EPA, DOT, HUD joining forces to promote smarter growth

New approach to transportation

Steve Hawley, Jun 23, 09.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are teaming together to promote smarter growth and more livable communities, according to Smart Growth America.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson testified in a Senate committee hearing, “where you live affects how you get around, and how you get around often affects where you live. Both decisions affect our environment. Working together rather than independently, our three agencies can improve the environment, the transportation system, and homes and communities throughout the United States.”

The six guiding principles of the partnership are to:

Provide more transportation choices.
Promote equitable, affordable housing.
Enhance economic competitiveness.
Support existing communities.
Coordinate and Leverage federal policies and investment.
Value communities and neighborhoods.

Smart Growth America commended the partnership, saying, “It’s a bold new initiative, doing something a bit unorthodox in federal circles — working together across agency boundaries towards a greater purpose.”