Next transportation bill to focus on livable communities

Multiple agencies involved

Steve Hawley, Mar 09, 09.

The Obama administration’s first Surface Transportation bill will emphasize livable communities, according to Congressional Quarterly Today. The article, available only to subscribers, notes, the “plan would link land use and housing development with transportation projects and require [Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood] to coordinate with other federal agencies, such as Housing and Urban Development [HUD] and Health and Human Services, in a way that’s never been done at the federal level.”

According to the article, “LaHood has already met with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan to discuss how affordable housing can be built near public transportation, neighborhood street blocks can be shortened to promote walking and bus routes can be expanded to reach more areas.” Several prominent legislators have also indicated their support for the idea.

“By coordinating housing and transportation policy to encourage smart land use, we can generate economic growth and create vibrant communities where people can live and work with a smaller carbon footprint,” said Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, who chairs the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Development Committee.

Rep. John W. Olver of Massachusetts, chair of the House Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, stated, “Decisions that affect housing and transportation have to be made
jointly, not in a vacuum.”

According to James Corless, campaign director of Transportation for America, “Those departments should break down silos. ... This is not about Congress telling communities they need to become more livable, it’s about them providing the resources.”

However, proponents expect substantial resistance from highway groups, whom the article notes “have enjoyed decades of being at the forefront of the transportation debate.”

Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has also indicated that he wants the transportation bill to include a temporary gas tax increase and provisions for a vehicle-miles fee. He hopes the bill will be completed by early June.