In two separate blog posts, U.S. News and World Report writer Marianne Lavelle crunches some of the numbers on the effect gas prices will have on the latest economic stimulus package that President Bush recently approved. (Part I, Part II) Based on projected increases in gas and other petroleum-related energy prices, Lavelle finds that as … Continued
Complete streets consider the needs of all users — and are safer for walkers, bikers, and drivers. Updated: a few edits made below, and links to bill and factsheet added. The push for livable streets achieved a victory this week, as Sen. Tom Harkin (Iowa) introduced an important piece of legislation, co-sponsored by Sen. Carper … Continued
Last month, President Bush proposed a federal budget that cuts funding for a number of critical programs that help revitalize communities, provide transportation and affordable housing choices, and protect the environment. (Note: Our budget analysis can be found here) Perhaps most shocking is the Bush administration’s budget proposal to transfer an estimated $3.2 billion from … Continued
There’s a commercial airing frequently for a Dodge minivan these days. Maybe you’ve seen it: An unhappy family sits around their very nice home, all doing their best to ignore each other. The cynical teenage daughter is on the phone, asking her friend, “Did you see what she was wearing? Eww!” The youngest boy approaches … Continued
Click the video to watch a recent CBS News piece on the growing use of passenger rail Retailers of scale like Wal-Mart and Target survive on small margins. The rate of profit may be small, but selling a bazillion units of everything adds up to a tidy sum at the end of the day. In … Continued
Highways like these in San Antonio get built with federal highway funds. President Bush’s proposed budget for the 2009 fiscal year contained an alarming provision for “fixing” the transportation funding crisis. Unfortunately, the solution is akin to putting a band-aid on a gaping wound while also cutting off an arm. Without getting too deep into … Continued
The Alaskan Way Viaduct is a three story barrier, separating Seattle from its historic waterfront. Continuing the thread started yesterday on urban freeways and the CNU Teardown Survey, we have a guest blogger today. Cary Moon is the co-founder and director of the People’s Waterfront Coalition, which is a grassroots group that formed a few … Continued
San Fran capitalized on damage from the Loma Prieta Earthquake to remove the Embarcadero Freeway. Before and after at Market Street This is part one of a series. Click here for part two on Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct. Take a peek at the road atlas or Google Maps for any major American city and there’s … Continued
BusinessWeek published a special report on Green Design and Innovation this week, and one of their top stories highlights the core message of Growing Cooler: meeting the demand for the walkable neighborhoods and cities that result in less driving is one of the best solutions for reducing emissions. Alex Steffen reworked his longer essay that … Continued
Budget 09: Domestic cuts continue
Prepared for Smart Growth America by Advocacy Associates
President Bush has submitted to Congress the final budget proposal of his administration. The $3.1 trillion plan essentially freezes overall non-defense domestic discretionary spending with many key community development programs targeted for significant cuts in funding.
The budget proposal once again calls for a number of planning and community-related programs to be either restructured or eliminated. Many of these ideas have been previously rejected by Congress. For example, this is the fourth consecutive budget which has recommended an overhaul of the Community Development Block Grant program. The budget also recommends using transit funds to fill a projected gap in the highway trust fund.