The Biden administration must combine increased funding with policies that mandate and encourage transit-oriented planning.
The public transit funding included in the Biden administration's American Jobs Plan "would almost double the annual federal contribution to public transportation, which currently accounts for 17% of total transit spending," writes Simon Berrebi for Bloomberg CityLab, but increased oversight and guidance are required to maximize the effects of the spending, increase access and equity, and fight climate change. The plan, which proposes an $85 billion investment in public transit, recognizes that "to expand access to jobs, health care, schools and other destinations that keep the economy running, the key is public transportation, which provides mobility for all while minimizing congestion, pollution and energy consumption."
The new administration's infrastructure package, writes Berrebi, provides "a momentous opportunity to fully integrate transit in a new paradigm of infrastructure planning" and shift emphasis to public transit by prioritizing bus lanes, signal priority, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure as integral parts of transportation projects. "Planning for a transit-oriented future would multiply the social, environmental, and economic benefits of this historic investment."
According to Berrebi, "successful transportation and land-use policies must be planned together," and "the American Jobs Plan is an opportunity to do just that on a national scale." In addition to channeling funding to local transit systems, the administration should also ensure that housing funding is used to "build and preserve units near transit" and that new projects and initiatives "integrate public transportation deeper into the fabric of society."
FULL STORY: The Case For a Transit-First Infrastructure Plan
How Locals Are Planning to Spend $2.2 Billion in RAISE Transportation Grants, Part Two
Part two of a series of post providing specific information for 164 of the 166 projects recently awarded funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation's RAISE grant funding program.
How Locals Are Planning to Spend $2.2 Billion in RAISE Transportation Grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation earlier this month announced $2.2 billion in RAISE grants. The Biden administration has promised that the RAISE grant program will improve equity and sustainability in the nation's transportation systems.
$2.2 Billion in RAISE Grant Funding Announced for Transportation Projects
The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) competitive grant program, supersized by the federal infrastructure bill in 2021, just announced a new round of funding.
Red Cities, Blue Cities, and Crime
Homicides rose across the nation in 2020 and 2021. But did they rise equally in all cities, or was the situation worse in some than in others?
The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?
In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.
A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.
Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.
Federal SMART Grants Awarded for Transportation Safety, Equity Projects
The grant program focuses on the use of technology to improve safety, accessibility, and efficiency in transportation.
Fare Enforcement Upheld by Washington Supreme Court
But using armed police to enforce fare payment is less than ideal in the eyes of the top court in the state of Washington.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
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.
