I found out upon arriving in Washington D.C. on my recent trip that I had unintentionally scheduled the visit with absolutely perfect timing. I discovered that the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee (part of the Appropriations Committee) had scheduled a series of hearings entitled, “Livable Communities, Transit Oriented Development, and Incorporating Green Building Practices into Federal Housing and Transportation Policy” over two days. The first hearing hosted Ray LaHood and Shaun Donovan, the Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The second hosted John Norquist, president and CEO of CNU and former mayor of Milwaukee, Robert Puentes, Senior Fellow of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute, Grace Crunican, Director of the Department of Transportation in Seattle, Mary A. Leary, Senior Director of the Easter Seals Transportation Group.
It was a fascinating experience for me. I had never been to Washington D.C. before, let alone a subcommittee hearing. Apparently, this was the first time the secretaries of these two departments came before the Subcommittee in a very long time. It was clear that the Chairman, John W. Olver (MA), has been pressing for more cooperation between DOT and HUD to promote more sustainable communities for even longer. When asked how he felt about their appearance at the hearing he responded by saying, “I will admit that I am pleased” with a proud smirk, which recieved a roar of laughter from the crowd.
I’ve linked the full testimonies below:
Ray LaHood
Shaun Donovan
John Norquist
Robert Puentes
Grace Crunican
Mary A. Leary
