Transportation for America is crunching the numbers on how the Trump administration has shifted transportation funding programs since it took over the TIGER grant program and made it into the BUILD grant program.
"Following the announcement in April 2019 of an 11th round in BUILD competitive grants ($900 million) available to almost any public entity for transportation projects, Transportation for America released a comparative and constructive critique of USDOT’s BUILD program (formerly known as TIGER)," according to Transportation for America.
The full "Taming the TIGER" report is available for download, but Transportation for America has also published an online preview of the first three sections of the report. One post in the blog series focuses on how the BUILD program has become another federal roads program, mostly just for rural areas.
The opinions of Transportation for America about the Trump administration are clear throughout the presentation of the report, but for interested parties looking for analysis of recent transportation funding announcements by the federal government, Transportation for America is revealing the realities of the federal government's current approach to transportation funding. The big takeaways: the Trump administration has shifted funding to traditional road projects, away from transit, and the Trump administration is spending more on new roads, rather than repairing existing roads. "The first year of BUILD (round X) set two records: not only was a record share of total funding devoted to roads, a record percentage of that funding (70 percent) was dedicated to capacity expansion," according to Transportation for America.
FULL STORY: Taming the Tiger
How RAISE Grants Promote Car-Free Mobility
While there are many reasons to break away from automobile dominance, the RAISE grant program is the only federal effort fully reflecting a public transit and active transportation priorities.
New RAISE Grant Program Replaces BUILD Grants at the U.S. Department of Transportation
The policy whiplash from the Obama administration to the Trump administration and now to the Biden administration continues.
Notes on the Buttigieg Confirmation Hearing
Takeaways from last week's Senate confirmation hearing for the nominee to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont