Livability

Photo of Livable Community

Quote from Ray Lahood - Livability mean being able to take your kids to school, go to work, see a doctor, go to the grocery or post office, go to dinner and a movie, and take your kids to the park - all without having to get in your car.

Recent DOT Accomplishments

Livability Discussion Board Launched The Livable Communities Discussion Board is an online public forum for users to participate in discussion threads and engage with colleagues on questions and ideas related to livable communities. The site is an online community of practitioners from a range of fields, including transportation, land use, housing, environment, and economic development. Join the Conversation.

New Livability Resources Online The Livability Initiative has developed a library of materials to assist communities with building more livable communities.

Changes to New Starts Project Planning & Development The Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) discretionary New Starts program is the federal government's primary financial resource for supporting locally-planned, implemented, and operated transit "guideway" capital investments. On January 25, 2012, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood proposed a significant change in the way major transit projects compete for federal funds by streamlining the process and making decisions more responsive to local needs. Read more about the New Starts Program.

Supporting Sustainable Rural Communities Report Produced by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and USDA, this report features case studies showcasing rural accomplishments, sample funding and technical assistance opportunities, and performance measures rural communities can use to assess their progress.

Download PDF of the Supporting Sustainable Rural Communities report

Partnership for Sustainable Communities Code-A-Thon The Partnership for Sustainable Communities hosted a Code for Livability to bring together citizens, web developers, and agency staff to work on solutions that bring sustainability to the forefront of peoples’ everyday lives.