Transportation

“We care about creating livable communities because it saves people money.”  Beth Osborne, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Policy at the US Department of Transportation (DOT) was quick to bring attention to the economic benefits of livability at Partners’ “Building Livable Communities” forum on September 22. 

Osborne estimated that creating livable communities could save the average household about 12-20% in annual expenses, with much of that savings coming from transportation.  Livable communities aim to give individuals the option to spend less on transportation by allowing more cost effective methods such as public transit, walking or biking.  According to the bureau of labor statistics, in 2004 the average household spent 19% of their income on transportation, while those in auto-dependent exurbs spent 25%. In contrast, households in transit rich neighborhoods spent just 9% of their income on transportation (on average, each of these household types spent an equal proportion on housing).

Older adults face limited access to mobility alternatives when public busses are more of an inconvenience then the city had originally intended. For one, city bus routes are often mapped out mainly for commuters, taking riders to the commercial center for work and back out to the suburbs. This often necessitates long and unnecessary trips with transfers to travel around the urban fringe. In addition, buses to the commercial center can be in such a hurry they begin to move before the passenger can even begin to balance and sit down.

The American Society of Landscape Architect’s weekly blog, “The Dirt: Connecting the Built and Natural Environments,” posts detailed highlights from “Building Livable Communities: Creating a Common Agenda,” Partner’s recent Forum in collaboration with the Hirshhorn Museum.  Recapping the panel of Federal officials including HUD, DOT, and their overlapping agendas to create an “infrastructure for livability” through “interdependencies,” the blog also includes highlights from the speakers representing local government, non for profit agencies, and corporate entities. The Dirt showcases some of the newest ideas and agendas surrounding the national livability framework presented at the forum. Read about it here

This new report from CEOs for Cities, Driven Apart, shows that the solution to our traffic problems has more to do with how we build our cities than how we build our roads.  The Urban Mobility Report produced by the Texas Transportation Institute presents a distorted picture of the causes and the extent of urban transportation problems, concealing the role that sprawl plays in lengthening travel times, and effectively penalizing compact cities.  We need new and better measures of transportation system performance that emphasize accessibility, rather than just speed.

Download the full Press Relase, Executive Summary and Report here

Last month, the New York State Senate passed legislation to mandate the development of bicycle and pedestrian paths with any new or reconstructed public road. This bill is crucial since New York is among the states with the most dangerous streets, particularly for young children and older adults. Certainly a step in the right direction, for this policy to be effective, it must be expanded to include all roads, to encourage greater levels of physical activity and ensure safety for all. In order to understand the magnitude of this first legislative step, it is helpful to understand the events which have led up to the current problem for pedestrians.

Under the Eisenhower administration, the construction of the highway system allowed for increased opportunities for both trade and interstate travel. This, in turn, created a trend towards design which catered to our most prominent mode of transportation, the automobile. However, as an unintended consequence, health and walkability issues increased.

Over the past few decades, many groups, such as AARP and Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Alliance, have advocated for increased bicycle and pedestrian pathways for healthier and safer transportation alternatives. As a result, this transportation movement has led to campaigns such as Safe Routes to School and Complete Streets. While these efforts began as safety measures for school children, they have evolved into ones which encompass the ideals of Aging in Place, Healthy Communities, and Smart Growth.

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