Three federal agencies — the Transportation Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency — have begun working jointly toward creating what the administration has termed "more livable communities." These are communities which minimize traffic congestion and commuting times, which provide transportation options beyond the automobile, which keep housing and transportation costs low for residents, and which make the most efficient and cleanest use of land and other natural resources.
 
"Creating livable communities will result in improved quality of life for all Americans and create a more efficient and more accessible transportation network that serves the needs of individual communities," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on June 16, 2009. "Fostering the concept of livability in transportation projects and programs will help America"s neighborhoods become safer, healthier and more vibrant."
 
DOT and HUD kicked off the initiative on March 18, 2009, by announcing a new partnership "to help American families gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options and lower transportation costs." The interagency task force's stated aim is to bolster "sustainable communities."
 
The specific goals include:

• Having every major metropolitan area in the country "conduct integrated housing, transportation, and land use planning and investment in the next four years." This includes making planning grants available and providing technical assistance to local officials.

• The development of federal housing affordability measures that include both housing and transportation costs, and which would be available in an online calculator. Transportation costs have been growing rapidly in recent years, the administration says, but this is not reflected in current federal definitions of housing affordability. The agencies would also develop and refine other statistics on housing and transportation options.
 
• Greater cooperation and information-sharing between DOT and HUD, focused on encouraging more efficient consumer choices in housing and transportation.
 
On June 16, 2009, the partnership added EPA to its ranks and offered additional goals, including:
 
• Helping communities plan for future growth in a way that reduces "the nation"s dependence on foreign oil, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, protects America"s air and water and improves quality of life."
 
• Targeting development to locations that already have infrastructure, and pursuing "environmental justice" in areas "where disinvestment and past industrial use caused pollution and a legacy of contaminated or abandoned sites. This partnership will help return such sites to productive use."
 
• Focusing federal funding on existing communities by encouraging transit oriented, mixed-use development, while safeguarding rural landscapes.
 
Meanwhile, on July 24, 2009, HUD announced the appointment of Shelley Poticha, a land-use and transportation expert, as senior adviser for sustainable housing and communities. Poticha would be in line to head the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities at HUD if the department is successful in creating that office through legislation. The Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities would provide technical and policy support for energy, "green" building and integrated housing and transportation programs at HUD and around the nation.
 
The group has only just begun its work, and it will be a while before it produces tangible results. In addition, the news releases announcing the partnership don't use the word "sprawl" per se. But the issues raised are all related, and the phrase "livable communities" — also part of the promise — is sprinkled liberally throughout the documents. So the panel's creation does take a step towards fulfilling Obama's promise. We rate it as In the Works.