New Demographic Realities: The Northeast-Midwest Region

The Northeast-Midwest Institute has released its new New Demographic Realities: The Northeast-Midwest Region. The Demographic Realities project, led by Colleen Cain, examines demographic changes, such as population growth, educational attainment, and racial/ethnic composition, in the region over the last decade. It consists of a Regional Report as well as individual state reports for Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

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Public Transit: Bleeding to Death from a Thousand Cuts?

I will show my age when I say that I remember the last of the streetcars being ripped up to make way for the automobile. Fifty some odd years latter, it seems every city in America is betting its economic future on new light rail systems. Therein lies the story of the modern American experience with transit.

After throwing transit away, we now want it back. We just don’t want to pay for it.

Public transit — bus and rail — has experienced its first decade-long ridership expansion in over half a century. With people moving into older neighborhoods, with auto use growing ever more expensive, we seemed to be stumbling toward national support for transit.

But national political and economic trends are pointing toward a potentially grim future for the nation’s transit systems. At the operating level, 90 percent of all transit systems report flat or declining local financial support. Ninety percent of transit systems indicate state support for their systems was flat or declining. Costs, in the form of petroleum and electric power, are continuing to rise. Transit ridership for this most recent 12 months has declined by 4.5 percent, not really too bad considering the 10 percent unemployment rate, but still a decline in revenues. The net result is that 84 percent of all transit systems report that they reduced routes or raised fares in the last year.

Nationally, revenue into the Highway Trust Fund, which helps support the nation’s transit systems as well as roads, is experiencing a continued decline. The trust fund’s revenue comes from an 18.7 cents per gallon gas tax. Because cars and trucks are getting more fuel efficient, there is less revenue coming into the fund. In addition, the total vehicle miles of travel in the U.S. for this calendar year seems to be down slightly, compounding the trust fund’s revenue problems. Congress has dodged the problem of declining revenues, instead choosing to pump general fund revenues into the fund to keep it afloat, now to the tune of $70 billion.

The surprise for Congress has been the lack of pressure to raise revenue for the road and transit programs. The authorization for these transportation programs expired last October and have been on a series of life support extensions ever since. The old magic of expanding the programs with larger authorizations and heavy infusions of earmarked projects (pork to us) has collapsed. The current House transportation reauthorization bill envisions a massive expansion in the program, but has no way to pay for it. The result is that there is no movement on reauthorizing these two programs and no way to expand the existing revenues. It is certain that there will not be a bill this year, and almost as much certainty there’ll be none next year. There may not be a real reauthorization bill until 2013.

Lest we label the Congress as the sole culprit here, the White House has been totally disengaged on this set of issues. It just insists there will be no tax increases for transportation. It’s even rejected a study of the vehicle miles of travel tax issue. The administration story is that the necessary financing for transportation will come thru public private partnerships (the ghost of the George Bush position).

Why does this matter to transit? The outcome of this gridlock is that there will not be any addition revenue going to highways and transit, and that the gap will once again be filled with general fund appropriations for FY 2011. If there is no new revenue coming into the trust fund and there is tremendous pressure on reducing the deficit, there is a great chance that these programs will have to shrink in FY2012 to live within lower appropriations level (perhaps a 20 percent reduction).

The reality of this struck the highway industry with a mild sense of panic. Some highway leaders have begun to talk openly about one solution to this dilemma: to have the current gas tax pay solely for the traditional highway programs, while transit and some other smaller programs would be pushed out of the trust fund and into the general fund. That move might cover the next five or six years of highway funding and keep its contract authority intact.

It would also fully expose transit to the pressures that the entire general fund budget is going to be facing in the next five years. At a time of growing long-term transit ridership and demands for new investment, it would be an unmitigated disaster. There would no longer be the flexibility to shift funds from highways to transit. There would no longer be contract authority for transit to enter into multi-year projects, and there would be the unmistakable message that highway projects are more important than transit projects.

There was a hope that a climate change bill would be able to create a funding source for transit, since transit has so many energy benefits. But the climate bill seems to be as dead as the highway bill.

Any move by the highway industry to push transit out the door would destroy 40 years of an urban/rural alliance that supported both highways and transit. It would also ignore the nation’s newfound interest in building new transit systems and capacity.

The terrible thing here is that the transit industry does not seem to recognize the dire threat before it. Congress appears incapable of negotiating a solution to this crisis and the administration, which should be at the front of this debate, is too distracted by other issues to take any action at all. This is like watch a train wreck in slow motion.

