Resource CenterResource Center Home

Executive Summary On September 1, 2010, Virginia Tech’s Metropolitan Institute and Center for Housing Research brought together more than 50 national experts and policy advocates for a one-day research roundtable with leaders and staff from HUD’s Office of Planning, Development and Research (PD&R) and Office of Sustainable Communities and Housing (OSHC). Participants were tasked with identifying the top research priorities that would support HUD and the Federal Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities as they develop and implement policies and programs that promote more sustainable communities. Sustainability covers a wide range of potential policy and research topics. In light of Virginia Tech’s expertise and HUD’s policy and programmatic domains, the following three areas were selected as special breakout groups for the roundtable: Accessible and Affordable Housing – strengthening the policy connections between transportation and housing; Green and Energy…

Overview of the FTA’s New Starts project development process and the legal issues associated with it

Foreword  The development of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems is relatively recent in the United States, but several systems are in operation and more are advancing.  There is a need for a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between land use and BRT system development, particularly in comparison to other fixed-guideway modes such as heavy and light rail.  While recognizing that existing land uses have an important and complex influence on the development costs and benefits of fixed-guideway projects, this research focuses primarily on the impact such projects have had on existing and future land uses and economic development, as well as the policies and practices that have been used by local governments that have the potential to affect development.  Finally, additional note has been taken as to whether the benefits and incentives offered along transit corridors between Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) are equitable in cities where both modes…

This handbook is designed for congressional staff to help navigate the chutes and ladders of the New Starts process.

An update to “Realizing the Potential” study for the FTA and HUD, which assessed strategies to promote mixed-income housing along transit corridors in Boston, Charlotte, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver and Portland.

This document presents one possible method for evaluating potential economic development impacts of projects applying for Federal Transit Administration New Starts funds.

Introduction The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) requires that projects receiving funds from either Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 (Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities), FTA Section 5316 (Job Access and Reverse Commute), or FTA Section 5317 (New Freedom)1 be derived from a public transit-human service transportation coordination plan (hereinafter referred to as the coordination plan) beginning in FY 2007. FTA Section 5310 provides capital assistance for the purchase of vehicles and associated equipment by non-profit agencies for the provision of transportation to elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities for whom mass transportation services are unavailable, insufficient or inappropriate. Under certain circumstances public agencies may receive these funds where it is demonstrated that there are no non-profit organizations readily available to provide the specialized…

This paper provides some initial ideas on approaches to economic development criteria based on a definition of economic development typically used by planners at the local metropolitan and state levels focusing on job, industry, and occupational growth, and direct investment in buildings, infrastructure, and human capital rather than on a definition used by economists focused on costs, expenditures, revenue flows and measures of output and productivity.