Zero Percent

by: commonweal

Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 09:15:02 AM EDT

"Given our huge road and bridge repair backlog and inadequate public transportation system, $6.6 billion for new highway capacity just doesn't make sense," said the coalition's president, Geoff Anderson, in a statement. "It's like adding a new wing to your house when the roof is falling in."

Here are the winners and losers:

Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont committed to making their existing networks safer and more effective for their residents. Each of these states put 100% of the stimulus money they chose to spend on roads towards maintenance work.

Nevada, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Oklahoma all spent over 90% of their stimulus road budgets on repair as well.

In contrast, Ohio, Florida, Arkansas, Kansas, and Kentucky were inflexible, out of balance and out of step with what will keep their residents safe and moving into the 21st century. Each of these states committed less than half of their stimulus road budgets on maintenance. Kentucky committed 88% of its road spending to new roads.

With regards to public transportation, the District of Columbia committed 41.5% of its funding toward public transportation and non-motorized projects, including facilities to make walking and biking safer and more convenient. Only 6 other states spent over 10% of their budgets on these types of projects: Delaware, Massachusetts, Oregon, Iowa, Colorado, and Hawaii.

Spending 0.0% towards improving transportation options for their residents? An incredible fourteen states: Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Four more states - Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Nevada - allocated under 1%.

Connecticut spent 0% on public transportation?  Really, 0%?  All this talk from politicians about expanding rail throughout the state and they spend exactly 0 dollars on mass transportation.  Massachusetts, by comparison, spent over 10% of their budget on mass transportation and non-motorized projects.  Zero percent!!  Sometimes this stuff just makes my head hurt.

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 11:41:49 AM EDT

"It's a big battle," says Jackie Gillan, vice president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and a member of StopBiggerTrucks.org, a campaign urging Congress to reject any weight and size increases for commercial trucks. "These trucking companies don't come close to paying their fair share for the damage they do. The American public is going to pay with their lives and their wallets if this goes through."

2.  Design New Haven -- Interesting questions posed at the Design New Haven Blog regarding Big Box design and safe streets.

3. Chris Dodd Likes Trains --  Sen. Christopher Dodd cited the New Haven-to-Springfield rail initiative as a key to future "smart growth" development in Connecticut.  Starting commuter and high-speed train service along the route "will create new transit villages, get people off the roads, and revitalize our regional economy," Dodd said as he convened a Senate banking committee hearing in Washington.  Dodd also cited the state-funded HOMEConnecticut program as a successful example of linking housing and transportation policy to encourage mixed-income housing near transit centers.

4. EPA Joins Housing and Transportation Agencies to Bolster Affordable Housing and Transportation Options --  On June 17th, in a long overdue move, these three federal agencies announced the formation of an interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.   The Partnership for Sustainable Communities established six livability principles that will act as a foundation for interagency coordination:

1. Provide more transportation choices.

Develop safe, reliable and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote public health.

2. Promote equitable, affordable housing.

Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of housing and transportation.

3. Enhance economic competitiveness.

Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers as well as expanded business access to markets.

4. Support existing communities.

Target federal funding toward existing communities - through such strategies as transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling - to increase community revitalization, improve the efficiency of public works investments, and safeguard rural landscapes.

5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment.

Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.

6. Value communities and neighborhoods.

Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe and walkable neighborhoods - rural, urban or suburban.

Rell Misses the Train

by: commonweal

Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 12:53:59 PM EDT

The fact is that we already heavily subsidize the automobile in this country. A study by Mark Delucchi of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis,indicates that in the US, current (ca. 2005) tax and fee payments to the government by motorvehicle users may fall short of present government expenditures related to motor-vehicle use by approximately 20-70 cents per gallon of all motor fuel.  The question is what would you rather subsidize:  more sprawling roadways for even more polluting, gas guzzling, traffic jam causing cars or a mass transportation system that gets our economy moving, help protect our environment, reduces our dependence on foreign oil, and enhances our quality of life?  For some reason, someone in the governors mansion is having difficulty finding the answer to this question.    

