Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Livable Streets

Heads Up, Tom Latham: Livability Pays Big Dividends in Rural Iowa

By Angie Schmitt | Feb 1, 2011 | 6 Comments

You could say Oskaloosa, Iowa, population 11,000, is a model of small-town livability. Families rent apartments over renovated historic storefronts. Local college students take the bike lane down Market Street to grab a bite in the local restaurants. Visitors travel from distant towns to browse the city’s local bookstore in its revitalized, walkable town square. […]

Food Deserts: Another Way the Deck Is Stacked Against Car-Free Americans

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 4, 2011 | 19 Comments

Slate has posted this map to illustrate the concentration of “food deserts,” where large numbers of people don’t have access to fresh food. The USDA considers households more than a mile from a supermarket and without access to a car to be in food deserts, often with only convenience-store junk food for nourishment. In 2009, the […]

The Power of the Pursestrings Shifts to a Livability Denier in the House

By Tanya Snyder | Nov 11, 2010 | 7 Comments

The transfer of power in the House of Representatives gives transportation reformers plenty to wring their hands about. Oberstar’s ouster was a shock, and folks are still synthesizing what it means to have John Mica in charge of the next transportation bill. But flying under the radar is another big shift with potentially enormous consequences. […]

State DOTs Mark Earth Day by Pressing a More Road-Centric ‘Livability’

By Elana Schor | Apr 22, 2010 | 3 Comments

As the Obama administration’s inter-agency sustainable communities project commands a growing share of attention and funding in Washington, the response from conservatives and business lobbies has been decidedly less than enthusiastic. Washington D.C.’s bike sharing stations, above, got a prominent mention in the AASHTO report. (Photo: afagen via Flickr) When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued […]

Obama Quietly Gets Federal Agencies Involved in Transport Planning

By Elana Schor | Jan 19, 2010 | No Comments

When President Obama signed an executive order in October requiring federal agencies to craft strategies for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, he described the mandate as Washington "lead[ing] by example" on the pollution-reduction front. (Photo: AP) And that’s true — but the order also includes language telling federal agencies to get involved in integrating local […]

LaHood’s Twelve-Word Definition of ‘Livability’

By Elana Schor | Oct 5, 2009 | No Comments

The White House’s effort to promote sustainable communities has prompted serious (and inadvertently humorous) hand-wringing from conservative pundits who fear the concept of livability will translate into governmental edicts on lifestyle choices. What’s the best way to counter such tactics? Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (Photo: Zimbio.com) The administration’s approach, it seems, is to define its […]

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