On June 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new partnership to help American families in all communities–rural, suburban and urban–gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs. The partnership between the three agencies, titled the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, will work together to ensure that these housing and transportation goals are met while simultaneously protecting the environment, promoting equitable development, and helping to address the challenges of climate change.
ContextSensitiveSolutions.org is serving as a comprehensive source of information about the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and related USDOT programs:
On September 24th, 2009, the CSS website hosted an online forum between high-level USDOT officials and the CSS community. The online forum was the first national dialog on the new interagency partnership. A recording of the webinar is now available.
We have posted other recently developed documents on livability and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, and will continue to be a primary source for the most current information on this issue.
Our discussion forum is host to a diverse group of practitioners and advocates who are discussing the new Partnership and federal, state, and local policies that affect livability.
On May 18th, 2010, the CSS website hosted an online forum with experts in the field of livability discussing how CSS can be used to help transportation investments foster livability. The webinar outlined key concepts and strategies of livability for urban, suburban, and rural areas, and provided guidance on a wide range of issues and opportunities facing federal, state, and local practitioners.
One of the most critical issues facing the transportation industry is how to design and implement transportation networks in rural communities. As Gary Toth, Senior Transportation Director at PPS and Hannah Twaddell of the Renaissance Planning Group explore in a blog post for PBS’ Blueprint America series, defining rural life (as well as livability itself) is not as easy as it seems:
“What is rural livability? Unlike urban or suburban living, each of which give rise to instant and consistent images within us, rural life is hard to pigeonhole into one set typology.
“Is rural life typified by a family farm in Nebraska, Iowa or Mississippi? Is it living on an unpaved road in an isolated part of northern Vermont? Is it living in a small village on the mid-coast of Maine, the bayous of Louisiana, the lakes region of Minnesota or the foothills of the Sierras? Is it living in one of the 19 Native American Pueblos of New Mexico? Or is shopping, visiting or even living in one of the many great small cities that support rural living, such as Santa Fe, Charlottesville, or Portland, Maine?
So, as Toth and Twaddell point out, “Is it any wonder that transportation experts are struggling to decide how we will support rural livability? If you can’t define it, how can we support it?”
Read the comprehensive post over at Blueprint America, a PBS series exploring America’s infrastructure through documentaries and web content.
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is increasingly recognized as having the potential to improve the quality of life for American households, by creating vibrant, livable communities in proximity to transit. Improved access to transit can reduce transportation costs for working families and mitigate the negative impacts of automobile travel on the environment and the economy.
The need for a mix of housing types that is affordable to a range of family incomes in proximity to transit is an important policy concern at all levels of government, including the federal government. Through its policies and investments, the federal government can help shape opportunities at the regional and local level to meet the growing demand for affordable housing near transit.
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HUD, DOT and EPA Partnership: Sustainable Communities
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson have announced a new partnership to help American families in all communities–rural, suburban and urban–gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs. The unprecedented interagency agreement, covered in this press release, is to implement joint housing and transportation initiatives. With EPA joining the partnership, the three agencies will work together to ensure that these housing and transportation goals are met while simultaneously protecting the environment, promoting equitable development, and helping to address the challenges of climate change.
The Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program (opens in a new window)
The Transportation Planning Capacity Building (TPCB) Program is a collaborative effort of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) with various public and private organizations. Broadly speaking, it exists to help state and local transportation staff meet their complex political, social, economic, and environmental demands. On a practical level, the TPCB Program provides information, training, and technical assistance to help transportation professionals create plans and programs that respond to the needs of the many users of their local transportation systems.
Website
Center for Transit-Oriented Development (opens in a new window)
The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is the only national nonprofit effort dedicated to providing best practices, research and tools to support market-based transit-oriented development. We partner with both the public and private sectors to strategize about ways to encourage the development of high-performing TOD projects around transit stations and to build transit systems that maximize the development potential.
Website
National Transit Institute (opens in a new window)
The National Transit Institute’s mission is to provide training, education, and clearinghouse services in support of public transportation and quality of life in the United States.
We identify needs; we promote, develop, and deliver high quality programs and materials through cooperative partnerships with industry, government, institutions, and associations; and we serve as a catalyst for enhancing skills and performance in public transportation.
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Building Livable Communities with Transit: Planning, Developing, and Implementing Community-Sensitive Transit
Across the country, communities are becoming actively involved in enhancing the connections between transit and local quality of life. This is being accomplished by locating development near transit stops and stations so that walking to and from these facilities requires little effort. Better connections between different modes of transportation are making it easier to transfer from one transportation mode to another.
This booklet presents some fo the successes – in terms of planning, development, and implementation – of the community-sensitive transportation facility development process. By applying the techniques outlined in this booklet, transportation agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, and communities can help achieve transportation goals beyond "asphalt, concrete, and steel."
