More than a few people have likened the devastation inside some neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan, to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. One observer said succinctly that Detroit has suffered a ”slow-motion hurricane Katrina.”

Architect and urban planner Reed Kroloff has been able to see both cities close up. As dean of architecture at Tulane University, he was responsible for bringing back 97 percent of the school’s student body and 100 percent of its faculty after the disaster. In 2005, New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin appointed Kroloff to the “Bring New Orleans Back Commission” to assist in the reconstruction of the city. Kroloff left New Orleans in 2007 to become the director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He continues to write and think about how cities on the brink can be brought back.

“I think that (Detroit) actually has an opportunity to be successful,” Karloff said, during an interview for Blueprint America’s “Shrinking Detroit” report,“but it’s going to take a long time. It took a long time to ruin it. You can’t fix it overnight.”

In this extended interview Kroloff talks about how cities like Detroit, Cleveland and Youngstown, Ohio, can retool their economies in the 21st century, now that their 20th century factories and mills are shut down and residents have fled. Interestingly, Pittsburgh – and its turn from steel to high-tech research and development – could provide a model.

This just in from across the pond: “America, despite its wealth and strength, often seems to be falling apart.” Not news really. But somehow it’s seems more pathetic when written by people who take high speed rail service for granted.

In a recent article entitled “Life in the slow lane,” The Economist details just how far behind the United States is when it comes to infrastructure investment, describing in great detail our debilitating traffic congestion, dysfunctional rail service, and antiquated air traffic control system.  Turns out that a recent World Economic Forum study found the United States now ranks 23rd in the world  for overall infrastructure quality.

Making matters worse, there’s also a messy bureaucracy to contend with:

The formulas used to allocate the money shape infrastructure planning in a remarkably block-headed manner. Cost-benefit studies are almost entirely lacking. Federal guidelines for new construction tend to reflect politics rather than anything else. States tend to use federal money as a substitute for local spending, rather than to supplement or leverage it.

In a recent Blueprint America interview with Alison Stewart, former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell grapples with many of the issues detailed in The Economist.  Rendell, along with former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, formed a non partisan group called Building America’s Future, which advocates more and smarter infrastructure investment.  Rendell tells Stewart:  “I don’t believe this [infrastructure] is a Republican issue or a Democratic issue, it’s an American issue.”

But in Washington these days, it seems no issue is non-partisan.  As our friends from The Economist coolly conclude:

Roads, bridges and railways used to be neutral ground on which the parties could come together to support the country’s growth. But as politics has become more bitter, public works have been neglected. If the gridlock choking Washington finds its way to America’s statehouses too, then the American economy risks grinding to a standstill.

More than half of Detroit’s 3,000 police officers currently live in the suburbs. In 1999, the Michigan state legislature lifted a law that required cops serving in the city to live in the city, and the ensuing exodus has been dubbed the “Blue Flight.” But yesterday, one police officer announced that he was swimming against the tide by moving back into the city.

Officer William Booker-Riggs’ decision was spurred by Mayor Dave Bing’s new incentive program, “Project 14,” which offers vacant homes in four city neighborhoods to police officers at bargain-basement rates. The  neighborhoods all have a large number of empty, inhabitable homes in desperate need of some tender-loving repair. Officers can purchase the homes from Detroit’s Land Bank for as little as $1,000 down, and are eligible for $150,000 renovation grants.

The $30 million project is named after a police code that is used to signal a return to normal operations, and the tagline of the project is, fittingly, “Live where you protect and serve.” Bing announced that he intends to use a combination of federal stimulus dollars and private funds to finance the project, which would include mortgage relief as well as stipends for renovation.

“Project 14″ is just one piece of Bing’s larger plan to revitalize Detroit by “rightsizing” it.  The mayor would like to streamline his troubled city by closing down blighted neighborhoods and steering residents into communities that have a better chance of survival. (For more on this story, see last week’s Blueprint America’s story: “Shrinking Detroit.”)

So far, “Project 14″ has generated less interest than similar incentive programs like “Live Midtown,” which targeted suburban commuters. The mayor says that some 200 officers have “expressed interest” in the program –  but fewer than 14 have actually signed up to date. Many are hoping that Officer Briggs’ decision inspires other officers to consider the reverse flight. However, critics of the program argue that police officers with families can ill afford to live in a city that lacks good services like strong public schools and, ironically, reliable emergency services.

Related:

Not in my backyard? Lisa Margonelli at the 2010 TEDx Oil Spill conference

When birds wash ashore

An artist's conception of a high-speed rail station in California. Officials there approved a $4.3 billion proposal to build California's first segment of high-speed rail line that would run through the state's agricultural heart. (AP Photo/ California High-Speed Rail Authority)

The Republican Party has drawn a line, taking on President Obama’s high-speed rail plan as he begins to defend his presidency with the 2012 election not far off. The opposition solidified on Wednesday when Gov. Rick Scott (R.-Fla.) became the third Republican state leader to turn down federal dollars for high-speed rail. Wisconsin and Ohio first refused a combined billion dollars for lines that would have connected the Midwest; Florida now rejects a link between Tampa and Orlando, forgoing more than $2 billion.

