A New Vision for Livability?

Caption: President Obama takes a break to go for a bike ride with his daughter Sasha

"For too long, federal policy has actually encouraged sprawl and congestion and pollution, rather than quality public transportation and smart, sustainable development."

-President Obama, July 14, 2009 @ The White House Urban Affairs Summit

President Obama recently painted a new vision for urban policy -- a vision that is built around the Livable Community Partnership, which is bringing together DOT (transportation), HUD (housing), and EPA (environment).

With leadership from the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, the US Department of Transportation recently outlined six "livability principles" that will shape the future of communities across America. As LaHood sees it: “We have a window of opportunity to think differently about transportation and propose bold, new approaches to improve the livability of our nation’s communities.”

We agree. In addition to the three agencies that are currently at the table--transportation, housing, and environment--we strongly believe that the department of health needs to be at the table to ensure that the vision for livable cities helps once again connect urban planning and public health.

Below are the six principles outlined by LaHood.

1. Providing more transportation choices;

2. Expanding access to affordable housing, particularly housing located close to transit;

3. Enhancing economic competitiveness-–giving people access to jobs, education and services as well as giving businesses access to markets;

4. Targeting federal funds toward existing communities to spur revitalization and protect rural landscapes;

5. Increasing collaboration among federal, state, and local governments to better target investments and improve accountability;

6. Valuing the unique qualities of all communities--whether urban, suburban, or rural.

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