Three agencies combine to work for livable, sustainable communities
Atlanta - The Livable Communities Coalition, metro Atlanta's smart growth advocate, celebrates news today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will join with the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development in a partnership to "help American families ... gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs."
In testimony today to the U.S. Senate, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that her agency would join the other two departments in an unprecedented partnership to address the critical connections between where people live, how much they spend on housing, and how much they spend to get to work and run errands, as well as the impact those choices have on the environment.
"Where you live affects how you get around, and how you get around often affects where you live. Both decisions affect our environment. Working together rather than independently, our three agencies can improve the environment, the transportation system, and homes and communities throughout the United States," Jackson told the Senate Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee this morning.
In speaking to the panel, Jackson was joined by colleagues Ray LaHood, secretary of DOT, and Shaun Donovan, secretary of HUD. LaHood and Donovan announced earlier this year that their agencies would form the partnership that EPA is now also joining. U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), who chairs the Senate Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee and has long been a backer of transit options, had called for creation of such a partnership in a February letter to President Obama.
"This is terrific news," said Jim Durrett, executive director of the Livable Communities Coalition. "Metro Atlantans see the connection between development patterns and transportation every day, but it's essential that our nation's top housing, transportation, and environmental agencies see the connection, too. Their pledge to work together means that federal policies will now work in tandem to alleviate problems, not make them worse."
The new partnership is especially timely for Georgia, Durrett noted. Late last year a study specially commissioned by Gov. Sonny Perdue, Investing in Tomorrow's Transportation Today, or IT3, concluded that metro Atlantans could see as much as $39 billion in savings simply by aligning development patterns and transportation investments.
"Traffic congestion and long, expensive commutes threaten our community's economic competitiveness and quality of life," Durrett said. "But we can make choices now that will preserve our business competitiveness and overall quality of life. It's exciting to see three federal agencies align to help with those choices at precisely the time that we have a new road map for transportation at the state level with IT3."
In their remarks before the panel, LaHood and Donovan joined Jackson in endorsing the partnership and its goals.
"Creating livable communities will result in improved quality of life for all Americans and create a more efficient and more accessible transportation network that serves the needs of individual communities. Fostering the concept of livability in transportation projects and programs will help America's neighborhoods become safer, healthier and more vibrant," said LaHood.
"As a result of our agencies' work, I am pleased to join with my DOT and EPA colleagues to announce this statement of livability principles," said Donovan. "These principles mean that we will all be working off the same playbook to formulate and implement policies and programs. For the first time, the Federal government will speak with one voice on housing, environmental and transportation policy."
Jackson, Donovan and LaHood outlined six overarching "principles for livability" that will drive the three-way partnership and provide measures for success:
Provide more transportation choices. Develop economical transportation choices that cut household transportation costs, reduce dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote public health.
Promote equitable, affordable housing. Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages and incomes.
Increase economic competitiveness. Enhance economic competitiveness by giving people reliable, timely access to employment, education, institutions, and services while also giving businesses expanded access to markets.
Support existing communities. Target federal funding toward existing communities to revitalize communities, make more efficient use of public works investments, and protect rural land.
Leverage federal investment. Align federal policies and funding to increase the effectiveness of all levels of government in planning for future growth.
Value communities and neighborhoods. Enhance communities by investing in healthy, safe and walkable neighborhoods, whether those communities be rural, urban or suburban.
"This first-of-a-kind partnership between three federal agencies couldn't come at a better time for Georgia and metro Atlanta. We look forward to seeing the changes in policy and funding that will result from the new direction outlined this morning," Durrett said.
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