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Georgia
Transportation Secretary Praises ARC's Livable Centers Initiative Program
Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation discussed current transportation issues at a forum sponsored by the Atlanta Regional Commission's Fifty Forward initiative and later touted ARC's groundbreaking Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program on his blog, ''The Fast Lane.''
LaHood said that LCI, which helps local governments devise and implement strategies that reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality by better connecting homes, shops, offices and transit (where available), is a good model for the federal government's Livable Communities Initiative, which has similar goals. The federal program unites the departments of transportation, housing and urban development and the Environmental Protection Agency with the White House.
''We know that transportation plays a major role in our ability to create the kinds of neighborhoods people want to live in and where businesses want to locate. More transportation options near more housing choices and more mixed land-uses mean greater access to jobs, education, medical treatment, retail and other vital services,'' said LaHood's blog. ''And, Atlanta already knows this. The 2009 Atlanta Regional Commission study of their Livable Centers Initiative shows a dramatic decline in the number of Vehicle Miles Traveled in communities that have coordinated land-use and transportation planning. Simply, the lower the Vehicle Miles Traveled, the more residents are able to get where they want to go without using their cars.''
LaHood said that livability would be a major watchword for transportation moving forward and hopes that other communities will examine programs like LCI.
Since 1999, LCI has assisted 94 communities with more than $141 million in grant awards. More than 85,000 residential units, 19 million square feet of commercial space and 38 million square feet of office space are either planned, under construction or complete in these areas. Regionwide, more than 60 percent of all new office space has been built within LCI areas.
Visit www.atlantaregional.com/LCI for a list of grant recipients and more information about the Livable Centers Initiative, or read Secretary LaHood 's comments at his Fast Lane blog. -- Atlanta Regional Commission 9/21/2009
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