03/2004 | Transportation Funding, Tax Bills Offer Windows of Opportunity |
|||||||||||
As Congress continues its
negotiations on the transportation and highway funding bill, the AIA is
pressing for amendments that provide stronger incentives for projects that
place a greater focus on the impact of transportation on communities and
livability.
Congressional negotiators are working with figures that approach $300 billion, a sum that clearly has a way of shaping communities. Traditionally, 80 percent of the funds in the transportation legislation are spent on highways and 20 percent on mass transit. Some of the money is portioned off for “enhancement” projects such as bike paths, restoration of historic transportation facilities, mitigation of water pollution from highway runoff, and many other development projects. To encourage state highway projects to be designed to safeguard environmental, scenic, or historic values and to preserve and enhance aesthetic and architectural principles, the AIA is advocating for amendments that would add a new “context-sensitive design” provision. The AIA is also asking Congress to direct the Secretary of Transportation to arrange for the Institute to conduct a study on the role of transportation in enhancing the quality of life in our communities and identify best practices for promoting livable communities. In addition, the AIA is calling for federal grants to be made available for projects that follow enhanced design and planning. For these endeavors, the AIA has the support of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Action. Other
work to be done The fate of Section 4(f) is still unclear. The National Trust is reporting that opponents of 4(f) are “still committed to weakening the substantive and effective Section 4(f) protections for historic and cultural resources, capitalizing on the overall frustrations with the delays in completing complex and expensive highway projects, and are spreading the misconception that environmental and historic preservation reviews are the primary cause of big delays.” Copyright 2004 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. Home Page |
|
|||||||||||