Every community in America – regardless of its size, geographic location, demographic composition, or economic base -- aspires to become a place where families are safe, enjoy personal and environmental health, can select from a range of housing and transportation choices, and have access to educational and economic opportunities.  These are the building blocks of livable communities.

Unfortunately, the federal government has all too often hindered or even blocked the ability of local communities to achieve these goals. In fact, federal policies have often led to today’s unproductive and even destructive patterns of community neglect,  inefficient energy use, economic dislocation, and environmental damage.  Sadly, in many cases, American taxpayers have paid for it.

It’s time to change this relationship.  It’s time to create a new, dynamic partnership in which the federal government enables and helps local governments create livable communities where people are safe, healthy and economically secure.

The Livable Communities Task Force recognizes that federal policies – from transportation to tax incentives to environmental regulations and everything in between – have a profound effect on the livability of communities. This Task Force seeks to identify the ways in which the federal government can affect community livability and improve Americans’ quality of life. This includes reducing the nation’s dependence on oil, protecting the environment, improving public health and investing in housing and transportation projects that create jobs and give people more commuting choices.   

The first step is to create a legislative agenda for Congress that demonstrates the federal potential for shaping livable communities, demonstrating the power of the federal government to analyze the needs of a community and help them create solutions that work best for them.

With significant resources, and in coordination with the administration’s new Partnership for Sustainable Communities (which spans the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency), the Federal Government is poised to help communities take advantage of federal and local investment opportunities to provide a range of housing and transportation choices, create safer and healthier communities, strengthen their economies, and protect their environment.