CNU New York

CNU’s John Norquist appeared before the committee this morning, bringing a message about how federal investments in integrated networks of walkable streets and public transportation will strengthen communities, bolster regional economies and dramatically reduce carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. “For thousands of years, urban thoroughfares were used for commerce, movement, and social interaction,” says Norquist. “Only in the 20th century did engineers start to think that traffic should be segregated from other activities. Increasingly though, Americans are turning away from the isolation of automobile-dependent areas and choosing to live in neighborhoods with traditional walkable street networks. Federal policies should reflect the choices people are making. The time for grade-separated highways as the centerpiece of federal transportation policy has come and gone.”

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Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a new partnership to help American families gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs. The average working American family spends nearly 60 percent of its budget on housing and transportation costs, making these two areas the largest expenses for American families. Donovan and LaHood want to seek ways to cut these costs by focusing their efforts on creating affordable, sustainable communities.

Read more here.

On Wednesday, February 25, Presidents John Norquist and Robert Yaro, of Congress for the New Urbanism and Regional Plan Association, respectively, discussed the heightening affair between urban planning and America’s current economic situation. Both spoke on President Obama’s stimulus package and the effects it will have on the future of our cities. While Yaro gave a hopeful list of smart growth-based guidelines for economic revitalization throughout New York State, Norquist weighed both the possible positive and more negative consequences of the Obama administration’s plan. Both men, however, agreed that a new urbanist foundation should lead the way to recovery.

Read more about the event in the American Institute of Architects’ E-Oculus.

If you missed the event, you can watch the video of the entire evening, plus the powerpoints given by each speaker.