Legislative Update

by: commonweal

Thu Jun 04, 2009 at 12:16:24 PM EDT

Congratulations and thank you!

All smart growth bills passed, most by strong majorities!!

The General Assembly moved the smart growth agenda leaps and bounds defining smart growth, encouraging regionalism, creating a tax credit for green/transit oriented development projects, saving dairy, protecting the community investment account, and making bike and pedestrian-friendly streets a priority.

This was big work, resulting from strong coalitions and passionate and dedicated champions.

Cudos to Representative Sharkey, Representative Berger, Representative Kehoe, all the members of the Smart Growth Working Group, all the members of the Brownfield Task Force, the bicycle and pedestrian advocates, developers advocating for the tax credit, the dairy, farmland, open space, historic preservation and affordable housing advocates. Connecticut is rich with leaders and visionaries, and its future is bright!

Take time to thank the leadership and members of the House and Senate, and your colleagues and fellow advocates!

Also urge the Governor to pass the bills and celebrate our smart, sustainable, responsible growth!

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 10:07:39 AM EDT

2.  Time for a New Form of Governance -- Retrofitting for the new low-carbon economy will mean more than overhauling old buildings and transit systems: it requires an updated governance model, integrated at federal and regional levels, said White House Office of Management and Budget Associate Director Xavier de Sousa Briggs at a recent conference in Cambridge, Mass.  See the articles by Anthony Flint and Tom Condon for more about this subject.

3.  The Future of Empty Car Dealerships --
Planetizen asked their readers for ideas for reusing the empty car dealerships cropping up around the country.  
The top five:
1. Ask the local residents about what the community needs (228 votes)
2. Urban gardens (213 votes)
3. Create walkable, vibrant places and improve current communities (141 votes)
4. Farmers markets and local events (124 votes)
5. Solar and wind energy park/vehicle charging stations (109 votes)

4.  Planners Talk About CT's Future --  Excellent article about Friday's regional planners' forum in Hartford.

Children Prescribed Livable Communities by Doctors

by: commonweal

Thu May 28, 2009 at 11:14:21 AM EDT

1.  Pass and promote laws and regulations to create new or expand existing efforts to promote active living.

2.  Create and maintain playgrounds, parks, and greenspaces within communities as well as the means to access them safely.

3.  Promote legislation and fund programs that allowcommunities to create programs and environmental improvements to neighborhoods that can support children's active commuting to school.

4.  Fund research on the impact of the built environment at neighborhood and community levels on the promotion of overall health and active lifestyles for children and families.

5.  Serve as a model for communities. Whenever possible, new government buildings should be sited within walking distance of public transportation, walking trails, and residential areas to promote active living.

And in related news the AARP Public Policy Institute recently released a report that encourages roadway planners and engineers to approach road design through the lens of Complete Streets and employ design strategies that support older drivers and pedestrians.  Specifially, the report recommends three basic planning and design principles:

Slow Down - Engineer roadways to reduce vehicle travel speeds in areas where drivers and pedestrians interact and where older drivers and pedestrians need more time to make decisions.

Make It Easy - Make the physical layout of the transportation network easy to navigate for older drivers and pedestrians by creating a connected network of streets with lower-speed routes and intersections that are easier to maneuver.

Enjoy the View - Make it easy for drivers and pedestrians to notice, read, understand, and respond to visual cues by reducing sign clutter, creating better access management, and improving landscaping, signs, and lighting to make the roadway more intuitive.

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Wed May 20, 2009 at 09:52:22 AM EDT

2. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE -- 1000 Friends of CT has an update on the progress of this year's smart growth legislative agenda.

3.  MASS CONTAINS SPRAWL -- The latest report from the Massachusetts Audubon Society, which covers the years 1999 through 2005, finds that for the first time land conservation is outpacing urban sprawl in the state.

