U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and U. S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan recently announced a “high-level interagency task force” to encourage more sustainable communities across the U.S.

According to a media release, their joint effort will “better coordinate federal transportation and housing investments and identify strategies to give American families more choices for affordable housing near employment opportunities; more transportation options, to lower transportation costs, shorten travel times, and improve the environment; the ability to combine several errands into one trip through better coordination of transportation and land uses; and safe, livable, healthy communities.”

Where We Stand

• Every major metropolitan area in the country will pursue integrated housing, transportation, and land use planning and investment over the next four years.  HUD and DOT, through HUD’s proposed Sustainable Communities Initiative, will offer planning grants to metropolitan areas and provide financial incentives to encourage municipalities to invest consistently with metropolitan growth priorities.
  
  
• HUD will coordinate its mandated five-year Consolidated Plans (prepared by cities and counties receiving Community Development Block Grants) that estimate housing needs with DOT’s required four-year Transportation Improvement Programs and longer-range state and regional transportation plans – by aligning planning timetables, processes and geographic boundaries – to make smarter use of federal dollars. HUD and DOT also will work together to encourage location efficiency in housing and transportation investments to reduce traffic congestion, increase transportation mobility, improve air quality, and create jobs in the green economy.
  
  
• The HUD-DOT task force will redefine affordability, which is used to qualify for multiple government grant programs, to reflect the interdependent household costs of housing and transportation, and develop incentives to encourage communities to implement and promote “livability” measures.

Learn more about this HUD-DOT interagency partnership >>

Project Progress Report

MPC has released its 2009 Policy Agenda: Planning for Prosperity, our roadmap for developing and advocating for federal, state and regional policies that will make this globally significant region more competitive, sustainable and equitable.

Read MPC’s 2009 Policy Agenda: Planning for Prosperity, for our current policy recommendations >>

MPC Headlines

A sampling of new articles on MPC’s Web site.

Residents come out in force to shape the future of the Polish Triangle
More than 700 residents have participated in MPC’s Placemaking project to create a vision for the Polish Triangle, at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue, Division Street, and Ashland Avenue.

Transportation Investment Accountability Act garners support from key lawmakers, media
Before the Illinois General Assembly passed a “mini capital” program during the last week of March, MPC hosted the first joint appearance of new Illinois Senate leaders John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and Christine Radogno (R-Lemont).

Lake Forest donates prime parcel to nonprofit housing developer
Major employers Baxter, Walgreens, and Lake Forest Hospital are among those supporting the proposed development of 17 new homes, affordable to the local workforce and other households with limited incomes.

Support Our Work

Re-connection is generously sponsored by:
John and Kathleen Buck

In the News

MPC in the News

For the latest news and reports from MPC, visit our online Newsroom.

Roads, bridges and pols
Chicago Tribune, 4/7/09 

Chicago suburban downtowns: Officials find ways to lure businesses
Chicago Tribune, 4/7/09 

Obama and the Cities
Governing Magazine, 4/6/09 

Communities joining forces to address shared foreclosure crisis
StreetWise, 4/6/09

(Even) less than meets the eye
Newstips, 3/27/09

Transit and taxpayers
llinois Issues blog, 3/27/09

Mayor pushes employer-assisted housing
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/26/09

Our Opinion: Accountability key to any capital plan
State Journal-Register, 3/22/09

Could suburbs get more in transportation cash?
Daily Herald, 3/21/09

CHANGE Illinois Gives Voters a Toll-Free Hotline to Ask Legislators to Limit Campaign Contributions
TickerTech.com, 3/17/09

Cut stipends before increasing taxes
Daily Herald, 3/9/09

A bright shoe store helps lead West Haven’s recovery
Medill News Service, 3/09/09

News of Interest

Mapping the Cultural Buzz: How Cool Is That?
The New York Times, 4/6/09

Digging for dollars
Governing, April 2009

Reinventing America’s cities: The time is now
The New York Times, 3/25/09

Transit in Trouble
A report by Blueprint America on News Hour with Jim Lehrer, 3/10/09

Re-Connection past issues

February 2008 Vol 1 Issue 1

March 2008 Vol 1 Issue 2

April 2008 Vol 1 Issue 3

May 2008 Vol 1 Issue 4

June 2008 Vol 1 Issue 5

July 2008 Vol 1 Issue 6

August 2008 Vol 1 Issue 7

September 2008 Vol 1 Issue 8

October 2008 Vol 1 Issue 9

November 2008 Vol 1 Issue 10

December 2008 Vol Issue 11

February 2009 Vol 2 Issue 2

March 2009 Vol 2 Issue 3

MPC leadership

Board of Governors

Executive Advisors

Sign up for Talking Transit

With policy debates, legislative changes, and similar issues being tackled in other parts of the world, it is difficult to stay on top of current events in the transportation field. To help, MPC publishes Talking Transit, a useful online resource of important local, national and international news from various sources, which highlights significant events in transportation and land use. Sign up for Talking Transit.

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