting challenge.”
We’ll have a full statement and press release up later today. UPDATED: Full T4 statement and release has been posted here.
- Read the Reconnecting America statement
- Read the HUD statement
Daily Headlines — 07/24/09
July 24, 2009By Masood Habib
- Thursday’s hearing on transportation fails to make progress in the debate over how to pay for a new bill. (Wall Street Journal)
- The House appropriates $68.8 billion for transportation and housing projects, a 25% increase from the previous year, including $4 billion for high-speed rail and laying the groundwork for a national infrastructure bank. (Reuters)
- Cuts in transit operating continue to affect everyday people. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Study shows lack of robust transportation options may inhibit the choice of schools for parents. (Washington Post)
Daily Headlines — 07/23/09
July 23, 2009By Masood Habib
- A conversation with Chairman Oberstar about the transportation bill and reform. (PBS)
- House votes today on a transportation spending bill which includes increased spending for high-speed rail and provisions for a national infrastructure bank. (New York Times)
- The stimulus included $48 billion for highways and roads, but are the benefits off-set by the lack of funds for operating costs? (The Nation)
- DC Metro hires consulting firm to assist with backup systems. (Washington Post)
Wrapping up the Minnesota release of the Blueprint
July 22, 2009By Christine Goepfert
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| P1000963 Originally uploaded by Transportation for America |
On Monday, June 29th the Minnesota Coalition of Transportation for America welcomed community, city, and state leaders to learn more about the T4 America vision for the next federal transportation bill — and how Minnesotans would benefit from a reformed federal transportation program.
The event, hosted by the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, was attended by city officials, state legislators, congressional offices, business leaders, labor groups and advocacy organizations from across the state. The packed room heard from Anne Canby and Mariia Zimmerman, the Washington, D.C. representatives of the T4 America campaign, as they walked through the campaign’s Route to Reform, a detailed blueprint for the transportation bill.
The meeting came on the heels of Chairman Oberstar releasing a draft 775-page transportation bill he hopes to pass before the current federal bill expires in September. In describing how Oberstar’s bill fits in with the T4 America vision, Anne Canby said that the draft is “on the right track,” and that “Oberstar is full of fire and ready to go. He has filled a vacuum with his leadership.”
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin and State Representative Frank Hornstein highlighted how Minnesota communities would benefit from sweeping reforms in the transportation bill. In describing the need for new federal transportation policy as proposed by the T4 America campaign, Mayor Rybak indicated that “we shouldn’t strive for less” but that Minneapolis and the State have to be ready for it. Michael Lander, a developer with many projects around the Twin Cities, also spoke about the need to include land use discussions when planning any transportation project because “transportation has always driven development.” He noted that the T4 America vision is “planning to meet the coming demand” for housing in convenient, walkable locations with access to public transportation.
| “The market is changing dramatically, and walkable urbanism is what the market is looking for. …Central to the T4 America reform is planning to meet the coming demand.” |
| — Michael Lander |
In attendance were representatives from Chairman Oberstar’s office, Congressman Ellison and Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s offices. State legislators, including Rep. Hausman and Rep. Kahn, county commissioners and city staffers from St. Paul and Minneapolis were among the crowd eager to hear about the work being done to create federal transportation policy that would benefit their communities.
It was not a strictly metropolitan affair as the Mayor of Independence and a representative from State Sen. Clark’s office from St. Cloud came to hear about how smaller and more rural communities could also get their transportation needs addressed in the federal bill.
One concern all of the elected officials shared was making sure Minnesota’s roads, highways and bridges were in a state of good repair. Rep. Hornstein noted that we cannot invest in a “fax machine on the dawn of the internet revolution” indicating that we need to reach what he calls “infrastructure 2.0.”
“Infrastructure 2.0 is what is in this Transportation for America plan.”
Daily Headlines — 07/22/09
July 22, 2009By Masood Habib
- Transportation funding needs revamping and we have the technology based means to do it. (Boston Globe)
- DC Metro finds more faulty circuits. (Washington Post)
- City drivers beware, parking fines are going up. (USA Today)
Help transportation pull its weight with climate: Tell the Senate to support CLEAN-TEA
July 21, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
The U.S. transportation sector produces one-third of our carbon emissions, yet the House-passed climate bill would direct just one percent of revenues to cleaner transportation options that can help us cut transportation emissions. The Senate has a chance to make a serious investment in greener transportation – up to 10% of funding in the climate bill.