Just as in Wisconsin, the money in Florida would have covered almost the entire cost of construction. And just as in Wisconsin, the governor argued that high-speed rail would forever obligate the state to subsidize the cost to keep trains running.

Scott’s announcement came a little more than a week after Vice President Joe Biden called for spending $53 billion on passenger trains and high-speed rail projects over the next six years. An initial $8 billion of that plan is already a part of the budget recently released by the White House.

Losing Florida, however, is a huge blow to the Obama administration, which wants to make high-speed rail accessible to 80 percent of Americans within 25 years. Around this time last year, the president came to Tampa amid fanfare and with funding in hand to announce the beginning of an American high-speed rail system. Obama chose Florida because the 85-mile Tampa-to-Orlando line, on which trains would travel as fast as 170 miles per hour, was to be the national showpiece for high-speed rail. Construction could have even started this year because the state already owned much of the land along the route, which would allow it to be built relatively quickly.

Without a change in the national plan though, high-speed trains won’t be running anytime soon in the country. With Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida out of the picture, California remains the farthest along in its rail development, with trains potentially running by the decade’s end.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he was “extremely disappointed” by Scott’s decision in a statement Wednesday, but that the money would likely be redistributed to other states.

Although Scott threatened to turn down the billions in rail money when he ran for office last year, many in the state were surprised that he actually followed through. Florida’s unemployment rate is about 12 percent, and the rail project had been expected to create thousands of new jobs.

Had the money been accepted, it’s possible to imagine that Obama, less than two years from now, would be out stomping for votes from points between Tampa and Orlando, touting job creation and 21st century transportation improvements. Instead, the state is now home to a substantial Obama loss. If Florida turns out to be a swing-state come election time (as it always seems to), Republicans may have just won the first battle for the state and, perhaps, the White House.

Roseville, Minn., in the 1950s

In the shadow of the recession, a great migration of sorts has occurred in the suburbs. Though, since the rows of houses were first built outside America’s city limits, this population turnover has been a long time coming.

A Brookings Institution preview of the 2010 census released last year shows that the nuclear family out in suburbia with its kids and white-picket fences and two-car garages has been a mischaracterization for at least the last decade, if not longer. Racial and ethnic minorities now account for a majority of the population in 17 metropolitan areas, most in the South and Southwest, but regions like New York and the Northeast will soon follow. Also, since 2000, the number of 55- to 64-year-olds nationwide grew by nearly 50 percent. This past January, the first baby boomers turned 65.

Brookings demographer William H. Frey talks to Blueprint America about his findings, and what all of it means to a new kind of suburbia.

Tom McNamara: Freedom, the pursuit of it at least, seemed to bring about the suburban boom. But, Americans have always been after freedom. What was it about the 1950s that made “suburbia” the dream?

William H. Frey: I think the idea of freedom was a draw. You had a new house and you were a new part of a growing metropolitan area. We like to idealize what was going on in the 1950s. After all, this was when the country was just building the Interstate Highway System — allowing people to go to the suburbs in the first place. It was after World War Two and the G.I. Bill enabled people to get homes at very low interest, as well. These were the parents of the baby boomers, so families were mushrooming all over the place.

But it’s not all rose colored. What we often forget about is that most people who moved to the suburbs back then were white people, not minorities. There was a great degree of racial segregation. And it has been argued that many of the people who moved to the suburbs moved there to get away from the minority populations in the cities.

McNamara: In a nutshell, this brings us to suburbia today. Minorities and new immigrants that lived in the city, America’s urban centers in the 1950s, have now spread out across the country. And, in great numbers, they have moved into the suburbs. Why?

Frey: The American dream, to some degree, is still attached to moving to the suburbs. The reality of suburbia now is that the suburbs are really a microcosm of the whole country. There are new minorities coming in. For instance, Hispanics are moving to some of those suburban communities that had an entirely different race and ethnicity in the ’50s. Those Ozzie and Harriet couples are gone in a sense, but these new groups, like the Hispanics, have children too. There really is a kaleidoscope of demographic groups that characterize our suburbs today, when you just look at the suburbs as a whole, it’s really a hodge-podge.

There’s always been this kind of transition in our neighborhoods — as one group moved out, another group moved in.

McNamara: So, what happened to Ozzie and Harriet?

Frey: Those early suburbanites who came to the suburbs in the 1950s, they’re entering seniorhood now. In fact, the biggest part of the suburban population will continue to be the older part of the population who moved there when they were younger and just stayed there. They’re aging in place. They’re part of what demographers are calling the “age-wave” — the aging of suburbia.

