City Limits magazine recently published a piece on the Obama Administration’s urban policy work, arguing that significant change has been happening — but most of it is flying below the radar of the press and public. The article provides information on the Sustainable Communities Partnership, discusses some projects that the Partnership has funded, and provides background context for urban-focused federal efforts to encourage sustainable communities.
Check out the article here.
The impressive accomplishments of the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats should be presented on a zoomable colorful map of the U.S.A. to help make the point — going into the 2012 elections — that a lot of useful work got done and good jobs created with ARRA and a lot more could be done with additional spending on public transportation, sustainable communities, and jobs-creating infrastructure projects. The proposed map could be made available on the t4A site and to the media and the public.
And, while we’re at it, why not propose and support a “Transit Vouchers for Clunkers” program, for the good this would do for low-income urban-area dwellers, for carbon reductions, and federal public transit spending. (Almost this exact provision was in the 2009 Cash for Clunkers bill but sadly was removed — under pressure, apparently, from car dealers and Republican Congressmembers: Sec. 3 (b)(2) of S. 247, 2009.)
I hope Transportation for America will consider commissioning a good Map of American Sustainability Projects, and re-raising the Transit Vouchers for Clunkers concept. Thanks.
Gregory Wright, Sherman Oaks, California
greg@newciv.org
Re:
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/iscs-blog
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/policy-work/federal-policy-priorities/
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/iscs-blog
I’ve signed the public transportation funding petition: