Recent Press Releases Articles

Press Release: Reconnecting America and Community Transportation Association of America release Putting Transit to Work in Main Street America

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:54:36 -0400

Reconnecting America and the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) today released a report that examines how smaller communities and rural regions are using transit and other mobility investments to revitalize their economies and connect residents to local and regional opportunities.

Press Release: Los Angeles Affordable Housing Preservation Study released by the Los Angeles Housing Department and Reconnecting America

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:49:46 -0400

Los Angeles' massive transit infrastructure investment promises benefits across the city and the region over the next decade and beyond, but it could also have unfortunate side effects if efforts aren't made to preserve affordable housing in transit-rich neighborhoods, according to a report commissioned by the City of Los Angeles Housing Department and written by Reconnecting America. The report was funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, through the Awards for State & Local Housing Preservation Leaders of the Foundation's Window of Opportunity Initiative (WOI).

Press Release: How Transit Can Create Opportunity At A Regional Level

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:38:34 -0400

Reconnecting America and its partners in Mile High Connects recently released the Denver Regional Equity Atlas, which maps how current and future transit service can connect people to opportunities throughout the region.

Press Release: House Passage of Transportation Reauthorization Bill

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:48:07 -0400

In response to House Passage of HR 4348 on April 18, Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the attached statement.

Press Release: Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Vote

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:45:19 -0400

In response to the Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee vote, Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the attached statement.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Comments On Senate Passage of Transportation Bill

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:29:06 -0400

In response to the Senate's passage of its transportation bill, Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the attached statement.

Press Release: Welcoming Chris Yake

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:25:12 -0500

Reconnecting America today welcomed Chris Yake to its Washington, DC, staff.

Press Release: John Robert Smith Applauds Senate Inclusion Of Local Funding Control Language In Senate Transportation Bill

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:15:50 -0500

In response to the Senate's inclusion of local funding control language in its transportation bill, Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the attached statement.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Comments On Senate and House Transportation Legislation

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:33:34 -0500

“This week the U.S. Congress has taken major steps toward building stronger communities through investment in public transportation and transit-oriented development,” said John Robert Smith, President and CEO of Reconnecting America. “We thank the leaders of the Senate Banking Committee and the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for their tireless efforts to move legislation forward that will continue the federal government’s strong partnership with local transit providers.”

Press Release: Kim Burnett Joins Reconnecting America Board of Directors

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:10:09 -0500

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith today announced the appointment of Kim Burnett to the organization's Board of Directors.

Press Release: Federal Transportation Infrastructure Investment Critically Important

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:00:56 -0500

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith issued the attached response to President Obama's State of the Union address January 24

Press Release: Reconnecting America to assist the Gulf Regional Planning Commission as part of Livability Solutions work

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:24:50 -0500

Reconnecting America, as a partner in Livability Solutions, has been selected to provide technical assistance to the Gulf Regional Planning Commission in Gulfport, Mississippi. Reconnecting America will be working with the Gulf Regional Planning Commission to develop a typology for transit-oriented development (TOD) and to explore mixed-income TOD strategies to lower housing and transportation costs for residents of the region.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Team Selected to Help Build Capacity of Sustainable Communities Grantees

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:50:05 -0400

A team led by Reconnecting America has won a competitive contract to assist communities that have received Sustainable Communities Grants. The Reconnecting America team was one of eight chosen by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help existing federal grantees work together to solve common problems.

Press Release: CTOD Guidebook Explores Importance of Planning for TOD at Regional Scale

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:00:00 -0400

(Monday, August 1, 2011) The Center for Transit-Oriented Development today released “TOD 204: Planning for TOD at the Regional Scale,” the sixth in the Federal Transit Administration-sponsored series of reports explaining best practices of transit-oriented development.

Read the introduction and download the full report

Press Release: CTOD releases West Corridor TOD Report for Denver Region

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:17:58 -0400

What's the difference between good transit-oriented development and great transit-oriented development? The answer is laid out in the new Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD) report, "Connecting the West Corridor Communities: An Implementation Strategy for TOD along the Denver Region’s West Corridor."

