RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer, December 16, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Nevada, Idaho and Colorado lead the way in ending car dependence, according to a first-ever ranking, as do the metro areas around Austin, Indianapolis and Atlanta. A new Brookings report by Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer shows that other modes of transit grow in popularity, even as gas prices drop, suggesting a need for dramatic shifts in the way we fund transportation, build our communities and address greenhouse gas emissions. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, June 25, 2009
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
Severe congestion and underfunded public transportation systems in the Washington, D.C. region and nationwide call for a more sustainable way of pricing transportation. To help inform the policy debate on transportation financing and traffic management, Greater Washington Research at Brookings hosted a roundtable bringing together experts from the policy, planning, advocacy, and development community. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alice M. Rivlin and Benjamin Orr, June 25, 2009, The Brookings Institution
New analysis by Greater Washington Research at Brookings, reviews traffic congestion and transportation financing in the Washington, D.C. region and nationwide; suggesting that the national capital region should serve as an example of what sustainable transportation policy looks like. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Puentes, June 19, 2009, The Vine, The New Republic
Federal gas taxes are drying up and the nation’s highway bill is set to expire this fall. In that context, Robert Puentes analyzes the House proposal to revamp U.S. transportation policy and the administration’s call for an 18 month delay to ensure “better investment decisions." Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Puentes, June 17, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Robert Puentes argues that a new federal interagency partnership, debuted before the Senate this week, could provide the federal leadership necessary for a unified vision of transportation, housing, and environmental policy designed to tackle our interrelated economic, energy, and climate challenges. Read More
VIDEO
Clifford Winston, May 19, 2009
In proposing higher fuel efficiency standards for new cars, President Obama has intervened in the private sector. Cliff Winston explains how consumer demand alone for fuel efficient cars was clearly not strong enough to drive the market in that direction. But, he warns of such unintended consequences as cars being less safe and driven more.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Puentes, May 13, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Robert Puentes discusses how President Obama’s FY 2010 budget holds the baseline on transportation infrastructure spending with slight increases at the modal agencies at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alice M. Rivlin and Benjamin Orr, May 01, 2009, Washington Business Journal
Alice Rivlin and Benjamin Orr urge the Washington region to implement an innovative road-use pricing program of charging by vehicle type, miles traveled, and traffic conditions. This will, in turn, lead the nation toward less congestion and a more sustainable method of financing transportation infrastructure. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Puentes and Emilia Istrate, April 24, 2009, Newsday
Transit agencies across the United States are facing service cutbacks and fare increases in order to close their budget gaps. The largest, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), is no exception. Robert Puentes and Emilia Istrate offer recommendations for closing the MTA’s budget gap. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Puentes, April 21, 2009, The Brookings Institution
According to Robert Puentes, transportation is an area that is crucial to both economic growth and environmental sustainability. The link between transportation and climate change is making it imperative that we find new ways to think about transportation policy, especially in our nation's metropolitan areas. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ralph Buehler, John Pucher and Uwe Kunert, April 16, 2009, The Brookings Institution
To help improve the energy efficiency and overall environmental sustainability of the U.S. transportation system, we will need to adopt policies that foster changes in the way Americans travel. In a new report Brookings researchers find that Germany may offer valuable lessons. Like the United States, Germany is a federal republic but it has taken impressive steps to improve transportation options, link transportation planning to land use, and advance other reforms – all while empowering metropolitan action. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mark Muro, Jennifer Bradley, Alan Berube, Robert Puentes, Sarah Rahman and Andrew Reamer, March 30, 2009, The Brookings Institution
America’s national economic crisis is also a metropolitan crisis, because metropolitan areas are the true engines of the national economy. So it matters intensely how well the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) empowers metropolitan leaders to boost prosperity. This paper finds that although ARRA is limited in its support for creative metropolitan-area implementation, it delivers critical investments in what matters to metros and holds out significant opportunity for metropolitan empowerment and problem-solving. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Puentes, March 26, 2009, Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Before a special session of the Senate Banking Committee, Robert Puentes discussed the coordination of transportation and housing policy and its role in developing livable communities. Among others things, he stressed the need for the federal government to assist states and metropolitan areas in one of their hardest tasks: transcending the stovepiping of disparate programs that remains a serious cause of undesirable development outcomes. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Robert Puentes, March 19, 2009, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee, Robert Puentes examined the linkages between housing and transportation, calling for increased awareness of these connections and a federal policy that simultaneously promotes the economic vitality and environmental quality of metropolitan areas. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Christopher B. Leinberger, March 18, 2009, The Sacramento Bee
Chris Leinberger argues that Sacramento, the capital of one of the most hard-pressed states in the country, is an evolving model of development for metropolitan America. Read More