Calling it an investment plan in job growth in the transportation sector, the President in a Labor Day speech outlined a six-year plan for investment in road, rail, and airports to be paid for by eliminating tax breaks and subsidies from big oil.
Sure to be difficult to gather the necessary congressional support as the mid-term elections approach, President Obama nevertheless made a strong case for job-producing transportation investment that would also help commuters and long-distance travelers.
"Central to the plan is the president's call for an "infrastructure bank," which would be run by the government but would pool tax dollars with private investment, the White House says.
But the notion of a government-run bank - indeed, a government-run anything - is bound to prove contentious during an election year in which voters are furious over bank bailouts and over what many perceive as Mr. Obama pursuing a big government agenda. Even before the announcement Monday, Republicans were expressing caution.
Specifically, the president wants to rebuild 150,000 miles of road, lay and maintain 4,000 miles of rail track, restore 150 miles of runways and advance a next-generation air-traffic control system."
From Streetsblog: First Impressions of Obama's Big Infrastructure Announcement: Reactions are listed from several sources, including Transportation for America, The Transport Politic and James Rowen at The Political Environment who commented, "I loved the administration's commitment to a national passenger rail system; jobs and growth for Milwaukee will be and already are the local outcomes."
FULL STORY: Obama Offers a Transit Plan to Create Jobs
Secretary Foxx Talks Funding (and Possibly Tolling)
A recent article by Yonah Freemark details the policy agenda of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, the former mayor of Charlotte and successor of well-regarded Transportation Secretary Ray La Hood.
Obama's Grand Rail Plans: What Went Wrong?
Four years after a historic down payment was made on Pres. Obama's plan to connect 80 percent of Americans to fast trains, "the prospects for a national high-speed rail system seem bleak." Politics and funding challenges have derailed the plan.
New Jersey Bill Would Raise Gas Tax, Create EV Registration Fee
The bill’s supporters argue that increased revenue is needed to keep up with the state’s infrastructure and transportation needs.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
