Feds announce change to consider livability in funding transit projects
January 13, 2010By Stephen Lee Davis
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| TriMet MAX on the Transit Mall Originally uploaded by paulkimo90 |
| From the Transportation for America Flickr group. |
Following through on a policy change hinted at for much of 2009, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced this morning that federal transit officials would begin considering expanded criteria as they select which transit projects to fund, bringing a new focus on improving livability and sustainability.
At the Transportation Research Board’s annual conference this morning, Secretary LaHood made it clear that a wider range of positive benefits would be considered in the application process for new transit lines or systems. These applications were being unfairly burdened by the previous administration’s cost-effectiveness measurement, which left out such benefits as energy efficiency, economic development and reduced emissions.
“Our new policy for selecting major transit projects will work to promote livability rather than hinder it,” he said. “We want to base our decisions on how much transit helps the environment, how much it improves development opportunities and how it makes our communities better places to live.”
Of course, the one problem that this will not fix is the very high demand for a limited supply of New Starts funding. Even under the old narrow rules for winning approval, only a small percentage of the many applicants were receiving limited funding, and even then, the federal government was only matching about half of local funds, compared with at least 80 percent for road projects.
Still, this change is keeping in line with the positive reforms contained in Chairman Jim Oberstar’s draft reauthorization bill released back in the summer. In June, we quoted the bill’s section on New Starts reform, noting that the proposal to remove the cost-effectiveness requirement and include other “livability” criteria “equalizes the treatment of proposed transit projects and elevates the importance of the benefits that will occur in the community once the project is built.”
The Obama administration and all the leaders at USDOT and the Federal Transit Administration are to be praised for their leadership in changing this program for the better. The next step is securing a greater share of funds for public transportation in the upcoming reauthorization and improving federal match rates to equalize the choices state or regional leaders face between new highways and new transit lines.
Update: Chairman Oberstar responded with a statement of his own praising the change, also observing that New Starts needs greater funding to meet the overwhelming demand. ”Now we need increased investment dollars to follow this reform, so that we can move forward with transit projects that relieve congestion, reduce emissions, increase our energy independence, and promote more livable communities across the country,” he said. (From Elana Schor’s post on Streetsblog Capitol Hill)
Breaking Down the Blueprint: Energy Efficiency and Energy Security, Pt. 2
June 5, 2009By Andrew Bielak
| The T4 America Blueprint has six overarching national objectives to provide a new vision and guide our federal transportation policy. If our transportation system is in need of a clear purpose, these six objectives are like the rudder that will steer the ship. To ensure that we can meet these objectives and measure our progress, we created 10 performance targets — clear, quantifiable goals for the next 20 years that are tied directly to the six national objectives. |
In our previous post breaking down the T4 America Blueprint, we discussed our national objective of creating an energy efficient transportation system that boosts our economy and helps America use less oil. Today, we’re going to look at this issue from a slightly different angle, by explaining how we plan to achieve this goal — and measure our success — through strong, accountable reforms.
It may seem obvious that our federal transportation program should encourage less fuel use. Unfortunately, our existing policies do the exact opposite.
Instead of giving Americans options like public transportation, high-speed rail, and walking and biking, federal policy still has a heavy bias towards new road construction, promoting more driving — even as Americans continue to drive less and use transit in record numbers. And while research shows that transferring even a moderate portion of our goods movement from trucks to rail would have a huge impact on our overall fuel use (not to mention congestion), recent federal transportation bills have done nothing to incentivize this smart and essential shift in our freight policy.
To jumpstart the needed transition to an energy-efficient transportation system and a secure economy, Transportation for America has created a road map to reform that includes strong, clear policies and programs that we recommend Congress adopt in the next transportation bill. Continue reading below the fold to learn more about some of the specific policies and programs we’re proposing to lead this transition:
(Continue Reading)
Webinar Wrap: Housing and Development
April 21, 2009By Stephen Lee Davis
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| Download the third and fourth in a series of policy briefs from T4 |
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.
- Policy Brief: Transportation and Housing (pdf)
- Policy Brief: Transportation and Development (pdf)
- Audio and video recording of the entire webinar
- Podcast audio file (.mp3)
- Podcast video file (.mp4)
- Sign up for more sessions on the webinars page
With economic crisis putting jobs in jeopardy, homes in foreclosure and entire communities in peril, Americans are facing extraordinary challenges in finding affordable and accessible housing options. Now more than ever, we need federal leadership to help make the critical link between our housing and transportation policies and creating revitalized communities where people can find good places to live and convenient ways to get around.
Shelley Poticha, President and CEO of Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit Oriented Development moderated the discussion and provided an overview of the Transportation for America Campaign.
Christopher Leinberger, Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Partner of Arcadia Land Company; discussed the benefits of walkable urbanism and the linkages between land value and transportation systems. Ann Norton, Senior Staff Attorney at the Housing Preservation Project, provided a snapshot of Blueprint planning from the Minneapolis / St. Paul Metropolitan Area that links up transportation and land-use planning. Finally, John McIlwain, Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute discussed policy options for locating housing around transportation nodes and creating compact, mixed use, mixed income neighborhoods.
There are still more webinars on tap. The next session is April 30 on Transportation, Public Health and Safety.
Scott Bernstein on Smart City Radio
September 18, 2008By Andrew Bielak
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)
On the right track
September 5, 2008By Andrew Bielak
Frustration over high gas prices in the Chicago area breeds a growing interest in transit-oriented development. (Chicago Tribune — John Handley)
Some cities find trollies draw life into target areas
August 25, 2008By Andrew Bielak
With streetcars helping to bring new life to downtowns in Portland, Little Rock and Kenosha, city leaders are taking a second look at using transit to spur community development. (Augusta Chronicle — Tim Rausch)
Downtowns Across the U.S. See Streetcars in Their Future
August 14, 2008By Andrew Bielak
With big city officials across the country warming to the idea of revitalizing downtown with convenient public transportation, at least 40 cities are developing plans for streetcar service. (New York Times — Bob Driehaus)
Training wheels
August 13, 2008By Andrew Bielak
In Boise, Idaho, politicians and planners believe that a downtown streetcar program could go a long way in promoting development and housing in the center of the city. (Boise Weekly — Nathaniel Hoffman)
Smart Growth
August 11, 2008By Andrew Bielak
With gas prices high and commuters looking to live closer to work and amenities, the Washington Post editorial board says that our next president, whomever it may be, will need to support smart growth planning and push for more sustainable communities.
New attitudes gaining toward transit, land use
August 7, 2008By Andrew Bielak
Planners and politicians in southern Maine are taking a first look at transit-oriented development, and with high gas prices shifting priorities for many residents, they are starting to like what they see. (Portland Press Herald — Tom Bell)
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- Transit grants out the federal door, but what about the cuts?
March 8, 2010 - Transit riders in Atlanta face massive cuts, “wholesale restructuring” of service
March 5, 2010 - Opposition to Senate extension results in looming shutdown of federal transportation programs
February 26, 2010 - T4 jobs proposal would create nearly half a million jobs, according to Economic Policy Institute
February 17, 2010 - Obama’s 2011 budget gives a lift to livability and transportation
February 2, 2010
- Transit grants out the federal door, but what about the cuts?
The United States of Transit Cutbacks
Driving is down and transit ridership is at record highs. Yet transit agencies across the country are considering layoffs, service cuts and fare hikes. Find out more and learn what you can do to help at t4america.org/transitcuts
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