The Feds Want to Take Your Car
Randal O'Toole's
transportation newsletter
September 28, 2013
Sustainability Grants
Plan Bay Area, which I discussed in the August issue of this newsletter, was partly funded by a $4.9 million federal grant issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Sustainable Communities Regional Planning program. These grants were explicitly designed to promote regional planning of smart growth, that is, high-density, mixed-use developments. In 2010 and 2011, HUD gave out more than $165 million to 74
regional planning agencies in 44 states.
Among the largest grants were $5 million to Salt Lake County, Utah; $4.9 million to Centralina COG (Charlotte); $4.5 million to DRCOG (Denver); $4.7 million to East-West Gateway COG (St. Louis); and $4.3 million to Knoxville. Other urban areas receiving $3 million to $4.3 million grants include Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Hartford, Houston, Kansas City, and several more.
Stanley Kurtz notes that this grant program "is part of a broader suite of initiatives designed to block suburban development, press Americans into hyper-dense cities, and force us out of our cars." Most of the money is going to regional planning agencies (also known as metropolitan planning organizations) that are unelected and thus not accountable to the voters. These agencies can use the power of the purse--the ability to distribute or deny federal funds to individual cities and towns--to force local communities to adopt denser zoning codes and prohibit low-density development at the urban fringes.
Congress apparently did not fund this grant program in 2012, but the damage the program has already done will influence the lives of well over 100 million Americans. Naturally, planning advocates hope to see more funding in 2014, and that debate will take place next week.
Stanley Kurtz will speak at the 2013 Preserving the American Dream conference in Washington DC on October 27-29. For more information about the conference including the latest list of speakers, see the conference web
page.
regional planning agencies in 44 states.
Among the largest grants were $5 million to Salt Lake County, Utah; $4.9 million to Centralina COG (Charlotte); $4.5 million to DRCOG (Denver); $4.7 million to East-West Gateway COG (St. Louis); and $4.3 million to Knoxville. Other urban areas receiving $3 million to $4.3 million grants include Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Hartford, Houston, Kansas City, and several more.
Stanley Kurtz notes that this grant program "is part of a broader suite of initiatives designed to block suburban development, press Americans into hyper-dense cities, and force us out of our cars." Most of the money is going to regional planning agencies (also known as metropolitan planning organizations) that are unelected and thus not accountable to the voters. These agencies can use the power of the purse--the ability to distribute or deny federal funds to individual cities and towns--to force local communities to adopt denser zoning codes and prohibit low-density development at the urban fringes.
Congress apparently did not fund this grant program in 2012, but the damage the program has already done will influence the lives of well over 100 million Americans. Naturally, planning advocates hope to see more funding in 2014, and that debate will take place next week.
Stanley Kurtz will speak at the 2013 Preserving the American Dream conference in Washington DC on October 27-29. For more information about the conference including the latest list of speakers, see the conference web
page.
Transportation and Housing at the Forefront of Federal Shutdown Debate
If the federal government shuts down next week, transportation and land-use will be among the major bones of contention in the debate. In August, Republicans worked hard to prevent the Senate from passing the Democrat's $54 billion transportation and housing budget (S. 1243). This bill would have spent at least $10
billion more than Republicans think is responsible, partly by funding a number of smart-growth programs.
One of those programs is called the "Choice Neighborhoods Initiative," which provides $250 million for turning low-income neighborhoods into "sustainable mixed income neighborhoods with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation and access to jobs"--in other words, a smart-growth urban renewal program. The
Democrat's bill also provides more money for Amtrak, rail transit, and other questionable programs.
When compared with the trillion-dollar budget deficit, $10 billion seems like a drop in the bucket. But when much of that $10 billion is being used to actually reduce the quality of life for millions of urban Americans, the reasons to prevent the Democrat's bill from passing are doubled.
billion more than Republicans think is responsible, partly by funding a number of smart-growth programs.
One of those programs is called the "Choice Neighborhoods Initiative," which provides $250 million for turning low-income neighborhoods into "sustainable mixed income neighborhoods with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation and access to jobs"--in other words, a smart-growth urban renewal program. The
Democrat's bill also provides more money for Amtrak, rail transit, and other questionable programs.
When compared with the trillion-dollar budget deficit, $10 billion seems like a drop in the bucket. But when much of that $10 billion is being used to actually reduce the quality of life for millions of urban Americans, the reasons to prevent the Democrat's bill from passing are doubled.
American Dream Conference Gives You an Opportunity to Influence Congress
The 2013 Preserving the American Dream conference will feature Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky as a keynote speaker. As a noted fiscal conservative on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Representative Massie will give conference-goers an inside view of the debates over the federal budget and transportation bills.
Other speakers who will talk about transportation budgets and legislation include the Reason Foundation's Bob Poole, Maryland Public Policy Institute's Ron Utt, transportation expert Ken Orski, and Ryan Bowley of the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association. Speakers on land-use issues will include Stanley Kurtz on Obama's war on the suburbs; Tom Rubin on Plan Bay Area; Sam Staley on how the Tea Party changed planning in Florida; and Wendell Cox on how cities can become more prosperous.
October 4 is the deadline for making reservations at the Doubletree Hotel at the special conference rate of $139 a night. After that date, prices will nearly double. To get our rate when making hotel reservations, go to the Doubletree reservations web site, click on "add a special rate code," and enter "adc" under "Group code." To
register for the conference, use either the credit card/PayPal registration page or the pay-by-check registration
page.
If you would like to be added to this list, send an email to rot@ti.org.
Randal O'Toole
The Antiplanner
P. O. Box 76
Camp Sherman, Oregon 97730
541-595-1460
541-588-0518 cell
Other speakers who will talk about transportation budgets and legislation include the Reason Foundation's Bob Poole, Maryland Public Policy Institute's Ron Utt, transportation expert Ken Orski, and Ryan Bowley of the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association. Speakers on land-use issues will include Stanley Kurtz on Obama's war on the suburbs; Tom Rubin on Plan Bay Area; Sam Staley on how the Tea Party changed planning in Florida; and Wendell Cox on how cities can become more prosperous.
October 4 is the deadline for making reservations at the Doubletree Hotel at the special conference rate of $139 a night. After that date, prices will nearly double. To get our rate when making hotel reservations, go to the Doubletree reservations web site, click on "add a special rate code," and enter "adc" under "Group code." To
register for the conference, use either the credit card/PayPal registration page or the pay-by-check registration
page.
If you would like to be added to this list, send an email to rot@ti.org.
Randal O'Toole
The Antiplanner
P. O. Box 76
Camp Sherman, Oregon 97730
541-595-1460
541-588-0518 cell
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