Reprinted from Citiwire.net

Virginia's Green Community Challenge

Washington, D.C. [August 20, 2010] - ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability USA (ICLEI USA) in partnership with the Virginia Municipal League's (VML) Go Green Virginia initiative announced the selection of four outstanding communities to participate in Virginia's Green Community Challenge. The Green Community Challenge is a friendly competition among Virginia communities to develop specific environmental policies and implement practical actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address local sustainability.

The four communities selected are: Town of Blacksburg, Loudoun County, City of Norfolk and City of Roanoke. They were chosen for their continued commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing sustainable communities and have all previously received certification in the Green Government Challenge, a highly successful initiative developed in 2009, which provided the guidance and expertise necessary to build the Green Community Challenge.

"Friendly competition can bring out the best among communities and we are excited to join VML in what will be an incredibly rewarding and valuable experience for cities, counties and residents in Virginia," said Martin Chavez, Executive Director, ICLEI USA. "We hope that as a result, Virginia's Green Community Challenge will build on the great success and achievements of the highly successful Green Government Challenge to create more livable and sustainable communities throughout the Commonwealth and serve as a successful model to expand to other regions of the country."

There are 40 actions included in the Challenge. Some of the activities that the pilot communities can undertake include:

• Develop community-wide climate preparedness strategies
• Organize at least two public art events that promote sustainability
• Participate in at least eight existing national, regional or state environmental education programs for children
• Demonstrate that 5% of the electricity used in the community is from installed or purchased renewable energy

Findings of the Challenge will be used in the development of a Green Community Challenge Implementation Guide, which will contain specific case studies along with shared best practices among the four pilot communities. VML will launch the Green Community Challenge in 2011 along with the release of the Green Community Challenge Implementation Guide to assist other Virginia communities with their sustainability efforts.

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The True Cost of a Gallon of Gas

When actor Ryan Reynolds recently flew over the Deepwater Horizon site, he saw what looked like somebody had spilled water into a Gulf filled with oil.

Says Reynolds: "You don't have to make a personal trip to the Gulf of Mexico to realize the BP disaster has blown the cover off a subject some would prefer to keep quiet: the ongoing damage inflicted by our addiction to oil.When you see images of blackened beaches, grounded fishermen, and toxic dispersants in the water, you can't pretend that it only costs $35 to fill your gas tank."

To illuminate the hidden costs in every drop of oil, Reynolds made this public service announcement for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) about the true cost of a gallon of gasoline.

"When you see what's happening in the Gulf and the boreal, you realize we're willing to stop at absolutely nothing in order to get our [oil] fix. And it seems to me like it's time we recognize we have a problem. A major, major problem," Reynolds said.

View the PSA at the link below.

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Planet Earth magazine

The mission of ICLEI USA's new carbon neutral publication, Planet Earth magazine, is to highlight today's environmental challenges and innovative solutions around the globe at the local level.

Never before has the phrase, 'think globally, act locally' been more relevant; Local governments are recognizing that their communities are often the first to feel the impacts of worldwide issues such as climate change and they are taking their responsibility to the planet in stride.

In the United States, cities, towns and counties are taking the lead to address climate change, energy independence and sustainability. And they have turned these challenges into opportunities: Their pioneering solutions are helping to make their communities cleaner, more economically prosperous and more livable.

Planet Earth captures the ideas, best practices and success stories of ICLEI's U.S. Local government members—more than 600 strong—and highlights the global impact of the locally-based revolution.

In short, Planet Earth strives to convey the idea that 'local action moves the world' into words and images.

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ICLEI Case Studies Available Online

The ICLEI Case Studies series is now available online. The Series dates back to the late 1990s and chronicle locally-based projects that support sustainability. Each study documents: the local context of the project

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A Force for Nature

The world's preeminent environmental organization began with a layer of soot on the windowsill of a Greenwich Village apartment. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) founder John H. Adams, a pioneer of environmental action, was working as a lawyer for the U.S. Attorney's office when he and fellow lawyers teamed up to form a grassroots environmental advocacy group. Since 1970, NRDC has grown into an international powerhouse with 1.2 million members and a staff of scientists and lawyers whose mission is to safeguard the planet. This inspiring memoir tells the story of the NRDC and the environmental movement it sparked.

John H. Adams was NRDC's executive director and, later, president from 1970 until 2006. He served on President Clinton's Council for Sustainable Development, and sits on the boards of numerous environmental organizations, including NRDC.

Patricia Adams is a long-time supporter of NRDC and a steering committee member of NRDC's Partnership for the Earth campaign.

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Social Benefits of Homeownership and Stable Housing

Home owners are more active in their communities, benefit from improved education opportunities, and report higher levels of self-esteem and happiness when compared to renters, according to leading research. This new report from the National Association of Realtors explores the impact of stable housing and the positive social outcomes resulting from homeownership.

"Homeownership is in investment in your future – home is where we make memories, build our lives and feel comfortable and secure," said Vicki Cox Golder. "Owning a home has long-standing government support in this country because homeownership benefits individuals and families, strengthens our communities, and is integral to our nation’s economy."

NAR's study identifies research from government, industry, and academia that identified the relationship between homeownership and stable communities. Home owners move far less frequently than renters, and therefore are embedded into the same neighborhood and community for a longer amount of time. This allows for social cohesion, ultimately resulting in social benefits and stronger communities.

"REALTORS® care as much about keeping families in their homes as they do about helping them find the home of their dreams," said Golder. "Social benefits do not arise solely from ownership, but also from greater housing stability and social ties associated with less frequent moves among home owners."

Several research studies cited in the NAR report have found that homeownership has a significant impact on educational achievement. For instance, the decision by teenage students to stay in school is higher for those raised by parents who are homeowners compared to those whose parents are renters. Access to economic and educational opportunities are also more prevalent in neighborhoods with high rates of homeownership. Furthermore, studies have shown that changing schools frequently due to moving impacts negatively a child's educational outcome.

Civic participation is another social benefit resulting from homeownership and stable housing. Home owners are proven to be more politically active and are more likely to vote in local elections compared to renters. In addition, homeowners have a higher membership in voluntary organizations.

Studies have shown that home owners are more likely to believe that they can do things as well as anyone else, and they self-report higher ratings on their physical health. "The research shows that home owners report higher self-esteem and happiness than renters, resulting in better overall health, both physically and psychologically," said Golder.

When it comes to property, home owners have more invested both financially and emotionally. Property crimes affect home owners directly, but nonviolent property crimes can impact the property values of the entire neighborhood. Therefore, home owners are more motivated to deter crime by forming and implementing voluntary crime-prevention programs. In addition, it is easier for home owners to recognize perpetrators in stable neighborhoods because of extensive social ties. Unstable neighborhoods often display social disorganization which can lead to higher levels of crime.

Along with protecting their home and neighborhood from crime, home owners spend more time and money maintaining their home than renters. Neighbors also influence other home owners to improve their property, resulting in a better overall quality of the community.

"Homeownership certainly contributes to positive social outcomes, but those outcomes are truly a result of stable housing communities," said Golder. "With strong social ties and a cohesive community, home owners can enjoy not only the long-term financial benefit of owning a home, but also a more satisfying life – which is what's really at the heart of the American Dream."

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2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR), the fifth in a series of reports on homelessness in the United States. The reports respond to a series of Congressional directives calling for the collection and analysis of data on homelessness.

The AHAR reports provide the latest counts of homelessness nationwide—including counts of individuals, persons in families, and special population groups such as veterans and chronically homeless people. The report also covers the types of locations where people use emergency shelter and transitional housing; where people were just before they entered a residential program; how much time they spend in shelters over the course of a year; and the size and use of the U.S inventory of residential programs for homeless people.

With the 2009 AHAR, we now have three complete years of data on the numbers and characteristics of sheltered homeless people, how they became homeless, and how they used the homeless services system. This is important, because we can begin to see discernable trends in homelessness, including the effects of the recession and of changes over time to the homeless services system.

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Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration Program

In an effort to prevent homelessness among veterans, primarily those returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that both agencies will invest a combined $15 million in five selected communities near military installations. The HUD and VA grant funding is intended to provide housing assistance and supportive services to veterans who might otherwise be living in homeless shelters or on the streets.

Under the new Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration Program (VHPD), existing HUD grantees or 'Continuums of Care' located near the following military installations will each receive $2 million: MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida; Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California; Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas; Fort Drum in Watertown, New York; and Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington. In addition, VA medical centers in the following areas will each receive $1 million: Tampa, San Diego, Dallas, Syracuse, New York; and American Lake in Washington.