For the most part seniors don’t move very much. The migration rates of seniors are very low. So for most people, even if they’re in their 50s or in their 60s, many have to be dragged kicking and screaming from their home.

McNamara: And their kids?

Frey: You’re talking about baby boomers, ranging in age from about 45 to 65. The first boomers just turned 65 this year, and they’ll continue to age in place — largely in the suburbs — as they get into their 70s and older.

The boomers are a mix of people who either moved to the suburbs sometime during their adult years or have been there since they were kids — some of them never left! And they are also divided in terms of their economic status — there are rich suburbs, there are poor suburbs, there are suburbs that are made up largely of owned homes, there are suburbs that are made up largely of rented homes.

The boomers are not a homogenous group even though they might have been homogenous at an early age. The suburban boomers are a group that has experienced a variety of lifestyle changes and choices. Many are single parents. Many are single people or divorced people. And there are of course still couples living in the suburbs. Empty nesters, too. The list goes on and on.

The suburbs might have first been built for families with children, with parks and playgrounds and good schools. But now the population that lives in the suburbs has a variety of needs and they don’t just fit into that stereotype anymore.

McNamara: The takeaway for me is that the suburban perception is no longer the same as the suburban reality. For example, this summer I was in the Atlanta suburbs along a strip of highway that was once home to a largely white, car-owning population. Today, however, the seven-lane roadway is home to mainly new immigrants who don’t own cars. As a result, jaywalking is their best transit option.

What are the implications of this suburban demographic shift on our built environment?

Frey: With respect to transportation, the suburbs of the past are not well suited for the suburbanites of the present. First of all, the new suburban demographic is not always able to have two cars in the family, or maybe not even one car in the family if they’re a new immigrant group. And, if they’re older, they may not be as well able to travel in cars and on freeways.

Additionally, over time, of course, we’re going to hit the wall when it comes to energy costs in this country. Every time in the last 30 or 40 years, whether there’s been a big spike in gasoline prices, this conversation comes about that you aren’t going to be able to get to work if you live in the suburbs. People talk about, “Well, this is the end of suburbia.” And I think this just points to the importance of our transportation infrastructure and how it can be made to adapt to, perhaps, more clustered living within the suburbs. Or, at least, find alternatives to the car — because when I look ahead in the next 20 years or so, relying on building more roads to get more people where they need to go is not going to be the way we want to go.

McNamara: It seems like the shift in our suburban population has largely happened — minorities and new immigrants are there already. And, in terms of our aging, the suburbs will only get older. What can we do? Are we prepared as a country?

Frey: Well, not yet. The new minority populations are quite visible, especially in communities that haven’t seen these minorities before. However, their needs are often times difficult for people to understand.

I would say for the aging part of the population, the people that I talk to, there’s not a big outcry yet. There should be soon, but this is the kind of demographic change the sneaks up on you because we’re talking about aging in place. All of these people are there already — it’s kind of a hidden demographic force. One day, we are going to look around and say, ‘Oh my god, we do need to have a change in our transportation system, we do need to figure out ways to get people to medical care centers…’

I think we can take a lesson from the Social Security and Medicare situation we’re in right now. Good demographers knew 30 years ago that we were going to be hitting the wall with these programs. But from a political standpoint we don’t seem to want to deal with them until our backs are absolutely against the wall. And I think that unfortunately may be the case with changing our suburbs to meet the needs of the people that live there today.

An internationally known demographer, Bill Frey specializes in issues involving urban populations, migration, immigration, race, aging, political demographics, and the U.S. Census. He is also a research professor in population studies at the University of Michigan.

In the shadow of the recession, a great migration of sorts has occurred in the suburbs. Though, since the rows of houses were first built outside America’s city limits, this population turnover has been a long time coming.

A Brookings Institution preview of the 2010 Census released last year shows that the nuclear family out in suburbia with its kids and white-picket fences and two-car garages has been a misscharacterization for at least the last decade, if not longer. Racial and ethnic minorities now account for a majority of the population in 17 metropolitan areas, most in the South and Southwest, but regions like New York in the Northeast will soon follow. Also, since 2000, the number of 55to 64 year olds nationwide grew by nearly 50 percent. This past January, the first baby boomers turned 65.

