Transit Oriented Development
Affordable, accessible, sustainable communities are essential to a healthy urban environment, but development on the edges of existing cities has become a common form of urban growth. Transit oriented development, or TOD, is one way to achieve smart growth and re-direct urban development towards a more sustainable model.
 

Brownfield Development
The greatest challenge to pursuing smart growth through the revitalization of brownfield sites is the need to level the playing field between greenfield and brownfield development.  By creating voluntary cleanup programs (VCPs) states can begin to rectify this imbalance. 
 

Rob Puentes – Infrastructure
There is not enough money to build and maintain our nation’s transportation network from today’s taxes. Instead of raising fuel taxes or introducing new forms of user fees, state lawmakers are responding to demand by allowing local governments to raise funds locally and are changing the basis of transportation finance.
 

Dean Baker – Pay As You Drive
People can be given a substantial incentive to reduce driving simply by changing the way insurance is billed. Switching from the current system of insurance pricing to a pay-by-the-mile system would give people a strong incentive to drive less and increase their use of public transportation.
 

 Legislative Briefs

Clean Cars
The exhaust from internal combustion engines contains many harmful by-products that are a danger to public health. States can mitigate this danger by enacting stricter emissions standards.
 

Building Rehabilitation Codes
The housing stock in the United States is rapidly deteriorating. The rehabilitation and reuse of old structures can both increase the supply of affordable housing and decrease energy consumption.
 
Green Buildings
Buildings have a huge impact on our consumption of energy and the quality of our environment. Getting energy use and pollution under control, necessitates the implementation of stricter energy efficiency standards for new and existing buildings.
 

 Reports and Studies 

Connecticut's Department of Economic and Community Development
- State Economic Development Plan
This plan proposes a strategic course in five year intervals for the next 20 years, discussing transportation, housing market and affordability, education, workforce, healthcare, tech transfer, taxation, availability of capital, energy costs and supply, and culture and tourism.

Maryland's Governor's Workforce Investment Board -Maryland's Energy Industry Workforce Report: Preparing Today's Workers for Tomorrow's Opportunities
This report assesses the current and projected need for jobs in the "green" economy and develops 15 recommendations. Specific implementation strategies proposed in the report range from developing a bachelors degree in technical and professional studies to building competency models for targeted occupations.

 Environment America Research and Policy Center - Getting on Track: Record Transit Ridership Increases Energy Independence
To make us more energy independent and reduce pollution, we need to build a transportation system that uses less oil, takes advantage of alternative fuels, and shifts our travel to more energy efficient modes of transportation. The expansion of public transportation options addresses these concerns.

U.S. DOT/U.S. HUD - Better Coordination of Transportation and Housing Programs to Promote Affordable Housing near Transit
The report outlines strategies developed by FTA and HUD to continue and expand coordination in the area of mixed-income and affordable housing near transit over the 3-year period between FY 2008-FY2009.

Pew - The Clean Energy Economy
The emerging clean energy economy has grown considerably— extending to all 50 states, engaging a wide variety of workers and generating new industries. Between 1998 and 2007, its jobs grew at a faster rate than overall jobs.

Brookings – Bridge to Somewhere
Periods of strategic investments in our nation’s transportation infrastructure have turbocharged growth and transformed the country, but America’s transportation infrastructure has not kept pace with the growth and evolution of its economy. Our nation needs a federal transportation program that keeps pace with today’s economic, social, and environmental landscape.
 

Brookings -- Funding and Devolution
Metropolitan areas require greater control of the transportation spending so crucial to their dynamism. As Congress debates the reauthorization of the federal transportation spending bill, emphasis should be placed on devolving decision making to metropolitan areas and away from statewide agencies.
 

NGA – Funding Transportation
States face significant and immediate challenges in transportation finance. Investment is insufficient to meet demand and  federal policy may shift transportation funding away from grant support to the states.
 

WRITR – Intermodal Transporation Planning at State DOTs
State departments of transportation are concerned primarily with highway construction. Despite growing pressures to consider a more intermodal model, state DOTs must continue to strive to develop a more comprehensive approach to planning
 

CHP – Combined Housing and Transportation Burdens
Many working families face a basic tradeoff between paying a greater share of their income for housing or enduring long commutes and high transportation costs. States and municipalities should make transportation and economic development decisions based on bringing affordable housing closer to family supporting jobs.
 

TCRP&NCHRP -- Collaborative Multimodal Decisions
The current challenge for transportation managers is to manage their resources better. That means maximizing opportunities and dollars and making a commitment to connect modes, assess capacity investments, and tap into information systems designed to promote transportation access.
 

PWM&P -- Revisiting Transportation Planning
Transportation planning in most states and cities is failing to plan for multi modal transportation systems and is often politically driven. It is the market, defined by trip purposes, that can provide a link from the theory to the reality of transportation planning and investments.
 

ICFI -- State Transit Funding
The accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best solved through a coordinated program of cooperative research.