New urbanists target federal transportation, banking bills

Since the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) helped to put a modicum of balance in federal highway and public transportation funding, planning and transportation advocates have had the opportunity every six years to wrestle with the highway building and engineering lobbies to improve on that landmark legislation. The next reauthorization of federal transportation spending, dubbed T4, is on deck for 2009 and high gas prices (which have sent the miles driven on US roadways dropping for the first time since 1979) and climate change (which is leading many to question a lopsidedly automobile-oriented transportation system) create an opportunity for major steps forward in federal policy. With the jockeying for influence now getting under way, the Congress for the New Urbanism, its partners, and members are working so that sustainable, new urbanist ideas are included in the transportation bill and other upcoming federal legislation. CNU has joined the Transportation for America Coalition (T4America) and participated in a series of regional meetings designed to generate feedback on a draft platform that will guide the group’s efforts. Led by Smart Growth America and Reconnecting America, T4America is promoting a 21st Century transportation vision featuring “world-class” rail and transit networks, development in neighborhoods that require less driving and improve access to mass transit, and better maintenance of existing bridges and highways.  In general outline form, the coalition’s objectives are sound and visionary. The draft platform circulated this summer explicitly links transportation to land use, calling for “a more strategic approach to managing the land use-transportation relationship that improves efficiency and access while reducing the growth in per capita vehicular travel.” The coalition asserts that the sprawling exurban development of the last half-century is “no longer sustainable, especially in light of its inherent energy demands” and calls for an “urban renaissance” bolstered by federal transportation spending. It recommends “direct incentives and support” for creating transit-oriented development districts at train stations. At regional meetings in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC, CNU members and guest experts got the opportunity to react to the draft and share suggestions. Many agreed with the thrust of the platform and observed that important work lies ahead in turning general recommendations into specific legislative proposals. Designing for low VMT At the San Francisco meeting in late July, urban designer and CNU member Laura Hall joined representatives of labor and affordable housing groups, public transit agencies, bicycle and conservation advocacy groups and made a specific pitch for CNU to “develop design guidelines and model zoning codes to support urbanism that reduces vehicle miles traveled.” In Chicago, CNU President and CEO John Norquist called for altering the “functional classification system” promoted by transportation officials and system designers who see vehicle movement as the only serious transportation policy objective. Conventional functional classification rates high-capacity arterial streets and highways as better performing than slower streets that are more congenial to urban life and investment. Instead, Norquist said that the T-bill must recognize the value of the street designs in the context-sensitive urban thoroughfares manual created by CNU and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). That manual, now published as a draft recommended practice from ITE, results in streets that better meet the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders as well as automobile drivers, while nurturing the kind of walkable urban neighborhoods that achieve mobility, livability, and value without automobile-dependency. Members in New York City and Washington, DC, also provided valuable comments. CNU’s communications director Steve Filmanowicz has also joined the coalition’s communications advisory committee and CNU will look for additional ways to involve members in both platform development and advocacy. The organization’s transportation coalition supplements other work CNU is doing to influence Federal policy, including targeting influential Congress members directly. In a promising example, Congressman Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, followed up on his plenary address at CNU 16 in Philadelphia by meeting this summer with CNU’s board in Chicago. After speaking with board members about the sustainability and fuel efficiency of walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods relative to sprawl — and about how government-charter organizations such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operate in ways that favor sprawl over urbanism — he offered to work with CNU so future banking bills stimulate the housing market in ways that encourage efficiency and sustainability through urbanism. A meeting of CNU leaders and staff from Congressman Frank’s office is being set for later this fall. Watch CNU’s upcoming e-updates for ways to join fellow members in working for a T4 that supports sound urbanism and transit-oriented development.