Month: April 2011

Last week, we reported that Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) had mused aloud at a committee hearing that perhaps a two-year transportation reauthorization was a better option in the current political and economic environment than a six-year bill. "We don't have a lot of money here," he said.

Chicago Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel has snapped up Gabe Klein, former head of the District Department of Transportation in Washington, to head up his transportation team in the Windy City.

Urbanists are celebrating the results of the National Association of Realtors’ 2011 Community Preference Survey, which, according to the NAR, shows a clear preference for mixed uses, shorter commutes, and transportation options. The survey shows that people are asking for more walkable amenities and shorter commutes: a good sign.

Faced with the decision about how to spend scarce transit resources, many communities have recently opted for suburban commuter rail.

Florida Gov’s Lawyer Got a Key Fact Wrong In His Argument Against Rail (St. Petersburg Times) FHWA Gives the Green Light to Green Bike Lanes — For Now (Bike Portland) Why is the EPA, Lover of All Things Sustainable, Moving Its HQ to the Burbs? (Switchboard) California Pols Want to Link HSR Line with Caltrain … Continued

Chalk this up as a major victory in the livable streets movement: Thanks to a heroic effort by advocates for smart growth and rural preservation, officials in Charleston, South Carolina have unanimously rejected a plan for a half-billion-dollar highway expansion.

With multiple versions of two years' worth of federal budgets flying around, some details are still emerging about what's in and what's out. At the end of last week we heard that the FY2011 budget, which has been sent to the president for his signature, includes $100 million for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. According to HUD Sustainable Communities Director Shelley Poticha, the partnership was allocated $70 million for regional planning grants ($17.5 million is slated for regions with populations of less than 500,000) and $30 million for Community Challenge planning grants.

Gas prices. You may have heard they're on an upward trajectory. In today's Streetsblog Network Roundup, we look at the wide-ranging implications of fuel pump pain from Rhode Island to Hawaii:

In Sprawling Atlanta, Pols Call for Better Transit, Bike Infrastructure, and More (AJC) Does Obama Have the Chutzpah to Push for Infrastructure? (The Transport Politic) Gas Prices Rising But Still a Bargain (ABC, Flowing Data) Can a New Light Rail Line Help Unite the Divided City of Jerusalem? (Transpo Nation) A Mere Sliver of the Federal … Continued