Brookings demographer William H. Frey talks to Blueprint America about his findings, and what all of it means to a new kind of suburbia. /wnet/blueprintamerica/files/2011/01/suburbbroll200×100.jpg ]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/profiles-from-the-recession/interview-boomtown-the-great-suburban-demographic-shift/1175/feed/ 0 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/profiles-from-the-recession/interview-seniorville-the-suburbs-turn-65/1178/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/profiles-from-the-recession/interview-seniorville-the-suburbs-turn-65/1178/#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 23:39:49 +0000 tom mcnamara http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/?p=1178 Tom McNamara, Blueprint America

America is on the brink of a massive demographic shift as the first of the baby boom turned 65 this New Year. Already, an estimated 39 million people across the country are 65 or older — just over 13 percent of the population. By 2030, when all baby boomers will be over 65, there will be 72 million seniors — about 20 percent of the population. And our suburbs — where half of all Americans live today — will be hardest hit.

Elinor Ginzler, AARP’s Director of Livable Communities, talks to Blueprint America about how Americans can live in suburbia as they age. Already, the suburbs are a tough place to get around. Getting older won’t make it any easier.

Tom McNamara: This is one of those statistics that hits you right in the face: Roughly 7 in 10 current seniors and baby boomers live in our country’s suburbs. What does that mean to the livability — transportation access, housing options, and the ability to get to family, friends, medical care, or, even, maintain one’s independence — of suburbia as this large demographic continues to age?

Elinor Ginzler: The keys to successful living at any age are a home that is safe, affordable, comfortable, convenient and adaptable to changing family needs, a community that has all the features you need, and a range of transportation choices to get where you need and want to go to engage in community life. Americans of all ages have some of these features in today’s suburbs. But, modern suburban development is auto centric. For drivers the biggest problem is congestion. People who don’t drive are dependent on family and friends to stay connected.

And, people who no longer drive need more conveniently located retail and services and/or safe and convenient ways to get where they need or want to go. Many local policymakers are only now realizing the implications of changing demographics. Suburban homeowners need to make sure that their homes that were originally built for young families won’t limit their ability to live comfortably as they age. Will the design of their home support them as they age and possibly develop limitations in mobility, sight or hearing? Those are the questions we need to start asking.

McNamara: Paint a picture of suburbia then and now. Who built the suburbs? What’s happened to them and their children? What’s happened to them?

Ginzler: American suburbs began cropping up in the second half of the 19th century. But what most of us think of as the suburbs sprang up in the post World War Two era. The availability of long-term home mortgages for returning G.I.s, the affordability of family cars and the construction of the Interstate Highway System enabled young couples with families to move away from Main Streets and core city neighborhoods. Developers built large communities of detached, single-family homes with large lots on cheap land made accessible by highways and new local road projects. However, as time passed, these homes grew farther and farther from the core city where most of the jobs remained.

Baby Boomers grew up in the suburbs and most of them still live there. Some of them even moved their older parents nearby as they have gotten older. They are increasingly facing challenges in staying connected and engaged in their communities that have been designed so that people live in one area, work in another area and shop in still another area. For people who stop driving, this leaves them literally stranded without options in their homes.

McNamara: What’s the identity of the suburbs today in American culture, in the context to the age wave?

Ginzler: For many Americans, the contemporary suburb is still the preferred living arrangement. Privacy, large lots, few public safety concerns and good schools make it a destination of choice. However, the American suburban population is aging. Some are choosing redeveloped inner ring suburbs or downtown living to be closer to where the action is. Add to that the increasing cost of gas to fuel our cars and it is clear that the “Loop-and-Lollipop” cul-de-sac neighborhoods of the 20th Century face significant challenges…

Though, many local governments are trying to reinvent themselves. Without some changes to their communities, many older non-driving suburbanites risk being stuck in their homes. (The average American man will outlive his driving years by 7 years and the average older woman by 10 years.)

McNamara: So, what needs to be done to ready suburbia for the age wave? What can government — local, state, federal — do to help the aging? What kind of investment needs to be made?

Ginzler: The future of suburbia is starting to take shape: shopping malls, strip malls and other commercial centers are beginning to remake themselves into mixed use, walkable centers with multifamily housing (apartments and condos). Many older adults aging in their current homes are taking advantage of services and culture in these new town centers. Others are opting to leave the maintenance and yard work behind and move into multifamily housing.

Communities that hope to meet the mobility needs of older residents are introducing transit service routes that connect older adults to grocery stores, pharmacies, libraries and other important destinations. Volunteer driver programs, taxi voucher programs, church and community-sponsored transportation and family and friends are helping older Americans overcome the mobility barriers of today’s car-dependent suburbia.

Local governments would be well served to look at the friendliness of their walking environment in their communities. Simply improving sidewalks and changing the timing on crosswalks can mean the difference between keeping people stuck at home and creating an environment that supports healthy aging.

Meanwhile, as local governments plan for the future many are developing plans for transit-oriented developments that cluster housing, services, retail and entertainment around transit hubs — either bus or light rail. State and local governments are encouraging (by regulation or incentives) builders to develop homes that have at least one no-step entrance, wider doorways, a full bath and a room that could be used as a bedroom on the main floor. They are also increasingly adopting Complete Streets policies to upgrade our streets for all users: drivers, pedestrians, transit-users and cyclists.