4.  AARP CALL FOR STREETS TO ACCOMMODATE OLDER CITIZENS -- Two-thirds of transportation planners and engineers have yet to begin addressing older people in their street planning; yet by 2025, 64 million people will be over age 65 according to census projections and by 2030 a quarter of all U.S. drivers will be 65+.  This is the alarm raised by "Planning Complete Streets for the Aging of America" a major new report on roadway safety and the aging of the American population from AARP's Public Policy Institute.

5. MY COMMUTE SUCKS -- Transportation for America has a new site called My Commute Sucks. The goal of the site to give everyday folks an opportunity to express their frustration about their commutes (and every other aspect of getting around) and direct their rage at Congress - while learning something about 'why' it sucks along the way.

6. NATIONAL BLUEPRINT FOR TRANSPORTATION REFORM --  Transportation for America released a detailed plan to restructure the nation's transportation program in order to build a smart, safe and clean transportation system that provides real choices to all Americans. Developed in consultation with teams of transportation professionals, public officials and stakeholders, The Route to Reform outlines a renewed vision for the federal program as well as ways to pay for it, coupled with a restructuring that can produce results.

7.  FAIRFIELD CHARRETTE -- Fairfield residents, business owners, and elected officials gathered on Saturday, May 2 for a design charrette led by RPA to develop a vision for the town's Commerce Drive neighborhood.

8.  SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR CONNECTICUT --  This paper, published by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, provides a broad view of key areas of infrastructure investment and opportunities for creating good jobs. Each of these areas addresses a need critical to Connecticut's future economic viability, to sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions, to revitalization of our cities and to environmental preservation.

A Bad Smart Growth Bill

by: commonweal

Mon May 18, 2009 at 13:40:01 PM EDT

The bill generally defines smart growth, delays the next state Plan of  Conservation & Development til 2011, and mandates the DEP report on CO2 emissions consistent with the recommendations of the Connecticut Climate
Change Action Plan.

However, the amendment added this language in section 3 (f):
Any revision made after the effective date of this section shall be consistent with each municipal plan of conservation and development  adopted under section 8-23, as amended by this act. If the secretary determines that it is not possible for the state plan of conservation and development to be consistent with each such municipal plan of conservation and development, the revision shall include a statement describing the reasons such plans cannot be consistent.

In the view of the Sierra Club and other Smart Growth advocates, this amendment says that you start with town-level planning, then do state-level planning, but you can't consider regional perspective if it is not in line with what has already happened at the town level.  They feel the language actually dispenses with any scale planning other than micro at the town level, so works against the smart growth concept of regional planning. Some feel that it dispenses with the need for a state Plan and will actually make the state Plan nothing more than a binder in which to store the 169 town plans.

The bill is now in the Senate. It will be debated this week. The environmental community would like to see this section deleted from the bill. I agree.  I understand the need for bottom-up planning, but such planning should be done in concert within a region to guide and coordinate the planning of economic growth and conservation of natural resources.  I would advocate a series of charrettes within a region in order to maximize citizen participation and input with the understanding that the results of the  charrette process will be used to create a regional land use and economic development plan.

Here is the Courant's take on this issue.

Bike Rally at the Capitol

by: commonweal

Tue May 12, 2009 at 16:38:30 PM EDT

Join your friends and fellow cyclists on the East Side of the Capitol to show your support for SB 735 and the economic, environmental and health benefits of cycling in Connecticut.  The rally is sponsored by the Central Connecticut Bicycling Alliance.

DATE:  Wednesday May 12, 12:15 pm
PLACE:  Connecticut State Capitol, East Side
Brief Program at 1 pm

Connecticut's SB 735 is a start toward making sure transportation isn't just about cars anymore.  

Too often our road projects make walking and bicycling impractical or unsafe in many places.  SB 735 would ensure that all road users--including transit users, bicyclists, and pedestrians--are considered in new transportation projects.   With gas prices inching back up, cycling's popularity will only continue to rise.

The bill will also establish a statewide bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee to serve as a permanent advocate for pedestrians and bicyclists.  

