In this op-ed, Peter Calthorpe warns against a massive investment to stimulate sprawl as was done after WWII. He notes 3 areas that need smart investment to make the American Dream sustainable: urban transit, environment, and multi-family housing.
"We must not unwittingly (allow the stimulus package to) subsidize another generation of sprawl by overinvesting in new freeways or underwriting remote subdivisions.
The alternative to sprawl is simple and timely: compact neighborhoods of housing, parks, and schools within walking distance of shops, jobs and transit.
Using the power of the federal government to promote such community development requires an integrated effort focused on three areas:
• Transportation funding that moves away from a bias for highway projects and toward transit investment.
• Environmental policy that protects air quality and opens space.
• Federal housing assistance that moves beyond its historic orientations toward single-family hosing to encourage urban redevelopment."
"Just as federal policy set the stage for sprawl with enormous investment in freeways and VA loans that drove sprawl, it must now support a new direction though investments in transit and walk able communities."
FULL STORY: Stimulus for the next American Dream
Arizona Tapping Groundwater to Fuel Suburban Growth
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
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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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions