Livability funding key to better transportation options for communities across America

As I noted yesterday on this blog, the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities just marked its two year anniversary.  President Obama created by this partnership to help American families gain improved access to affordable housing, better and more affordable transportation options, and cleaner air, water, and land.

While we’ve made a lot of progress over the last two years helping America’s neighborhoods become safer, healthier, and more vibrant, there is still a lot of work ahead connecting people to where they live, work and play.

That’s why I am pleased to announce $175 million in livability grants available to increase and improve transportation options for urban, suburban and rural communities.

Our latest round of livability grants aims to ensure that transportation and housing decisions are made jointly and that they recognize the unique character of each community.  After the grant availability is published in the Federal Register next week, local transit agencies will be able to compete for this pool of awards.

Up to $150 million of the livability funding announced today comes from the Bus and Bus Facilities Program, which provides money to purchase or replace buses and to build bus-related facilities.

The rest of the money comes from the Alternatives Analysis Program, which provides money to help communities evaluate and select the best transit options to meet their transportation needs.

Tri-County Link team celebrates award for South Carolina's best rural transit agency of 2010

As Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff said:

“We’re helping to better connect communities and create reliable transit choices so people can make it home from work in time to sit down to dinner with their families or help their kids with homework.  That means a higher quality of life for all Americans and a more efficient and more usable transportation network for moving people and goods.”

Communities where people have access to affordable housing and different forms of transportation to get to the places that are important to them are communities that are economically competitive; they are communities where businesses thrive and people want to live.  The livability grants we announce today will go a long way toward helping create those communities through jobs, lower transportation costs, and economic development.