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Mon May 11, 2009 at 09:39:26 AM EDT

2.  Legislative update from Heidi Green over at 1000 Friends.  Does not sound promising.

3.  New Haven Mayor John DeStefano is correct to label United Illuminating's plans to abandon its downtown New Haven corporate offices when the lease expires in 2012, and centralize its offices in a new corporate office space in Orange, as "dumb growth." The new corporate offices will actually sit on two sites in Orange, one is a greyfield, the other a farm.   There will be a DPUC Hearing on the proposed UI Rate Increase today at 11AM in New Britain.

4.  U.S. Rep. Tauscher (CA-10) is circulating a letter  for members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee to sign in support of Complete Streets. The Committee is currently drafting the new 6-year surface transportation authorization bill, which will fund as much as $500 billion in new transportation projects. Rep. Tauscher's letter requests that those projects incorporate complete streets principles. It is critical that such a massive investment in transportation infrastructure does not ignore the safety of pedestrians, including children, senior citizens, and disabled persons, as well as patrons of public transportation and bicyclists.  Complete streets policies ensure that the needs of all users of the transportation system--motorists, transit vehicles and riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities-- are taken into account when streets are built or re-built. Over 90 states and communities already have complete streets policies, which are flexible and cost-effective.  

Smart Growth and Healthy Communities

by: commonweal

Tue May 05, 2009 at 14:59:49 PM EDT

Since that discussion, I have come across several studies that show a direct correlation between the build environment and public health.  A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia finds  that people who take public transit are three times more likely than those who don't to meet the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada's suggested daily minimum of physical activity.  There is also an excellent April 2007 report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on the relationship between the built environment and physical activity.  Some of the key questions addressed in the report are What is the association between the built environment and physical activity? Does the association between the built environment and activity vary across subgroups? What is the impact of the built environment on health?

Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute cites a number of recent studies that show that high quality public transit service can improve public health by:

* Reducing per capita traffic fatalities (residents of cities with high quality public transit have about a quarter of the per-capita traffic fatality rates as residents of more automobile-dependent communities)
*  Increasing physical activity (people who use public transit on a particular are about 3 times more likely to achieve the basic amount of walking required for public health as people who drive and do not use public transit)
* Increased affordability and therefore less stress and more money left in the household budget for healthy food and other necessities (residents of cities with high quality public transportation spend about 20% small portion of household budgets on transportation, and this effect is probably larger for lower-income households)
* Improved accessibility for non-drivers, and therefore less difficulty reaching medical services and healthy food.

Of course, as he also points out, these factors cannot overcome other demographic and economic factors that reduce poor people's health, but it does suggest that everybody, particularly poor people, are much better off in a transit oriented community than in an automobile-dependent community.

Here are some of the studies he cites:

Relationship Between Urban Sprawl and Physical Activity, Obesity, and Morbidity

Building healthier communities through transportation and land use policies and practices

A Morning Stroll: Levels of Physical Activity in Car and Mass Transit Commuting

So, how can we create a better built environment that encourages walking, biking and mass transit use?  Well, as a new on-line tool from the Natural Resources Defense Council illustrates, sprawling, unwalkable places around the US could become more livable and sustainable with just a little bit of work.  As NRDC's Kaid Benfield explains, "Open the map, zoom in on a location, without leaving our web site, you will be shown a Google Maps satellite view of the existing site, given some context about the metro area, and treated to a brief slide show demonstrating how each can be converted, step-by-step, from sprawl, vacant property or disinvestment into a lively, beautiful neighborhood." You can explore 70 different locations from coast to coast.

Efforts to create healthy communities is also gaining traction here in CT.  A team of national experts assembled by the U.S. EPA will engage residents, decision-makers and developers from Hartford and the surrounding region to develop strategies to create compact, mixed-use, mixed-income housing that provides residents with better access to jobs and services.

The two-part workshop, supported by EPA's Smart Growth Program and to be convened by the Capitol Region Council of Governments beginning May 14, will focus on how to implement sustainable approaches to housing and mixed-use development.

