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
Infrastructure and its Discontents
The significance of the Biden administration's expansive view of infrastructure is reflected in the flood of commentary published in the week since the public's first look at the American Jobs Plan.
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.
U.S. DOT's 2022 RAISE Grants to Target Emissions Reductions, Racial Equity
The RAISE grant program continues to make history as a distinct departure from U.S. transportation planning tradition.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
As institutional investors buy up a larger share of single-family homes, the families renting them are increasingly vulnerable to rent increases and eviction.
Short-Term Rentals Vex Dallas City Council
Residents complain that vacation rentals exacerbate the city’s housing shortage and bring traffic and noise to residential neighborhoods, calling on the city to impose—and enforce—stricter regulations.
Traffic Fatalities Set Records as Pandemic-Era Road Carnage Shows No Signs of Stopping
An estimated 42,915 people died in automobile crashes in 2021, according to recent federal data. The increasing fatalities continue a trend that began with the outset of the pandemic.
Driver Shortage Undercuts the Potential of L.A.’s Recent Bus System Redesign
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented a complete overhaul of its bus system in three waves over the course of 2021. A shortage of drivers for the system has made it impossible to implement that vision.
County of Sonoma
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
