Livable Communities
Earl is a champion of quality of life issues. I think when he starting the Congress he was a little bit of a lonely voice, but gradually people have seen the connections between the big issues that take up the headlines and the day to day issues of how people live, how they interact, how they commute.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
The building blocks of livable communities are:
• Transportation Choices
• Equitable, Affordable Housing
• Economic Competitiveness
• Cooperation and coordination along several levels of government
• Planning for future population growth and energy consumption
• Embracing and enhancing the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe, and walkable neighborhoods—rural, urban, or suburban
Earl is working hard to help local governments create livable communities where people are safe, healthy and economically secure. He has created and chairs the Livable Communities Task Force, an initiative of the Democratic Caucus dedicated to recognizing 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.
He has introduced pieces of legislation, like the Active Community Transportation Act and Green Routes to Work that include walking, biking, mass transit, and telecommuting incentives, making communities healthier and saving money.
As a result of these efforts and because of the great work done here in Oregon, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan chose Portland State University to announce the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities. This project propels Oregon thinkers onto the national stage by examining the nexus of affordable housing and mass transit. This office is just one element of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities (which includes the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency) where 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.
In almost four decades of public service, Earl Blumenauer's innovative accomplishments in transportation, planning, environmental programs and public participation have helped Portland, Oregon earn an international reputation as one of America's most livable cities.