Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore) has long been the U.S. Congress's leading champion of smart growth. On Monday, he announced the launching (if I recall correctly, actually a re-launching) of a Livable Communities Task Force within the Democratic Caucus of the...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Our nation's metro regions need stronger tools to address transportation and land use issues. I haven't turned to the issue of metropolitan regionalism in a while (last time was in April), but a new column by Bill Hudnut on Citiwire...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
There's a fascinating (if brief) interview with Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on the PBS "Blueprint America" website. Oberstar and his committee will play a major role in the upcoming overhaul of federal...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Wow. Only a week after I wrote a post celebrating how well the Obama administration seems to be getting its act together on smart growth and sustainability, they have done it again. My friend Shelley Poticha has accepted a senior...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Wow. On Monday, before heading out to toss the first pitch at Tuesday's baseball All-Star Game, the president kicked off a White House forum on urban policy by criticizing past federal measures that have encouraged sprawl and promising a new...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
Tyler Caine has a terrific post on his sustainability blog Intercon extolling climate change policy to get on the smart growth bandwagon. He says it extremely well, so I am just going to quote a few bits and...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
This is not your father's DOT. A couple of days ago I wrote a post on the remarkable (and now three-agency) partnership on sustainable communities within the Obama administration. Secretaries Ray LaHood (DOT) and Shaun Donovan (HUD) and Administrator Lisa...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
The more the merrier, and one only wonders what took them so long. Back in March, the Obama administration announced an exciting new partnership between the federal transportation and housing & urban development departments to pursue together an agenda for...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , U.S. Law and Policy
On a day when we remember America's military and their families, let's also acknowledge and honor the efforts that our Army, Navy, and other uniformed services are undertaking to enhance sustainability and livability. Not only can this raise...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , U.S. Law and Policy
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan just gave a great speech to the Urban Land Institute in Atlanta. Here are some excerpts: "I would like to share my vision for the role HUD can play in creating the most...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , U.S. Law and Policy
One of the recurring themes of my writing (for example, here) has been that, to achieve sustainability in our cities, suburbs, and rural areas, we need to get beyond the accidents of history that comprise our local jurisdictions. Environmental, economic,...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , U.S. Law and Policy
This is awesome. Here is an excerpt from yesterday's joint press release: "WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a new partnership to...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
One of the sad ironies of our time is that, as demand for public transportation is soaring to levels not seen in 50 years, the recession has dampened government support for transit. Another sad irony is that, just as...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming , U.S. Law and Policy
I'm biased, because he is a longtime professional friend, but I think the Obama administration made a great choice in appointing the University of Maryland's John Frece as the new head of the US EPA's Smart Growth Office. For the past few years,...
Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , U.S. Law and Policy
This is an exciting time to be a DC resident. In this historic and wonderful week, the Obamas are moving not only to a new job but also to a new home. I've written here before how the real...
