Better! Cities and Tomorrow reported that the proposed 2013 budget of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) is taking livability mainstream by proposing reforms that promote livability and complete streets. The propose to do this in the following ways:

• Adopt a broad “complete streets” policy. DOT proposes requiring that all “open access roads” be built as “complete streets” with accommodation for bicycle and pedestrian travel.

• Consolidate programs and set new goals. Redundant highway and transit programs would be consolidated, and substantial new line items would be geared toward livability. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) budget includes $27.4 billion for “livable communities” over a half-dozen years. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) includes $21 billion for its “transit expansion and livable communities” program.

• Adopt Transportation Leadership Awards. The multimodal $20 billion “Leadership Awards” program is modeled after the Department of Education’s Race to the Top program, and would allow DOT to provide substantial, flexible grants to states and communities that “go above and beyond” the minimum.

• Combine intercity rail with transit-oriented development (TOD). Substantial funding is provided for inter-city rail, buttressed by a policy that would promote transit-oriented development and community revitalization around station areas.

Read the full article at: http://bettercities.net/news-opinion/blogs/robert-steuteville/17509/surprise-transportation-budget