Stimulus Package
Big Tunnels, Transit in the Works in New York
Even as service is being cut, enormous transit projects are coming online in New York and New Jersey, including a new $9 billion tunnel into Manhattan.
Stimulus Shell Game in Los Angeles
Some cities in Los Angeles were caught cutting deals to sell shares of their federal stimulus funds to the highest bidder. The MTA has put the kibosh on any money swapping.
Stimulus Should Get Rail Back on Track
Treehugger interviews urban designer, New Urbanist, and rail advocate Andy Kunz about the stimulus package and how it will benefit high speed rail in America.
Shovels Are In Motion, Says Obama
The President and V.P. addressed the Department of Transportation today, stating that the new investment in infrastructure "will create or save 150,000 jobs by the end of next year, most of them in the private sector."
Stimulus To Help As Transit Tries To Keep Up
American Public Transportation Association President William Millar visits Living on Earth to discuss how the stimulus will benefit public transit in the U.S. -- and why it's "the best of times and the worst of times."
Recovery or Rerun?
A new government-sponsored watchdog website will allow citizens to track stimulus-funded projects. It's an effort to insure accountability. Neal Pierce wonders if that accountability will translate into smarter patterns of development.
Sprawl A Major But Ignored Factor in Infrastructure Costs
The federal stimulus package has made infrastructure into a hot topic among states. But, as Mary Newsom writes, states are not addressing the land use patterns that drive up the costs and bring down the efficiency of infrastructure.
Midwest Expecting High Speed Rail Windfall From Stimulus
The Midwest has high hopes on capturing a big chunk of the federal stimulus money directed towards high speed rail projects.
Was the WPA Shovel-Ready?
William Menking compares the WPA with the current stimulus package and finds many parallels, including an emphasis on shovel-ready projects and a lack of trust in the federal government to plan large-scale infrastructure.
Stimulating The Economy- and Greenhouse Gases
In this NPR interview, Michael Replogle, Environmental Defense Fund's transportation director, points to a 12-lane highway that will be built with stimulus funds that he says exacerbates our dependence on foreign oil and global warming.
$8 Billion for High Speed Rail? How Did That Happen?
What were the inside politics that allowed for the largest investment in high speed rail in the U.S? Politico reports on the Obama-Emanuel workings of the rail investment in the stimulus package - and no, it wasn't based on the LA to Las Vegas route.
Details from FTA on Stimulus Money for Transit
The Federal Transit Administration has released its preliminary calculations of how much each of the nation’s transit systems will receive from the overall stimulus bill.
A 'D' for America's Infrastructure
That's the grade given by the American Society of Civil Engineers, in their 2009 Report Card on America's Infrastructure. This editorial argues argues that stimulus funding won't be enough to fix it.
Arts Banned in Stimulus Bill
Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma pasted an amendment into the stimulus package banning it from funding museums, arts centers, theaters, stadiums, parks, casinos or golf courses. James S. Russell says, 'starving the arts is suicidal.'
Will Stimulus Dilute Highway Bill?
Peter DeFazio and others on Capital Hill are concerned that the funding going towards highway construction and transit in the stimulus package may mean delays or worse for the upcoming $600 billion surface transportation bill.
Where Will the Money Go?
Now that the $838 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed the Senate, where will the money go? Stimulus Watch has a breakdown of every project by state, and by type. Here are links to the transit, roads, energy, and housing projects.
Real Estate Market to Benefit from Stimulus, Says Motley Fool
The Motley Fool says developers' stocks are rallying, and they predict that the stimulus package will also mean a recovery among realtors and mortgage brokers.
Can the Stimulus Bill Boost Affordable Housing?
Affordable housing initiatives have stalled with the collapse of the market in tax credits which fund construction. Advocates are resting their hopes in the stimulus bill to turn things around.
Peter Calthorpe's Stimulus Prescription
In this op-ed, Peter Calthorpe warns against a massive investment to stimulate sprawl as was done after WWII. He notes 3 areas that need smart investment to make the American Dream sustainable: urban transit, environment, and multi-family housing.
Vehicle Retirement Program Considered For Stimulus
A program known as ‘cash for clunkers’ is being considered for inclusion in the Senate stimulus package to make the U.S. auto fleet more fuel-efficient and stimulate demand for new, cleaner cars. Will the older vehicles will be scrapped or resold?
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