"The men and women who serve our nation deserve better than a life on the streets when they return home," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "These grants represent a first step toward designing the best interventions possible so that we can prevent homelessness for those heroes who sacrificed so much for us. It is also another step forward toward reaching President Obama’s goal of preventing and ending homelessness in all its forms."

VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki added, "While usually the strongest and most resilient of Americans, Veterans still represent a disproportionate share of America's jobless, homeless, depressed, substance abusers, and suicides. Nowhere is our obligation to our citizens, and to our Veterans who have defended our Nation, more important, more visible, or more necessary than in our commitment to prevent and end homelessness."

"This effort is about reaching veterans and their families who are transitioning home and struggling to readjust," said Senator Patty Murray, who established VHPD in the Fiscal Year 2009 Housing Appropriations bill. "By providing access to stable housing, health care, and job training and outreach services this program provides targeted support to our heroes who are returning home to a difficult economic climate. All veterans deserve housing and the dignity that comes with it and this is another step to reach those who have sacrificed so much."

Through this combination of housing, health care and employment services provided through the U.S. Department of Labor, VHPD is designed to explore innovative early interventions to help prevent veteran homelessness, targeted to service members returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The three-year grants announced today will help the five identified communities or Continuums of Care to use and track client-level data provided by the VA and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to target veterans who meet the eligibility criteria. VA will act as the primary liaison to the grantee and will provide eligible Veterans with access to VA health care and benefits. HUD funds will provide short- or medium-term rental assistance, including security deposits, utility payments and case management. In addition, the program will offer community-based supportive services appropriate for veterans and their families, including child care and family services.

VHPD is also intended to improve the understanding of the unique needs of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. HUD anticipates that it will take approximately ninety (90) days from the date these grant agreements are signed for selected grantees to be able to identify and serve veteran individuals and/or families who qualify for assistance under VHPD.

VHPD also supports the Obama Administration's far-reaching and ambitious strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. Last month, HUD and 18 other federal agencies unveiled Opening Doors, an unprecedented federal strategy to end veteran and chronic homelessness by 2015, and to end homelessness among children, families, and youth by 2020.

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New Orleans Index at Five

Five years following Hurricane Katrina—a tragedy compounded and made more complex by the Great Recession and the current Gulf oil spill—new evidence shows that greater New Orleans is emerging as a healthier, more resilient region. Yet, this year's New Orleans Index at Five, which combines comprehensive trends analyses with seven scholar essays on key post-Katrina reforms, reveals that much work lies ahead if this metropolis is to emerge with a stronger economy, better opportunities for its residents, and a more sustainable future. The Gulf oil spill creates an opportunity for New Orleanians, and their government, philanthropic and private sector partners, to build on the progress made since Katrina.

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Special Report: Smart Money in Real Estate is on Smart Growth

A Reuters Special Report delves into smart growth within cities like Rockville, Maryland, and Sacramento, California, to uncover the domestic demand for compact housing and walkable neighborhoods. Unexpected revivals of city centers are catching the attention of developers even as plunging home prices in the suburbs stand as a stark reminder of the burgeoning housing market.

The report analyzes the age group of home buyers, specifically baby boomers, and how this demographic group is impacting the way the market perceives smart growth. "Boomers are eager to liberate themselves from the maintenance of house, lawn and car now that their children have skipped the nest," said Mollie Carmichael of John Burns Real Estate Consulting, an Irvine, California-based firm that advises homebuilders. "They want necessities within walking distance because they know they will not be able to drive forever."

The report examines how people are willing to foot the bill for smart growth, even if it means higher taxes. "In one of the worst economies in a generation, people have actively chosen to raise their own taxes to support public transportation," said Jason Jordan, the director of the Center for Transportation Excellence.

The report takes a close look at what opportunities smart growth could have for developers, real estate agencies, and communities around the country.

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Employer and Institutional TDM Strategies: Traveler Response to Transportation System Changes

This report uses wise comparisons to explore the relative importance of particular categories of TDM (transportation demand managerment) strategies, such as support versus incentives, as well as the particular strategies themselves, such as transit subsidy versus a high-occupancy vehicle parking discount.

TDM is a process that can encompass a variety of measures intended to influence travel choices. TDM is used to manage heavy traffic demand and parking requirements, and to enhance the effectiveness of transit services.

