Interest Spikes for Active Transportation Grants in Washington State

Applications for active transportation grant funding through a pair of Washington state programs more than doubled, in terms of funding requests, from 2020 to 2022.

1 minute read

September 6, 2022, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Broadway Bike Lane

nickfalbo / Flickr

“After years of stagnating interest — and around $50 million available every two years — cities and counties across Washington have flooded the state with requests to build more and more ambitious projects for bicyclists, pedestrians and people traveling to and from schools,” reports David Kroman for the Seattle Times.

“In the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers set aside nearly $1.3 billion over 16 years for “active transportation,” geared toward walkers, bikers and children on their way to school. Of that, $568 million was earmarked for two grants — for routes to school, and bike and pedestrian projects,” explains Kroman.

More than $100 million is up for grabs, according to the article. When applications closed on May 30, the state had received applications for $457 million in funding. The grant applications in the last funding cycle, in 20202, totaled $191 million.

Kroman quotes local sources in the article who says some fo the increase in applications reflects the rising cost of construction, but some of it also might be a result of local governments “asleep at the wheel” on grant funding applications in the past.

The source article below contains numerous examples of the kinds of local projects seeking funding.

Thursday, September 29, 2022 in The Seattle Times

Aerial view of snowy single-family homes in suburban Long Island, New York

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition

Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

March 20, 2023 - Mark H. McNulty

Empty parking garage at night with yellow lines marking spots and fluorescent lighting

Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City

In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.

March 16, 2023 - The New York Times

A futuristic version of New York City, with plants growing neatly on top of modern skycrapers.

Friday Eye Candy: 20 AI-Generated Cityscapes

AI-generated images are creating new landscapes and cityscapes, capable of inspiring awe or fear.

March 17, 2023 - Chris Steins via Medium

View of street in Chinatown, San Francisco with cars parked along curb and red Chinese lanterns hanging above street

Study: Autonomous Cars Won’t Solve the Parking Problem

In hyper-dense cities where incentives to reduce car use and eliminate parking are already high, mass adoption of AVs won’t significantly reduce parking demand.

18 minutes ago - Streetsblog USA

A group of wetsuit-clad swimmers gathers to talk in shallow water near the shore of the San Francisco Bay.

Proposed Pool Would Make an Olympic-Sized Play Area in the San Francisco Bay

The San Francisco Bay is usually an undesirable place to swim, except for a hearty few. A development proposal seeking assistance at the state level would add a pool to the Bay’s waters to make the idea of going for a swim more appealing.

March 24 - The Mercury News

Chicago elevated train over busy city street surrounded by high-rise buildings

Chicagoland Transit Agencies Call for State Funding as Budget Shortfall Looms

Illinois transit agencies want to see changes to a law requiring them to collect half of their revenue from transit fares, arguing that low ridership and staffing shortages will lead to a massive budget gap without intervention.

March 24 - Crain's Chicago Business

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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.