Why 2006 Matters For Smart Growth, Transit, And TOD

The 2005 transportation law, the Safe, Affordable, Flexible and Efficient Equity Actâ€" A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), lays the groundwork for boosting transportation choice and its attendant benefits. The passage of SAFETEA-LU into law was not the last step, but the first, in improving the evaluation process used by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). FTA will spend the bulk of 2006 taking comments from stakeholders and folding them into regulations that will guide its updated evaluation process for new transit projects.

This article by Lisa Nisenson, a staff member in the Office of Policy, Economic and Innovation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, highlights some of the key issue areas, and why the views, experience, and opinions of smart growth practitioners are critical for getting a process that results in transportation choice, transit performance, and successful community investment.