National
House to rework transportation bill
Politico- February 24, 2012
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: We had heard rumors that something was up but weren’t expecting this. Major news broke late Thursday when House leadership revealed it is considering a redo on its transportation bill. Speaker John Boehner’s signature proposal will likely see: a shorter length, (maybe) reduced overall funding levels and a reversal on the decision to divorce federal transit funding from the Highway Trust Fund.
Gas tax falling short in paying for transportation needs
USA Today- February 24, 2012
The USA is at a critical juncture in how it pays for roads, bridges and transit. That’s because the federal tax on gasoline, the primary method since 1956, has lost one-third of its buying power since it was last raised in 1993. States add their own tax on top of that, but the federal tax accounts for about 45%-50% of capital spending for transportation.
Sales of New Homes in the U.S. Probably Rose to Nine-Month High
Bloomberg- February 24, 2012
Purchases of new homes in the U.S. probably rose in January to a nine-month high, more evidence the housing market is improving, economists said before a report today.
More households spend half of pay on housing: Renters hit hardest, with rent costs rising as income falls
Market Watch- February 24, 2012
In 2010, about 24% of U.S. households paid more than half of their income on housing costs, compared with about 22% in 2008, the report said.
Distressed Properties Help Boost U.S. Home Sales
Bloomberg- February 23, 2012
Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose in January to the highest level since May 2010 as investors took advantage of lower prices to buy distressed properties.
Are American roads ready for aging Baby Boomers?
Reuters- February 23, 2012
With a growing number of Baby Boomers reaching old age, there’s a risk of a significant increase in highway fatalities, according to a new report.
The group said older motorists shun public transportation, with more than 90 percent choosing to drive their own vehicles. In many cases, seniors resist giving up driving, even when they realize that their eyesight and other senses are not up to the task, because they see driving as proof that they remain active and worthwhile.
State & Local
Battered by Foreclosures, Stockton Looks Downtown
The Atlantic Cities- February 23, 2012
Now, in Stockton and other San Joaquin Valley cities, officials are trying to reframe development, shifting away from the sprawling subdivisions and unrealistic mortgages of the past and toward a more compact, dense and centralized pattern. These foreclosure-wracked cities are refocusing growth downtown.
Federal transportation bill threatens Utah’s progress
Deseret News- February 23, 2012
Utahns have invested heavily in this progress, both through the expenditure of state tax dollars and the return of federal tax dollars to the state. Yet all of this progress could come to a screeching halt if a transportation package currently before the U.S. House of Representatives is enacted in its current form.
‘Shades of Green’ speaker links environmental sustenance to economic growth
Oneida Daily Dispatch- February 23, 2012
MORRISVILLE – Empire State Future’s executive director believes the only way to save economically declining communities in New York state is to find equitable and environmentally sustainable solutions for growth.
Chafee Announces $1 Million in Funding for Regional and Local Planning Initiatives
GoLocalProv- February 23, 2012
Fifteen regional and local planning projects will receive approximately $1 million under the Statewide Planning Program’s Planning Challenge Grant Program, Governor Chafee announced today in a 3:00 p.m. public ceremony in the Atrium Gallery of the Department of Administration. Selected from 33 proposals requesting over $2.3 million, the 15 projects slated for funding come from a variety of project sponsors and propose innovative solutions to address land use and transportation issues faced by Rhode Island communities.
‘Things’ll be great when you’re downtown’
Illinois Times- February 23, 2012
Who would have thought that Petula Clark would turn out to be an urban policy seer? Perhaps you saw the SJ-R report about the “Sustainable Design Assessment Team” brought in to advise on how to keep the downtown Springfield of the 2010s from sliding back into the downtown of the 1980s. One of the architect-members of the team asserted, “Enticing more people to live in downtown Springfield is vital to sustaining gains in historic and commercial restoration of the area.” It is important, she said, to “start thinking of downtown Springfield as a neighborhood.”
Bus rapid transit for metro Detroit gains support
Detroit Free Press- February 24, 2012
Momentum is growing for a big new network of rapid-transit buses spanning metro Detroit that supporters say would provide what the region has never had: coordinated, reliable, fast public transportation unimpeded by city and suburban borders.
Massive planned development tries to get Prince George’s tax breaks: Proposal supposed to benefit aging, inner-suburb properties
Washington Examiner- February 23, 2012
The developer of a planned mixed-use development along Interstate 95 wants to be included in a proposed Prince George’s County program that is supposed to benefit aging, inside-the-Beltway properties.
