Imagining the Next Metropolis
Moving Past Gridlock
At Brookings’ Global Metro Summit earlier this month in Chicago, Bruce Katz called on the federal government to act with purpose and intent to get the nation back on track. And despite the conventional wisdom that it is fundamentally broken — and broke — there are several key areas where Washington needs to act. READ MORE >>
Whither Go the BABs?
Without an extension by the end of December, the 2 year old Build America Bond (BAB) program will expire. As of this writing, both the Senate and House tax bills failed to include BABs as part of their packages. READ MORE >>
Why a Gas Tax Is About Deficit Reduction
One of the candidate recommendations from the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is to inc READ MORE >>
The Entropy of Earmarks
Now that both House and Senate Republicans have passed their earmark ban, what kind of impact would a binding moratorium have? The map shows the location of the 6,373 earmarks contained in 2005’s Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (aka the highway and transit bill). While it may appear there is some concentration in certain places, only about half of the total funding from these earmarks goes to the 100 largest metropolitan areas, home to two-thirds of Americans and producers of 75 percent of GDP. READ MORE >>
High Speed Rail=Free Puppies?
Despite Governor-elect Scott Walker’s strong desire to dedicate Wisconsin’s federal high speed rail money to the state’s highway network, it will stay high speed rail money. Use-it-or-lose-it is the clear message from Washington. That may be sinking in and Walker has now stated his preference to dedicating rail money to the state’s existing service, rather than building new. READ MORE >>
Slashing Spending and Boosting Infrastructure in the U.K.
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement last week of the U.K.’s plan to balance its books by slashing spending raised eyebrows across the globe. READ MORE >>
Unfinished Infrastructure Business
Following his Labor Day announcement of plans for $50 billion in infrastructure investments, President Obama chose another holiday--Columbus Day--to once again call for new investments in America READ MORE >>
Where Are the 'Recovery Summer' Stimulus Projects?
The Washington Post reported on a recent White House analysis of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That assessment found “strikingly few claims of fraud or abuse,” according to the article. Well, good! READ MORE >>
