Senator Dodd's Livable Communities Act passed a milestone on August 3 by passing the Banking Committee on a party line vote: 12-10. Known as a "smart growth planning" bill, it would integrate transportation with housing and economic planning.
Dodd's bill would make 'livability' more than just a popular planning term but the essence of a $4 billion federal planning law that would help transportation plaining fit into sustainable development.
"If passed, the Act would provide $4 billion in competitive grants for projects that integrate transportation, housing, economic development and environmental planning. It would also establish a new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities in the Department of Housing and Urban Development to coordinate federal policies that foster sustainable development "
From Jesse Prentice-Dunn/Sierra Club Chapter Transportation Chairs Listserv: "After the Senate returns from August recess, Senator Dodd hopes to advance his bill to the floor of the Senate (possibly attached to another bill) and pass it before he retires. So we'll have more work to do convincing other Senators to support this good legislation and get it passed. "
Senator Chris Dodd in "his statement as prepared for delivery and a summary of the bill":
"There is great demand for the kind of integrated planning and ‘location-efficient" investments that the Livable Communities Act makes possible. This is demonstrated by the fact that hundreds of communities from all 50 states have submitted expressions of interest in applying for HUD's Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program, which is closely modeled on the planning program authorized in this legislation."
Thanks to Jesse Prentice-Dunn
Read the full story: Livable Communities Act Gains Momentum
From SoHo to SoDoSoPa
How zoning made great neighborhoods illegal to build, and preordained gentrification.
The Nation’s Best Small Cities Ranked by Livability, Affordability
A new list looks at a range of factors from housing costs to entertainment to commute times to rank the most attractive small cities in the U.S.
Singapore: A Model for Longevity and Quality of Life
Singapore's remarkable rise in life expectancy, driven by government policies on health, green spaces, and social cohesion, has earned it the distinction of being named the world's sixth “Blue Zone.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority