Public Transportation Funding: Who Pays, Who Benefits and What's the Impact on Low-Income and...
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”Public Transportation Funding: Who Pays, Who Benefits and What’s the Impact on Low-‐Income
and Communities of Color?” November 20, 2013
UH News Executive Director Position Available
Shared office for rent @ Urban Habitat
Land Use/Affordable Housing Coordinator Position Available
Our Approach • Policy Advocacy • Mobilizing and Educating Community Coalitions around Policy
• Training Advocates to become Decision-‐Makers
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Executive Director, POWER People Organized to Win Employment Rights
Alicia Garza
Co-‐Director, CCHO Council of Community Housing Organizations
Peter Cohen
Regional Transportation Funding Plan Bay Area 2012 – 2040
Total = $292 Billion Federal , $33
Regional, $42
State , $49
Local, $153
Federal
Regional
State
Local
• Revenue to Implement Plan Bay Area
• Alameda County: Proposed Increase in County Sales Tax
• San Francisco: Package of Investments for 2014 with AddiFonal Proposal for 2016
2014 Ballot
Measure B3 (“B3”) was a proposal to extend and expand the current ½ cent sales tax that is dedicated to transportaFon in Alameda County to be a permanent full-‐cent sales tax dedicated to transportaFon. Voters were asked (2/3 required) in 2012 to approve a 30 year expenditure plan that will determine how $7.7 billion would be spent on a range of projects and programs.
Alameda County Measure B3
• Funding for transit operaFons sufficient to restore AC Transit service to 2009 levels;
• Funding for a county-‐wide free bus pass program for middle and high school students for the length of the measure;
• CondiFoning funding to ciFes for transit-‐oriented development on affordable housing provision and anF-‐displacement measures; and
• ProtecFng the maintenance of the exisFng system against giant transit capital expansion projects, like the BART to Livermore project, that have a track record of siphoning limited transit funds away from maintenance and operaFons.
Alameda County Measure B3 UH Goals in 2013
• Mayor’s TransportaFon Task Force: $3 billion in proposed revenue for Capital Improvements
• 2014: Vehicle License Fee (VLF) esFmated to generate $70m annually (Eligible for OperaFons & Capital)
• Two $500 million General ObligaFon Bonds (ELIGIBLE for Capital Use Only)
• 2016: Proposed ½ Cent Sales Tax (Eligible for OperaFons & Capital)
2014 Ballot San Francisco
• Nature & Impact of Revenue Measure • Proposed Expenditures • Path to the 2014 Ballot • MUNI service shorZalls • MUNI service shorZalls • Equity analysis & Oversight • MUNI affordability & Free Muni for Youth
SF Transportation Justice Response to Task Force
Peter Cohen San Francisco Council of Community Housing Organizations
Demystifying TOD/Smart Growth
• Transit Oriented Development • Smart Growth • Urban Infill • Compact Development • New Urbanism • Green Development • Sustainable Communities • Livable Communities
Call it whatever you want…
Or mix several terms together to get: “Compact, walkable, transit-‐oriented, mixed-‐use communities that preserve and enhance natural resources…”
TOD/Smart Growth is driven by an environmental vision of protecting land and resources “At Risk” from sprawl development pressures.
an Urban Green Utopia Smart Growth Principles 1. Mix Land Uses 2. Take Advantage of Compact Building Design 3. Create a Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices 4. Create Walkable Neighborhoods 5. Foster Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place 6. Preserve Open Space, Farmland, Natural Beauty and Critical Environmental Areas 7. Strengthen and Direct Development Towards Existing Communities 8. Provide a Variety of Transportation Choices 9. Make Development Decisions Predictable, Fair and Cost Effective 10. Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration in Development Decisions (from smartgrowth.org)
For starters… A “green” urban utopia is not necessarily an
EQUITABLE urban utopia. Especially in low-income communities, and especially in “hot market” regions like SF Bay Area.
The “Boom” of 1990s, and again the Boom today
are cautionary tales.
How could there be any downside?
Smart Growth: San Francisco
New Urbanism: Oakland
The point here is not to dismiss Transit-‐Oriented-‐Development or Smart Growth…
But to insist that the hard questions about unintended consequences not be ignored.
If Smart Growth is to be a “better” way of transportation investment and land use development, it should also be a more equitable way of investment and development.
SB 375 PLAN BAY AREA
The Plan Bay Area big vision for Smart Growth
→ 70% of all future development and population growth in existing urbanized areas = so called “Priority Development Areas”
And the TOD transit investment strategy is expected to drive (no pun intended!) that PDA land use development pattern.
The Plan also identifies “Communities of Concern” throughout the urbanized Bay Area
As it happens… Many of the “Priority Development Areas” are also where the “Communities of Concern” exist
Which puts people in those communities “At Risk” for gentrification and displacement from infill development pressures.
Plan Bay Area, and smart growth vision in general, has “flipped” the growth and development challenge – taking the pressure off the environment while creating new At Risk places (and people) in cities. Both big and small.
Plan Bay Area, and smart growth vision in general, has “flipped” the growth and development challenge – taking the pressure off the environment while creating new At Risk places (and people) in cities. Both big and small.
“The Plan meets target”
• A local case study
Will low-‐income communities benefit from “smart” development, or simply
be in harm’s way?
So what do we do?
Another way to Smart Growth
6 Wins for Equity Affordable Housing: More affordable housing near jobs, reliable public transit, good schools, parks and
recreation within healthy neighborhoods Investment Without Displacement: Investments and incentives that strengthen and stabilize
communities vulnerable to gentrification and displacement Robust and Affordable Local Transit Service: Local bus service that is frequent, reliable, and affordable,
connecting people to opportunity, and Free Youth Bus Passes in communities where students depend on public transit to get to school
Healthy and Safe Communities: Healthy and safe communities have clean air, are connected by robust
public transit, and provide safe walking and bicycling access between housing, economic opportunities, and essential destinations
Economic Opportunity: More quality green jobs, transit-‐related jobs, and access to economic
opportunity for marginalized populations within communities of concern and throughout the region Community Power: Greater power for working class people of color in local and regional decision-‐
making
Advocating the ‘Equity, Environment, Jobs’ alternative for Plan Bay Area
Though not everyone agrees…
If it’s not EQUITABLE, it’s not TOD/Smart Growth.
”Public Transportation Funding: Who Pays, Who Benefits and What’s the Impact on Low-‐Income
and Communities of Color?” November 20, 2013