Press Release: Reconnecting America Welcomes Ford Foundation Grant To Ensure Equitable TOD In The Denver Region

Tue, 17 May 2011 12:00:00 -0400

Reconnecting America welcomed a new Ford Foundation grant to a dozen organizations in Denver to ensure that low-income communities "don’t miss the train" as FasTrack’s transit expansion delivers economic growth opportunities to the region.

Press Release: Center For Transit-Oriented Development Releases TOD And Employment White Paper And Study

Mon, 09 May 2011 06:00:00 -0400

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development released a pair of studies exploring the impact of job sprawl and the importance of linking employment centers with transit-oriented development.

Press Release: Center For Transit-Oriented Development Releases Metro Tod Strategic Plan For Portland Metropolitan Area

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:15:05 -0400

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development today released the Transit-Oriented Development Strategic Plan created for the Metro TOD Program in Portland, Oregon. In conjunction with the release, CTOD published a web page providing guidance on how the plan contents can be nationally applied.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Releases Jumpstarting The Transit Space Race: 2011

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:03:08 -0400

Reconnecting America today released its latest analysis of planned transit projects across the United States. The report found the projects in the construction and final engineering stages alone would connect 3.5 million more jobs to transit, an increase of 25 percent, and nearly 4 million households would gain enhanced transit access, with almost half of those being lower-income households.

Press Release: Reconnecting America CEO and President John Robert Smith releases comment on continuing resolution

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:54:06 -0400

The press release contains the statement from John Robert Smith in response to the continuing resolution passed by Congress.

Press Release: Reconnecting America formally unveils revamped website

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:48:28 -0400

Today, Reconnecting America officially launched its new website at www.reconnectingamerica.org. In addition to all of the content from the previous website, the new site includes a number of enhancements and improvements.

Press Release: Reconnecting America CEO Testifies Before House Committee

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:39:52 -0400

Today, John Robert Smith, president and CEO of Reconnecting America, testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, representing the Transportation for America coalition.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Lauds Metropolitan Transportation Commission Funding For Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:50:42 -0400

Today, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) – the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the San Francisco Bay Area – officially committed $10 million to the Bay Area Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Fund (TOAH Fund).

Press Release: Rails to Real Estate: Development Patterns Along Three New Transit Lines

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:34:04 -0400

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development has released a report that examines real estate development patterns along three recently built light rail lines. The findings of Rails to Real Estate: Development Patterns along Three New Transit Lines should help local planners and others considering new transit lines to maximize the benefits of new transit investments and foster transit-oriented development. The three transit lines are the Hiawatha Line in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region in Minnesota, the Southeast Corridor in the Denver region in Colorado, and the Blue Line in the Charlotte region in North Carolina.

Press Release: Can We Still Do Great Things? High-speed Rail And The American Future

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:00:10 -0400

Reconnecting America releases the first in an occasional series of commentaries by Reconnecting America's staff about pressing issues of transportation and communities. The first is by Darnell Chadwick Grisby, Deputy Policy Director.

Press Release: Transportation Budget Choices For America's Future

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Reconnecting America was pleased to see that the president’s budget for Fiscal Year 2012 offers significant deficit-reduction, but also calls for substantial investment in our nation’s infrastructure, particularly for public transportation and high-speed rail.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Applauds Obama Effort To Jumpstart High-Speed Rail

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, announced a $53 billion, six-year program to accelerate construction of the nation’s high-speed rail network. The plan calls for $8 billion in fiscal year 2012 to jumpstart the program.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Applauds Obama Rail, Infrastructure Goals

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Reconnecting America applauds President Obama’s remarks last night in the State of the Union with regard to his support for high-speed rail, improved infrastructure, and, in particular, development around rail stations.

Press Release: 2010 Inventory of TOD Programs

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Reconnecting America released a new report, "2010 Inventory of TOD Programs: A National Review of State, Regional and Local Programs that Fund Transit-Oriented Development Plans and Projects." The report is a resource for planners and policy-makers who are creating new TOD programs in their own jurisdiction and who will benefit from learning the essential facts about other programs that operate at similar scales and contexts.

Press Release: TOD 203: Transit Corridors and TOD

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development today released "TOD 203: Transit Corridors and TOD," the latest in CTOD's ongoing series of best practices guidebooks.

Press Release: Performance-Based Transit-Oriented Development Typology Guidebook

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development released its "Performance-Based Transit-Oriented Development Typology Guidebook,” a hands-on tool for identifying the different conditions that exist around transit stations and determining how that influences performance on a range of metrics.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Releases Analysis Of Federal Sustainable Communities Grants

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

In October, HUD and DOT announced the finalists of the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning (SCRPG), Community Challenge, and TIGER II planning awards. Reconnecting America staff has been busy reviewing successful and unsuccessful applications for innovative ideas, common themes and unique concepts. We have also compiled a list of finalists of all the awards with descriptions of the proposed activities.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Commends Obama Administration High-Speed And Inter-City Passenger Rail Grants

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith commended the Obama administration for the $2.4 billion in grants announced today for the development of high-speed and inter-city passenger rail corridors in the United States.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Applauds TIGERII Grants

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith applauded today's award of nearly $600 million in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II construction and planning grants.

Press Release: First-Of-Its-Kind National TOD Database Launched

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (launched a first-of-its-kind web database to provide access to comprehensive information about more than 4,000 transit zones across the United States. The web tool will help developers, investors, and city officials make planning decisions that take advantage of development opportunities around transit nodes. The TOD Database, available at toddata.cnt.org

Press Release: HUD Regional Planning Grants Praised

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Reconnecting America applauded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) award of nearly $100 million in historic Sustainable Communities Regional Planning grants. The program is part of an unprecedented partnership announced last year between HUD, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Lauds Obama Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment Proposal

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

President Obama renewed the call for investment in our nationʼs infrastructure, bringing with him the voices of a bipartisan group of governors, mayors, and policy experts to underscore the urgency of action. The Miller Center for Public Affairsʼ Bipartisan Conference, led by former Secretaries of Transportation Norman Mineta and Samuel Skinner, and the Council of Economic Advisors along with the Department of Treasury, set the groundwork for this discussion with recently released analyses of investment options. The Obama Administration laid out the contours of a proposal designed to deliver concrete benefits to the American people.

Press Release: Center For Transit-Oriented Development Releases Updated MITOD.org

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD) released an updated version of the Mixed-Income Transit-Oriented Development Action Guide website. The online MITOD Action Guide at MITOD.org is designed to help local jurisdictions, planners and other stakeholders develop strategies to encourage mixed-income transit-oriented development (TOD) around planned transit stations.

Press Release: Reconnecting America Welcomes New Staff In DC Office

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Reconnecting America today announced the hiring of Sarah A. Kline as the new policy director and Darnell Chadwick Grisby as deputy policy director.

Press Release: Andriana Abariotes Joins Reconnecting America Board of Directors.

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Reconnecting America CEO John Robert Smith announced today the addition of Andriana Abariotes to the organization’s Board of Directors.

Press Release: Reconnecting America CEO Addresses Southern High-Speed Rail Commission

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

John Robert Smith, President and CEO of Reconnecting America, recently addressed a meeting of the Southern High-Speed Rail Commission (SHSRC) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Smith was in New Orleans for the Commission’s Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation Summit.

Press Release: CTOD Releases TOD Tools For Metropolitan Planning Organizations

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD) has released a guide, “Transit-Oriented Tools for Metropolitan Planning Organizations” to aid Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in taking a more proactive role in planning and promoting compact growth along transit corridors.

Press Release: CTOD Creates Citywide Toolkit For TOD In Los Angeles

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD) has released the "Creating Successful Transit Oriented Districts in Los Angeles: A Citywide Toolkit for Achieving Regional Goals" report, which assesses opportunities to improve land use and transportation linkages in communities surrounding 70 existing and planned transit stations in the City of Los Angeles.

Press Release: Mixed-Income Transit-Oriented Development Action Guide

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Federal Transit Administration has unveiled a new Mixed-Income Transit-Oriented Development Action Guide created by the Center for Transit-Oriented Development. The website can be accessed at www.fta.dot.gov/livability/mitod or directly at mitod.org

Press Release: Reconnecting America CEO Calls For Bold New Agenda For Small-Town America

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

As the Senate continues to develop a revitalized, long-term federal transportation program, Reconnecting America CEO John Robert Smith called on senators to support a bold new agenda for rural transportation that would spur economic development in small towns and cities across the United States.

Press Release: TIGER Grants Fund Wave Of Transportation Innovation

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was in Kansas City, Missouri today, February 19, to announce that 51 projects in 41 states and the District of Columbia have been awarded $1.5 billion in TIGER Discretionary Grants. “The announcement by Secretary LaHood is proof of this Administration’s continued commitment to livability initiatives in metropolitan regions like New York and Chicago, and in smaller communities and rural areas such as Whitefish, Montana, and Dubuque, Iowa,” said Reconnecting America President and CEO John Robert Smith.

Press Release: Obama Administration Charts New Course For Transportation, Housing Investments

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Obama Administration is clearly charting a new course for policy and investments in housing and transportation with announcements in recent weeks by U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. The three agencies have formed an interagency partnership that signals an unprecedented level of collaboration among the agencies, with the goal of achieving sustainability and livability through coordinated transportation and housing policies and investments.

Press Release: President Signals Support For Livability, Transit And Jobs

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

President Obama released his fiscal year 2011 budget proposal on February 1, 2010, signaling a clear commitment to the Sustainable Communities Initiative he announced last year as well as his continuing support for the federal interagency partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Press Release: Realizing The Potential for Sustainable, Equitable TOD

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In June 2009, the Obama Administration announced a new interagency partnership on sustainable communities between the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency. An early action by the Partnership was to announce a set of Livability Principles to guide future federal investments, policy development, and programs.

Press Release: Report Finds Thousands Living In Affordable Housing Near Transit Could Face Higher Rents

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

In the next five years as many as 160,000 renters in 20 metro areas could lose their affordable apartments near transit because the contracts on their privately-owned HUD-subsidized rental units are due to expire. The renewed popularity of urban living means that properties in walkable neighborhoods near transit have increased in value, and that property owners are likely to opt out of the HUD program and convert the housing from affordable to market rate. These are the results of a recent study by AARP, Reconnecting America and the National Housing Trust, which released the results in Washington, DC, on Sept. 30.

Press Release: John Robert Smith Named Reconnecting America President And CEO

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Mayor John Robert Smith of Meridian, Mississippi, has been named President and CEO of the national nonprofit Reconnecting America.

Press Release: Reconnecting America President And CEO Appointed To HUD Post

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Reconnecting America President and CEO Shelley Poticha has been appointed Senior Advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Press Release: HUD, DOT to promote affordable, sustainable communities

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The secretaries of the US Department of Transportation and HUD have announced their intent to focus efforts on promoting the construction of housing near public transit in order to create more affordable and sustainable communities. Reconnecting America has long encouraged the US DOT and HUD to integrate transportation and land use planning in order to create true affordability and sustainability, based on research showing the impact of transportation on both the cost of living and greenhouse gas emissions.

Press Release: Jumpstarting the Transit Space Race

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The demand for transit in the U.S. has never been greater, with ridership at its highest levels in 50 years and almost 400 new rail, streetcar and bus rapid transit projects proposed in large and small regions from Massachusetts to Hawaii, according to a new report by Reconnecting America.

Press Release: New Study Details How Developing Near Transit is an Important Affordability Strategy

Thu, 17 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400

This new, comprehensive report was funded by the Federal Transportation Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The report examines five case study regions- Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Minneapolis, and Portland- to better understand the proactive strategies being undertaken to create and preserve affordable housing near transit.

Press Release: Book Chronicles Renewed Popularity of Streetcars Across U.S.

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Cities across the U.S. are returning to an “old” technology – streetcars – to service all the new higher-density condo, live-work, and loft development occurring in their downtowns, according to a new book by the national nonprofit organization Reconnecting America. Street Smart: Streetcars and Cities in the Twenty-First Century