McNamara: How much is the age-wave on the radar of policy makers in Washington? Sure, AARP is interested and spreading the word — but what about our elected officials? Does aging in the suburbs of political legs?

Ginzler: The establishment of the federal Sustainable Communities Partnership and the Sustainable Communities Act (which was introduced, but not passed in the last Congress) represent major steps in the federal government’s understanding of the wide range of challenges facing communities. The Act would advance the unprecedented collaboration among the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, which have pledged to work together taking housing, transportation, and environmental protection into account in planning and funding their programs toward the goal of promoting sustainable/livable communities. This kind of collaboration at all levels of government is needed to solve the wide range of problems facing our communities as they age. However, government also needs to ensure that issues affecting older adults are addressed.

Policymakers and their families, just as many of their constituents, are now experiencing the challenges (and rewards) of caring for a loved one, and that often alerts them to issues that properly belong in the public arena. We’ve heard personal stories from elected officials on both sides of the aisle about this. Some Members of Congress have introduced legislation to help support family caregivers. Others policymakers are caring for older loved ones and know first hand about the need for safe streets that serve everyone. They have advanced legislation making roads safer and more user-friendly for pedestrians and all drivers.

McNamara: There is a difference between policymakers knowing and acting. How much of the responsibility falls to families and children of the aging? Whether we like it or not, what are we all responsible for?

Ginzler: Families and children of aging parents are on the front lines and are most often the ones to step in and help take care of their loved ones. Remember that there are 44 million people in the US today taking care of older family members and friends. That represents over 75 percent of the long term care support provided to older people. Family and friends take on everything from navigating the healthcare system to finding services (including transportation and homecare), even feeding and dressing their loved ones, taking them to the doctor, paying for care, or having their loved ones move in with them. Most family caregivers give this help because, they say, that’s just what families do.

McNamara: Is there a political response?

Ginzler: Policymakers can help support family caregivers in their caregiving role by helping to make sure families can access information about services and other resources for their loved ones; that respite care, counseling, training, and other supports are available to caregivers; and by supporting other policies that help support family caregivers, such as the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Program.

McNamara: What does the future hold for families of the aging?

Ginzler: Boomers can help their parents today (and themselves when they become care recipients) by talking with their loved ones early and repeatedly about where and how their folks want to live in the future, what their wishes are if they are ill, and where to find information about their finances and health care if they are suddenly unable to care for themselves. AARP’s book, Caring for Your Parents, has advice on how to have these important family conversations. Check it out.

America is on the brink of a massive demographic shift as the first of the baby boom turned 65 this New Year. Already, an estimated 39 million people across the country are 65 or older — just over 13 percent of the population. By 2030, when all baby boomers will be over 65, there will be 72 million seniors — about 20 percent of the population. And our suburbs — where half of all Americans live today — will be hardest hit.

Elinor Ginzler, AARP’s Director of Livable Communities, talks to Blueprint America about how Americans can live in suburbia as they age. Already, the suburbs are a tough place to get around. Getting older won’t make it any easier. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/files/2011/01/200×100watchforseniors.jpg ]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/profiles-from-the-recession/interview-seniorville-the-suburbs-turn-65/1178/feed/ 1 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/profiles-from-the-recession/video-fixing-america-with-high-speed-rail/1161/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/profiles-from-the-recession/video-fixing-america-with-high-speed-rail/1161/#comments Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:11:57 +0000 tom mcnamara http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/?p=1161
Last month, Blueprint America’s colleagues at Need to Know debuted a new segment on the program: Fixing America.

This week, their big thinkers take on infrastructure and the economy — can High-speed rail get America back on the right track? Guests include Petra Todorovich, director the America 2050; Felix Salmon, a financial blogger for Reuters; and Patricia DeGennaro, a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Last month, Blueprint America’s colleagues at Need to Know debuted a new segment on the program: Fixing America.

This week, their big thinkers take on infrastructure and the economy — can High-speed rail get America back on the right track? Guests include Petra Todorovich, director the America 2050; Felix Salmon, a financial blogger for Reuters; and Patricia DeGennaro, a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute. /wnet/blueprintamerica/files/2009/05/boldendev200×100.jpg ]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/profiles-from-the-recession/video-fixing-america-with-high-speed-rail/1161/feed/ 0 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/america-in-gridlock/interview-what-to-expect-from-a-republican-led-transportation-committee/725/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/america-in-gridlock/interview-what-to-expect-from-a-republican-led-transportation-committee/725/#comments Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:00:19 +0000 tom mcnamara http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/?p=725 Tom McNamara, Blueprint America

After the election shake-up, Rep. John Mica (R., Fla), will be the new House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair next year || Photo: Washington Post

On Capitol Hill, the new year will bring a new Congress and a change in leadership in the House after Republicans won big last month in the midterm elections. However, the new House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair, Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.), is something of an enigma when compared to his Republican counterparts as they prepare to take control. What no one can even guess about is the tone that Rep. Mica will set on transportation policy.