A proposal in the Senate called CLEAN-TEA would direct funding to clean transportation investments — like public transportation and passenger rail, affordable neighborhoods around transit stops, and neighborhood improvements that increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
The Environment and Public Works Committee, under the leadership of Sen. Boxer, will ultimately decide whether or not to include CLEAN-TEA (S.575) in the Senate climate bill they’re drafting right now. There are currently six co-sponsors out of 19 committee members. If we can get a majority (10) of the committee to sponsor this legislation, we’ll be sending a powerful signal to the Chairman that it should be included. Help us send a strong message to Chairman Boxer that more funding for clean transportation options have to be part of the Senate climate bill by getting more co-sponsors for CLEAN-TEA.
We need as many Senate sponsors as possible for this important bill, but sponsors from the EPW committee in particular. So especially if you live in an EPW member’s state (below), please call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121, ask to be connected to your Senator’s office and leave a message with a staffer.
Tell them that “the U.S. transportation sector accounts for one third of our greenhouse gas emissions, yet current climate legislation directs only one percent of funding to cleaner transportation options. Senator ____ can help change that by co-sponsoring S. 575, or CLEAN-TEA, as its called. By including CLEAN-TEA in climate legislation you will not only ensure greater investment in low carbon transportation options, but will also help put us on the path to energy independence, reduce transportation costs for Americans, and create jobs to build out clean, green transportation infrastructure. ”
| EPW Senators not yet sponsoring Clean-TEA |
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| California: | Chairman Barbara Boxer | ||
| Idaho: | Sen. Mike Crapo | Ohio: | Sen. George V. Voinovich |
| Louisiana: | Sen. David Vitter | Oklahoma: | Sen. James M. Inhofe |
| Minnesota: | Sen. Amy Klobuchar | Rhode Island: | Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse |
| Missouri: | Sen. Christopher S. Bond | Tennessee: | Sen. Lamar Alexander |
| Montana: | Sen. Max Baucus | Vermont: | Sen. Bernie Sanders |
| New Mexico: | Sen. Tom Udall | Wyoming: | Sen. John Barrasso |
The 6 CLEAN-TEA sponsors would love to hear your support. If you live in any of these states below, call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121, ask to be connected to your Senator’s office below, and tell the staffer that answers that you support their choice to sponsor CLEAN-TEA. Tell them that you agree it’s imperative that we direct climate revenues to help us clean up transportation — the sector responsible for 30% of our emissions, and that this bill is a step in the right direction. Tell them you appreciate your leadership on the issue and you’re done.
Call and thank these sponsors:
- Delaware: Sen. Thomas Carper
- Pennsylvania: Sen. Arlen Specter
- Maryland: Sen. Ben Cardin
- New Jersey: Sen. Frank Lautenberg
- New York: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
- Oregon: Sen. Jeff Merkley
Did you make a phone call? Spread the word on Twitter. If you’ve got any questions, ask away in the comments.
UPDATED: Some good quotes from sponsoring Sens. Cardin and Carper in Streetsblog Capitol Hill: “She fully understands the fact that we can’t get from here to there [on emissions] without addressing transportation,” Carper told Streetsblog Capitol Hill. …”I think 10 percent’s right,” Cardin told Streetsblog Capitol Hill.
Daily Headlines — 07/21/09
July 21, 2009By Masood Habib
- Secretary LaHood defends stimulus projects in town-hall style meeting in Sarasota/Manatee. (Brandenton Herald)
- U.S. highway travel increased in May, but not by much. (Reuters)
- Walk or bike to work, it’s good for your health even if you exercise a new report says. (The News-Press)
- Federal agency failed to report a study showing the risks of cellphone use while driving. (New York Times)
- Concerns over dangerous streets prompt Seattle to hold hearing on pedestrian safety. (Northwest Cable News)
Seattle opens new light rail system, residents get a new “Link”
July 20, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
Seattle opened a new light rail system this weekend, and it was a smashing success by all accounts. Ridership from the inaugural weekend was over 90,000, and the system is settling into normal revenue service today. Read all about it from fellow Streetsblog Network member Seattle Transit Blog, and check out a huge batch of photos from opening weekend in their Flickr group pool.
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| Big crowd Originally uploaded by Mike Bjork |
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| DSC_5700 Originally uploaded by Seattle Transit Blog |
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