The concept of "livability" seems to be catching on -- both at a local level and up in the federal government. This is especially true in the Department of Transportation. That could mean bad news for the road building lobby.
This piece from The Center for Public Integrity looks at how shifting priorities could pose a problem for roadbuilders in the U.S.
"If you compare what Florida received under the stimulus law and what legislators in Tallahassee propose to take away again on top of last year, it's nearly a wash, Schafer says.
All that makes federal transportation spending as important to the road building industry as ever. But the road lobby is no longer the only one in the driver's seat when it comes to setting transportation funding priorities. The Obama administration is determined to make its own mark on transportation policy by completing and repairing the current highway system while adopting an increasingly diverse menu of investments in mass transit, bike paths, and pedestrian walkways for neighborhood residents who don't own a car."
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