The first part of the workshop on "Visualizing Density" will take place from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 at the Lyceum, 227 Lawrence Street in Hartford. The second part of the workshop on envisioning development alternatives at three or four potential sites in the Capitol Region will take place from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 at the Lyceum in Hartford. All are welcome to attend both events. Click here for more information and how to register.

It's the Property Tax Structure Stupid

by: commonweal

Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 12:55:18 PM EDT

Another spring has arrived in Connecticut, and with it the obligatory haggling over town budgets. As usual, you have one side that stubbornly demands no increase in what it rightly perceives as already too high property taxes, and another side that decries what it views as draconian cuts to the education budget. Neither side ends up winning.

A modest increase in the mill rate is usually finally approved after lengthy hearings, but never enough to fully fund all the wished-for education programs. Both sides leave the process dissatisfied, angry, and all too quick to blame their local elected officials. The most tragic aspect of this yearly ritual, however, is the fact that both sides do a lot of talking and shouting, but they never really take a step back and listen to each other. If they did, they would discover that we are all players in a game in which the rules are stacked against us.  

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Wed Apr 22, 2009 at 00:11:26 AM EDT

2.  CT's Changing Landscape -- The Center for Land Use Education and Research has an amazing collection of data, charts and maps detailing the the changing landscape of CT from 1985 to 2006.  In that time, the footprint of development increased 218 square miles.  I really urge you to check out the web site.  It actually contains static maps and area statistics for all 169 municipalities in Connecticut.

Channeling Joe McCarthy

by: commonweal

Thu Apr 16, 2009 at 10:34:12 AM EDT

By the way, check out Heidi Green's post on the 1000 Friends Blog.  Let's face it, until we get a governor who truly embraces Smart Growth, we will make little headway against sprawl.

I often hear the same thing when I speak to individuals or groups about the negative consequences of our current land use patterns in Connecticut.  Someone, usually a male, stands up and says there is nothing we can do about sprawl because it is the result of our free market system -- that low-density, auto-dependent development dominates our state and our country because that is what Americans prefer.  We chose sprawl, and corporations being the profit driven entities that they are, gave us want we wanted in the form of big boxes, big cars, and big houses.  Sprawl is nothing more than the fulfillment of the American dream, and any effort to challenge that dream, is, well, downright un-American.

Well, the fact is that we had no choice.  Far from being the result of a free market system, urban sprawl is the direct consequence of government subsidies, intense corporate lobbying and manipulation through the legalized bribery we call campaign contributions, and stifling zoning regulations that have limited the choices Americans have when it comes to where we live and how we get from place to place.  

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 14:24:01 PM EDT

2.  PolicyLink and the Transportation Equity Network have published a new report called An Engine of Opportunity: A User's Guide to Advocate for Transportation Equity in the 2009 Recovery Act.  The report shows advocates and journalists how billions in transportation funding is being pumped out to the state and local level - and spotlights the key deadlines, reporting requirements and policy targets that are still to come as well as provides a full breakdown of each major public transportation program and offers, for the first time, a comprehensive timeline of all the significant transportation spending and reporting deadlines.

3.  How walkable is your neighborhood?  Now you can find out with a new website called WalkScore.  The website's algorithm takes a previously subjective idea - being able to step out your door and walk to places you need to go - and boils it down to a single number. Now online real estate sites, including Zillow and ZipRealty, are beginning to add walkability ratings to their home listings.  Walkscore.com calculates walkability by awarding points for amenities - such as a restaurant, store, park, school, or library - within 1 mile of an address. The number of points depends on the closeness of the amenity, with the most points awarded for those within a quarter-mile.

4.  The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has announce their  2009 Publications catalog.  One book that caught my eye was Smart Growth Policies: An Evaluation of Programs and Outcomes edited by Gregory K. Ingram, Armando Carbonell, Yu-Hung Hong, and Anthony Flint.  The book evaluates four states with statewide smart growth programs, and four states without such policies to determine how they met their objectives and priorities.