Here’s why: When current Transportation Chair Rep. Jim Oberstar (D., Minn.) steps down (it is worth noting that the 36-year member of Congress also lost his reelection bid), he gives way to not just any Republican but one of his closest political allies in Mica. Last year, the Florida Republican even went before Congress defending the Minnesota Democrat’s stalled transportation bill, which would have doubled government spending to over $500 billion and lessened the importance of highways in favor of mass-transit. To say the least, Mica showed another side of Republican thinking on transportation.

Below is an interview Blueprint America had with Mica back in 2009 when he was the minority leader of the Transportation Committee. What’s interesting is the fact that ideologically — at least on transportation issues — the incoming Chair aligned more often with liberals than conservatives. “If you’re on the Transportation Committee long enough,” said Rep. Mica, “even if you’re a fiscal conservative… you quickly see the benefits of transportation investment.”

That was then, however, when Mica was in the minority. See if you can read between the lines — will the new Chair continue to champion Oberstar’s stalled bill or will the Republican align with his party and cut spending now that he is calling the shots?

FROM JUNE 2009:

Last week, the Obama administration offered a temporary finance plan that, if implemented, could put off legislation to overhaul federal highway and transportation programs. It would also delay a possible vote to raise the national gas tax past the 2010 congressional midterm elections. The proposal came just a day before Rep. Jim Oberstar (D., Minn), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released an outline of the legislation – THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2009 – aimed at reforming transportation nationally.

Rep. Oberstar had been counting on a September 30 deadline — when the current law authorizing federal highway and transit programs expires — to bring lawmakers together to not only renew federal transportation funding but to also rethink how it is funded.

The proposed transportation bill calls for $450 billion in federal funding, which is a 57 percent increase over the $286.5 billion bill approved in 2005.

The following is an interview with Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.), ranking minority member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, about the recent developments of the transportation bill:

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: The current highway authorization expires at the end of September. So what exactly is expiring?

REP. JOHN MICA: Every six years Congress adopts a federal authorization for highways, which outlines transportation policy, projects, and funding distributions for the whole country.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: Right now, however, the Obama Administration wants to delay authorization.

REP. MICA: We’re on the verge of a transportation meltdown. The Administration has proposed an 18-month extension of both the highway authorization bill and the highway trust fund. That will require, depending on how long it is extended, between $8 and $15 billion.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: But, typically, the transportation bill is not authorized every six years – it’s generally extended.

REP. MICA: Right. I think the last time we tried to authorize it we had 13 extensions.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: Are you opposed to this 18-month extension by the Obama Administration?

REP. MICA: Well, I think that it would be better to go ahead with the transportation bill Rep. (Jim) Oberstar has introduced. We have been working on the bill for some time.

Still, I think we take that bill as the starter. The problem you’ve got with an 18-month extension is that it puts many of the major infrastructure projects on hold. The 18-month extension is a job killer. It gives you a temporary relief with the highway trust fund, but because you don’t have projects approved and policy and funding mechanisms in place for the future, it ends up killing jobs and delaying decisions on projects across the country. For example, there are 6, 800 project requests in the House bill alone – all of these would go on hold.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: How will the extension be funded – this $8 to $15 billion?

REP. MICA: They would take it out of general revenue, which would basically be deficit spending – and fund it. They have talked about some offsets, but I haven’t seen any specifics. Last year, however, we did allocate $8 billion to keep the highway trust fund solvent. That said, it was with no offsets.

When we’ve spent $3 trillion so far this year with no offsets – $8 to $15 billion seems like a very small amount.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: In the meantime, what is to be done about the highway trust fund?

REP. MICA: The highway trust fund will continue to lose money – for several reasons – as federal funding is based on an 18.4 cents a gallon national gas tax that hasn’t been increased in years. One, because of the economy, there’s not as much motor vehicle traffic. And two, every day the fleet is becoming more efficient, so people are driving further and paying less.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: Why, then, is the Obama Administration wanting to delay authorization?

REP. MICA: A political reason – because they don’t want to promote another tax increase, which sure puts them in a bind as most of the Democrats in Congress favor a tax increase. Also, I think that they’ve got themselves overextended with taking on many controversial measures.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: What do you favor in terms of funding transportation?

REP. MICA: There are two things we need to do. We need to leverage the funds we have coming in through a host of creative financing mechanisms. One, would be a dramatic increase in public-private partnerships. Two, would be leveraging some of the funds that we have coming in using bonds, full faith, and credit of the United States. And, guarantee programs toward financing infrastructure projects. Three, the national infrastructure bank and other financing or assistance programs.

