Annie Lambla

Last week boasted good news in the public transit world: Obama and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have proposed a major policy shift, effective immediately, calling for all Federal Transportation Administration projects to be based not on a calculation of cost and journey time, as they were in the past, but on their contribution to the livability of an area.  

Livability is one of those invented words I've been throwing around a lot lately.  The Obama administration has been using them to guide all sorts of projects, from housing to environmental work, and now transportation.  There are officially 6 "Livability Principles" that guide coordination between departments and, in my opinion, a nice healthy change from a focus on nothing but efficiency and speed and grandeur to things like healthy communities, affordable housing, and transit options.  

Hooray for livability!