This report is part of TCRP's Traveler Response to Transportation System Changes Handbook series. The overarching objective of the Traveler Response to Transportation System Changes Handbook is to equip members of the transportation profession with a comprehensive, readily accessible, interpretive documentation of results and experience obtained across the United States and elsewhere from: (1) different types of transportation system changes and policy actions; and (2) alternative land-use and site development design approaches.

The Handbook, organized for simultaneous print and electronic chapter-by-chapter publication, treats each chapter essentially as a stand-alone document. Each chapter includes text and self-contained references and sources on that topic. Upon completion of the Report 95 series, the final Chapter 1 publication will include a CD-ROM of all 19 chapters.

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Clarksville, Tennessee, Smart Growth Plan 2030

The Clarksville Smart Growth Plan – 2030 was initiated in January 2010 by Clarksville Mayor John E. Piper and the Clarksville City Council. The mayor established a Comprehensive Master Plan Committee with the responsibility of creating a strategic plan to guide the future growth, development and quality of life initiatives for the community. The first phase of the plan was published to a new website on July 30.

Smart Growth Plan 2030 is subtitled "a Blueprint for Progress & Quality . . . as we grow to 250,000 residents." Combining the work of a multi-disciplinary planning team plus the input of 200 citizen volunteers, the plan presents a vision for the city of Clarksville, including artistic renderings, potential projects, economic considerations and implementation steps to achieve major priorities.

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Restoring Claiborne Avenue

This report, commissioned for the Claiborne Corridor Improvement Coalition by the Congress for the New Urbanism, explores future alternatives for the elevated Interstate©\10 (I©\10) Claiborne Expressway corridor. Using traffic data and circulation patterns, the report concludes that removal of the freeway would bring important benefits for surrounding neighborhoods and New Orleans as a whole.

The report finds that the replacement of major segments of the Claiborne I-10 freeway with a restored urban boulevard would result in a well-functioning transportation system that meets regional needs while promoting the economic and social rebirth of the once-vibrant Claiborne Avenue and its surrounding communities.

The report¡¯s chief findings include:

• A small fraction of drivers ¡ª less than 20 percent ¡ª use the Claiborne Expressway as a through route between the east and west portions of the region and beyond. With most through traffic using I-610, the Claiborne I-10¡¯s ¡°use does not match the intended function of an interstate highway,¡± concludes the report.
• The average trip length on the Claiborne Expressway is a mere 1.6 miles, according to the DOT¡¯s regional model, suggesting many drivers use it as a short-cut between nearby neighborhoods.
• For the minority of users traveling the full length of the elevated expressway over Claiborne, trips would lengthen by two to three minutes (off-peak and peak) under an alternative that would convert the freeway segment between Canal and St. Bernard to a boulevard, according to a review of the region¡¯s travel-demand base model. Under an alternative involving removal of the freeway from Canal to Elysian Fields, travel times would lengthen by 3 to 6 minutes.
• For the larger number of users connecting to destinations such as Louis Armstrong Park, the French Quarter and downtown, connectivity would improve with a boulevard and improved street connections.
• Although a highly connected surface street network is a hallmark of the New Orleans system, street closures in the area over the years have actually reduced street connectivity. Removal of the Claiborne Expressway could be a catalyst to reconnect streets such as Galvez across the Pontchartrain Expressway, relieving Claiborne Avenue of its role as a primary connector between uptown and downtown.
• Traffic on both the Claiborne Expressway and nearby streets are substantially below pre-hurricane levels, ¡°indicating that the capacity is available to absorb redistributed traffic¡± resulting from the freeway¡¯s removal, say the study¡¯s authors.
• The Claiborne Expressway is not a hurricane evacuation route designated for contra-flow traffic. It serves a role as a collector during times of evacuation but this function could be served better by a surface boulevard.

Demolition of the aging elevated expressway would remove an eyesore that has dominated and damaged the Trem¨¦/Lafitte landscape for almost 50 years and held back serious attempts to spur economic development. The destruction of the oak-lined avenue and construction of the elevated expressway in the 1960s, was intimately tied to the overall decline of Claiborne¡¯s surrounding neighborhoods and occurred against the wishes of the area¡¯s largely disenfranchised African-American residents. Removing the elevated expressway would free up more than 50 acres for use as public neutral ground, bike paths, transit corridors, as well as freeing significant acres outside the boulevard itself for redevelopment. In addition, a simplified interchange between the restored Claiborne boulevard and the Pontchartrain Expressway could free up valuable land near the Superdome for redevelopment.

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