That’s the first part.

The second part is speeding up the process. Most projects that the federal government is involved with take an inordinate amount of time for approvals, and they cost much more because there are so many delays and hoops that people have to go through.

I offer what I call the Mica 437-day process plan, which is the number of days it took to replace the bridge that collapsed over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Rather than the seven or eight years it takes complete any other bridge, which would be the normal time frame.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: And why did it just take 437-days to complete?

MICA: It was done on an expedited approval basis, which I think you could do with most projects that don’t change the basic footprint of the infrastructure that you’re rebuilding.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: Is an expedited approval process included in the transportation bill? That said, are you supportive of the highway authorization?

REP. MICA: I’m supportive with reservations. First, I’m trying to move the process forward, but there are things, if I were writing it, that I would write quite differently. If the process continues to be open and participatory, then I can be supportive. It does need some clean-up, and it needs some revision. I’d like to see much more of the ideas that I have advocated on, such as speeding up the approval process and increasing the revenues that are available without raising taxes. Those are my two big ones.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: What is the likelihood of the transportation bill passing?

REP. MICA: It’s 50-50. It’s hard to say if we can get support. I think that with rolling the bill out this week, we will have an option of our bill versus the 18-month extension. Then you just have to work it, and see if you can bring a coalition of people who are interested in building and solving the problem of infrastructure now, rather than putting it off until later.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: And, what would you say of the support right now for the transportation bill?

REP. MICA: Well, I think it could pass in the House.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: What about the Senate?

REP. MICA: A little bit more dicey.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: You were quoted as saying, referring to the Obama Administration wanting to delay authorization, “That’s a real slap in the face to a lot of hard work … I would have been mortified if this had been done to me under Bush.”

REP. MICA: I’m not Rep. Oberstar, but for his administration, after working as hard as he has to move the bill forward, to have the rug pulled out from under him, with this just out of the blue proposal, is a hard pill to swallow.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: In terms of your role as a Representative from Florida, and getting funding for your state and your district, what needs to happen to that process?

REP. MICA: Well, I’m more interested in the country at large in terms of infrastructure. If we can provide adequate funds for improvements across the country, then it benefits every district – not just my own. Simply, I’m not taking a parochial viewpoint for my own district or for my own state.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: You are a Republican – and you support transportation and infrastructure spending?

REP. MICA: Well, I tell you though, if you’re on the Transportation Committee long enough, even if you’re a fiscal conservative, which I consider myself to be, you quickly see the benefits of transportation investment. Simply, I became a mass transit fan because it’s so much more cost effective than building a highway. Also, it’s good for energy, it’s good for the environment – and that’s why I like it.

BLUEPRINT AMERICA: If anything, you’d say that your time in Congress and on the Transportation Committee has brought you around to these ideas?

REP. MICA: Yes. And, seeing the cost of one person in one car. The cost for construction. The cost for the environment. The cost for energy. You can pretty quickly be convinced that there’s got to be a more cost effective way. It’s going to take a little time, but we have to have good projects, they have to make sense – whether it’s high-speed rail or commuter rail or light rail. We got to have some alternatives helping people – even in the rural areas – to get around.

/wnet/blueprintamerica/files/2009/06/john-mica-washington-post200×100.jpg A look back at an interview with then-ranking minority leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. John Mica (R., Fla.), as he is set to take over as Chair next year. ]]>

Alexis Pancrazi, Blueprint America

Blueprint North Carolina

North Carolina is embarking on an exciting smart growth project; seven locations across the state are developing conservation-based affordable housing. The name essentially gives it away but the idea is that homeowners don’t need to be saddled with the choice between fiscal responsibility and environmental conservation, traditionally thought to be at odds.

Location site of one of North Carolina's conservation based affordable housing development plans

Could this be the wave of the future in North Carolina? Possibly. No idea was off the table this past June during the North Carolina Communities Summit, “Re-Think, Re-Design and Re-build.”

200 people trekked out to Charlotte, NC for this summit spanning the course of two days. The event had an array of big name sponsors: U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, NeighborWorks America and the NC Triangle Chapter, US Green Building Council and the North Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations.

Aside from pros and cons of conservation based subdivisions, the summit also touched upon alternative community arrangements such as eco-villages and work-based cooperative housing. Which is not to say more traditional sustainable development techniques were neglected–also discussed were the possibilities for recycling underused real-estate sites through rezoning and transforming brownfields.

Keep a look out in UNC-TV for highlights from the summit in upcoming local Blueprint America specials.

Blueprint Indiana

In Indiana, the infrastructure buzz word this year is… water.

A new local documentary produced by Indiana local PBS WFYI’s Gary Harris, “Drop By Drop: Protecting Indiana’s Water Supply,” examines the state of Indiana’s water system, with disheartening results.

