An exciting new service launched this morning from our friends at Walk Score will help people all across the country find out how transit-accessible a home or a neighborhood is while gaining a better understanding of the true cost of buying a home — the cost of housing plus transportation. Starting today, when you visit Walk Score you’ll also get information about nearby transit options, commuting details, and the expected cost of housing plus transportation. Welcome to Transit Score.

When the Center for Neighborhood Technology released its revised Housing and Transportation Index last week, much of the focus naturally tilts toward cities due to the measurement of metropolitan areas. But CNT’s rural companion report on transportation costs in less-populated areas deserves ample attention as well. More than 1.6 million rural households do not have access to a car, making routine trips a strain on a family’s time and budget. For those who do drive, high gas prices take a big chunk out of monthly incomes.

Americans have spent the last several decades moving farther and farther away from urban centers, in search of affordability. Rapidly growing communities ranging from the sunbelt cul-de-sacs of greater Phoenix to the exurban fringes of Northern Virginia have sold people on a lower cost of living. The decades of “drive-til-you-qualify” resulted in millions moving out for supposedly cheaper housing. But was it actually more affordable? A new tool from CNT reexamines housing affordability.

Most of the news coverage about what is happening in Washington compartmentalizes health and transportation, missing key connections between the two. This week, Americans from around the country will speak to their representatives, seeking to emphasize those links. The “health fly-in” will commence Thursday and is sponsored by Transportation for America, the American Public Health [...]

Boston’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council unveils a new plan for smarter development. (Boston Globe) Gas prices reach an eight-month high. (USA Today) The Energy Information Administration projects a steep drop in oil output around the world. (Grist) Transportation and housing costs for families can’t be disentangled. (Arizona Daily Star)

Our third webinar took place last week, and almost 300 people attended the session to hear from development experts on the connections between transportation policy, real estate development, and affordable housing.

We just wanted to remind you about our ongoing series of webinars, continuing this Thursday (4/16) at 4:00 p.m. EDT. The Transportation for America campaign, in partnership with the National Housing Conference, will conduct an interactive webinar with a terrific panel of experts discussing the complex relationships between transportation and housing.

Transportation For America communications director David Goldberg writes for Worldchanging about the connection between the current housing crisis and the old development model based on inexpensive fuel.

While a prolonged drop in home prices continues to ripple through the nation’s economy, millions of Americans are still struggling to pay for their homes. According to the Associated Press, nearly 15 percent of homeowners with a mortgage spend more than half their income on housing costs. (Adrian Sainz and Alan Zibel)

The president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology talks about the true cost of commuting and the impact high gas prices will have on where people choose to live. (Smart City Radio)