Smart Growth Around America

I'm still on jury duty, but I have time for a quick post.  I just added a new blog to the City Planning Blogs called Smart Growth Around America.  The title speaks for itself.  The blog was pointed out to me by an Urban Planner on Quora who pointed out that not only is regional planning for transportation mandated through the federal government through the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) (an organization that exists in every urbanized area with 50,000 or more residents) but is also now being bolstered by a joint effort of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Transportation (DOT).  HUD and DOT have come together to offer $68 million for HUD's Sustainable Communities Challenge Grants and DOT's TIGER II Planning Grants.  According to a post by Smart Growth Around America

HUD’s Sustainable Communities Challenge Grants and DOT’s TIGER II Planning Grants are the latest examples of interagency federal programs that aim to create economically robust and sustainable communities through better transportation, housing and development coordination – helping communities make themselves even stronger through a more thoughtful use of every available dollar for their local economy.

“The partnership between these agencies is good for communities and allows federal funds to achieve multiple goals simultaneously,” said Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America. “By looking at housing and transportation together, HUD and DOT can help regions move farther and faster to strengthen their local economies and create jobs.”

Over 1,700 communities applied for the grant money, but of course there was only so much to go around.
The city of Dallas and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (Arlington) each received a grant together totaling more than $2.8 million.  I will be keeping an eye on these projects to see how they progress.