The documentary is a panoramic picture of the imperfections and deterioration of Indiana’s water system, and disasters loom as raw sewage bubbles out of the ground in one town and decaying septic tanks threaten to poison groundwater. Not only are we wasting gallons of water every day, but the infrastructure that cleans, recycles, and delivers our water is being strangled by its own poor planning and decay.

Watertower in Francesville, Indiana

For most of us, water is commonplace, spilling easily from our tap in the background of our daily lives. In its ubiquity, it’s easy to forget just how precious it is. By putting Indiana’s state water system under the spotlight, this documentary reminds us that we need to be more careful with our resources, and smarter about how we protect them.

Not only are people talking about water in Indiana, they’re also social networking about it! Or they will be… In October of this year WFYI held its first ever Public Media camp to talk about how to use it to their advantage to bring sustainability and green issues into the public eye. Thirty local citizens attended, including the owner/operators of two public community radio stations nearby, staff from WOSU, and others in the sustainability and media communities.

Blueprint Illinois

With the Climate Reduction Act of 2008, East Peoria, IL pledged to become a “cool city,” and set up a Green Team to push forward a sustainable development agenda. Their strategy has been to make incremental but significant tweaks throughout the community to lower energy output and increase the use of renewable technology.

For example, the city installed solar trickle chargers, which utilize energy from the sun to keep batteries at full charge, in cop cars thereby reducing the amount of times batteries need to be replaced over the cruisers’ life spans. WTVP outlined some more of these projects in the following video:

But the burden is not solely on the city’s shoulders to pave the way for greener future. With that in mind, the Green Team also encourages citizens to measure their own energy output in their homes to enable them to recognize their carbon footprint. The necessary equipment is made available to borrow for no cost at the local library.

Along those same lines, WTVP has produced this video of practical advice for committing yourself to a sustainable lifestyle through the power of your purse:

WTVP has been steadily working on several sustainable projects and videos over the summer. Their first opportunity to showcase their work was at the Central Illinois Green Expo on September 10^th and 11^th. Keep your eye out for the Green Team on upcoming WTVP Blueprint America stories!

Steve Price, of Portsmouth, VA, last year won a design contest for the blog GOOD in which he created the ideal streetscape. Price beat out  armchair planners from around the country as contestants were asked to take a photograph of a poorly planned intersection in their community, apply photoshop, and transform it into a “livable” street. Price put in bike lanes, a light rail, and even demonstrated the possibility of urban infill — a lot of potential for one intersection, even in the city of Portsmouth.

Rethink, reuse, and rebuild, that’s what the Obama Administration has been saying since their recent proclamation that America needs to invest in retooling its infrastructure. Now, billions more in local grants are on the horizon with the Livable Communities Act, which will coordinate housing, transportation, and economic development policies in big cities, suburban centers, and small towns across the country. There is no doubt that Washington is trying to make inroads on a national program to increase main street USA livability, an agenda to make the Portsmouth, VA, redesign, for example, a reality.

But while we wait for the final wording to be ironed out and the dotted lines to be signed on the Livability Act, some communities are taking it upon themselves to revisit their roads with an eye towards the future.

Last Tuesday, Portsmouth, a port town with approximately 100,000 residents, launched the Healthy Portsmouth City-wide Health and Wellness Initiative, a multifaceted approach that tackles issues like unhealthy cafeteria food in the schools, decreasing public smoking areas and promoting active lifestyles.

They began the process this summer with a bit of discussion and research. The

“Healthy Portsmouth” meeting || Photo: WHRO -- PBS

local PBS station WHRO held a forum entitled “Healthy Portsmouth” to encourage community involvement on these issues. In attendance were 75 members of the community, who put forth ideas on how to realize the mission’s goals, including expanding public transit, transforming waterways to accommodate kayaking, and bringing in more fresh, affordable produce to underserved areas of the city.

In late July, a little over a dozen people convened to take a “windshield tour” of

Portsmouth community leaders take a tour to assess the city's walkability || Photo: WHRO -- PBS

the city of Portsmouth to assess walkability throughout the city and identify examples of what’s working and what’s not. Among those on the tour were Susan Wilson, Manager of Transportation/Maritime Planner, Department of Planning, City of Portsmouth, and Sergeant Rusty Venters, Portsmouth Police Department.

The ride around town enabled the planners to recognize some key areas where improvement was needed; parks were insufficiently lit, streets did not have enough sidewalks, and many roads lacked adequate routes for pedestrians to safely cross traffic.

The event gave the leadership team for the “Healthy Portsmouth” initiative an overview of the walkability/bikeabilty of the city and helped to identify some areas of concern that will be spotlighted in their local Blueprint America productions. For now, check out the WHRO “Livable Futures: Local Solutions” video, designed to promote dialogue on these issues.