Author Archive
How TIGER/BUILD can help improve the federal transportation program
The third and final part of our analysis of 10 years of awarding transportation funds competitively through the TIGER/BUILD program illuminates three simple principles that should help guide reform of the federal transportation system.
BUILDing a better competitive grant program, in 5 steps
Under President Trump, USDOT has hijacked the TIGER/BUILD competitive grant program, taking it far from its intended function. After a decade of experience with the program there are a number of simple steps that lawmakers could take to get it back on track and even improve it.
Taming the TIGER: Trump turns innovative grant program into another roads program
Under President Trump, the U.S. Department of Transportation has effectively turned the formerly innovative BUILD program—created to advance complex, hard-to-fund projects—into little more than a rural roads program, dramatically undercutting both its intent and utility.
Washington State Department of Transportation announces the selection of two artists to serve in the country’s first statewide artist-in-residence program
With today’s announcement that Kelly Gregory and Mary Welcome have been selected to serve as artists-in-residence with WSDOT for a year, Washington becomes the first state to embed an artist in a statewide agency.
Get to know Washington state’s new artists-in-residence
We announced earlier today that Kelly Gregory and Mary Welcome have been selected to serve as artists-in-residence with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in a new fellowship program created by ArtPlace America and T4America, bringing a dose of creativity to the statewide transportation agency. Get to know this team of two artists with this brief Q&A.
Minnesota Department of Transportation to host a Community Vitality Fellow to advance transportation goals
Minnesota Department of Transportation joins Smart Growth America’s artist-in-residence program, by hosting a Community Vitality Fellow to creatively meet the agency’s goals of promoting economic vitality, improving safety, supporting multimodal transportation systems and creating healthier communities.
Walking through questions about our new Playbook for Shared Micromobility
With the help of representatives from two cities, T4America staff a few weeks ago walked through our new Playbook for effectively managing shared micromobility services like dockless bikes, electric scooters, and other new technologies.
T4America’s new “playbook” provides an evolving guide for how cities can manage shared micromobility services
Produced in collaboration with 23 cities, Transportation for America today released a new “Playbook” to help cities think about how to best manage shared micromobility services like dockless bikes, electric scooters, and other new technologies that are rapidly being deployed in cities across the country.
Small groups, big questions: 12 roundtable conversations at Capital Ideas 2018
Capital Ideas 2018 will be full of inspiration and best practices. But even with an agenda full of national experts, we know that we won’t possibly have all the answers to every community’s challenges.
Florida is out in front on driverless vehicles
The State of Florida knows that the way they’ve done transportation projects for the last 50 years won’t be the way to do them for the 50 years ahead. That’s why the Florida Department of Transportation, in partnership with the City of Gainesville, state legislators, and mobility company Transdev, are piloting one of the first autonomous vehicle shuttle projects in the country.
Here’s the full speaker lineup for Capital Ideas 2018
Update 10/18/2018: For the most up-to-date version of the conference agenda & speakers, please refer to the main conference page and click on the agenda tab. Capital Ideas brings together state and local elected officials, policymakers, advocates, chambers of commerce staff, academics, and industry leaders from across the country under one roof. This year’s conference […]
The newest intercity rail system in the country
Since it opened earlier this year, the Florida Brightline has been the only privately owned, operated and maintained passenger rail system in the United States. Now, they’re planning to do it again in California. Join us at Capital Ideas 2018 to learn how.
U.S. Senate passes transportation appropriations bill with robust funding for transit, rail programs
The US Senate again rejected the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate or severely cut vital transportation programs that local communities rely on by adopting its FY19 Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill. In perhaps their strongest rebuke of the president’s disdain for transit, the bill language specifically requests that USDOT manage the BUILD program (formerly TIGER) as it did during the Obama administration.
A vital tool in the transportation-funding toolbox
The current administration is doing what it can to interfere with federal funding for transit, which makes it important that localities have a broad set of tools if they hope to compete. Today, we share an argument from Timothy Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, on the need to legalize regional ballot initiatives in Massachusetts—and beyond.
Atlanta, GA: More than just a host, a destination
This week, we’re announcing the chair of our host committee for Capital Ideas 2018: the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Here is a note from Dave Williams, Vice President of Infrastructure & Government Affairs at the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
208 local leaders and organizations urge Congress not to back down from federal commitment to transportation
208 local leaders and organizations—including 72 local elected officials—sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators today urging them to continue rejecting the administration’s proposed cuts to transit and passenger rail programs, and the BUILD competitive grant program. This group of elected officials and organizations, spanning 36 states, urged Congress to continue their commitment to […]
Senate appropriators reject administration proposals to eliminate transit investment
On Thursday, June 7, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and approved the FY19 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Act. Kevin F. Thompson, Director of T4America, offered this statement in response:
Urge your representative to support public transit funding in next federal budget
After two straight years of the Trump administration pushing to eliminate all funding for building or improving public transportation systems, Congress is right now deciding how much funding to provide for transit in the FY19 budget. To make sure Congress knows they need to continue funding public transportation, T4America is circulating a sign-on letter for organizations and elected officials.
Smart Cities Collaborative hits the ground running in year two
Returning in a bigger fashion than the first year with 23 cities instead of 16, our Smart Cities Collaborative picked up where we left off with the launch of year two last week in Denver, CO.
22 communities selected to participate in the second cohort of T4America’s Smart Cities Collaborative
Transportation for America (T4America) announced today the 22 communities selected to participate in the second cohort of the organization’s Smart Cities Collaborative program that will continue exploring how emerging technologies and new mobility options can improve urban transportation. Over the coming year, the Collaborative will once again bring together cities to cooperatively tackle the challenges related to implementing smart mobility policies and projects.
Our three principles
It’s past time to elevate the national conversation about infrastructure beyond just the price tag.
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