Ray LaHood

Livability in rural America

US Secretary of Transportation, May 19, 10.

Tagged with transportation, quality of life, transit, sustainability, livability, communities, rural

I think by now it’s pretty clear that Americans want the kind of communities that are walkable, that offer a sense of connection to their neighbors. Everywhere I’ve been in the US during the past 16 months—and I’ve been to more than 80 communities in 35 states—people have been telling me they want more public transportation and walkability with less congestion and sprawl.

Now, maybe it seems more obvious that walkable communities and communities served by transit work well for urban centers. But ... this model works great for small towns and rural communities.

In fact, the livability Americans say they want comes to us from rural communities with town centers that are walkable and accessible to all ages and income groups.

But rural communities also face special challenges that have threatened the kind of traditional community design that nourished livability. Past transportation policies have resulted in many rural Main Streets being bypassed by the interstate highway system—contributing to the decline of once-vibrant business centers.

Many rural communities located close to cities have lost farmland and open space as urban areas spread outward.

Readers may be surprised to know that transportation costs are often significantly higher for residents of rural communities, especially those with longer commutes to employment centers.

So the Obama Administration’s Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities wants better coordination of housing and transportation to protect and safeguard open space and agricultural land in rural areas, preserve the traditional culture of rural town centers, and provide rural residents with transportation options that decrease their household costs.
Certainly, livability in rural areas will look different from livability in urban city centers, but the outcome—a small town with a walkable Main Street lined with spaces for retail, employment and housing is achievable.
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[The US Department of Transportation] has made a special effort to promote livability in rural and tribal communities through our TIGER discretionary grant program. Through our pilot program to support bus-transit/livability projects. Through our recently announced bus system upgrade program.

Livability means building the communities that help Americans live the lives they want to live—whether those communities are urban centers, small towns, or rural areas. And this DOT is working hard to make that possible.