Press Releases News
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
NEW YORK (January 13, 2011)—The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) presented its innovative web service, Abogo, earlier today at the Inman Real Estate Connect conference session on “the coolest new real estate apps” for 2011.
Abogo (abogo.cnt.org), a combination of the words “abode” and “go,” is a web tool based on the idea that housing location and transportation costs are interrelated. Abogo helps people consider both together by allowing users to type in an address and calculate the transportation costs for a typical family. Transportation costs include car ownership, gas and transit expenses.
“Housing and transportation are a household’s two biggest costs, but people don’t think about the transportation implications of the home they choose,” said CNT Social Ventures Associate Adam Mays. “Abogo helps people make a better decision about where to live by revealing the cost of transportation at a given location. Our new Abogo app allows people to learn the transportation costs of a house as they’re walking through it.”
Abogo uses data and calculations from CNT‘s Housing + Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index (htaindex.cnt.org), the nation’s most comprehensive assessment of household transportation costs by location. The H+T Index presents housing and transportation cost data as maps, charts and statistics for neighborhoods in 337 metro areas, enabling users to compare the relative costs of communities within a region. Importantly, the H+T Index quantifies how choosing to live in walkable, transit-connected neighborhood can lower household expenses and one’s impact on the environment.
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CONTACT:Emily Robinson, Center for Neighborhood Technology, erobinson@cnt.org, 773-269-4043
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Monday, December 13th, 2010
CHICAGO (December 13, 2010)—A set of 22 policy recommendations released today make a case for how Chicago’s next leaders can apply sustainable development principles to strengthen the city’s economy. The Center for Neighborhood Technology’s “Investing in a Better Chicago” argues that investing in strategies that make the city more sustainable will also make the economy more productive and resilient. The CNT report calls for increased energy conservation, improved transportation options, prioritized development around transit nodes, and wide deployment of green infrastructure. All would save money, create jobs, conserve resources, and combat climate change.
“Sustainable development is economic development,” said Kathryn Tholin, CEO of CNT. “Now more than ever, Chicago needs leaders who champion policies that create jobs, increase residents’ incomes, are fiscally responsible, and protect the environment. Implementing these sustainability recommendations will help Chicago emerge from the current recession as home to the nation’s most productive place to live and work.”
Chicago has a reputation as a sustainable city, but it has unrealized potential when it comes to increasing the productivity of its urban economy. Realizing that potential requires investing in the assets that will make business, households and government run more cheaply and efficiently in the long term. Meanwhile, expensive inefficiencies force people to pay too much to conduct business and live their lives. The city’s future leaders can do their part to support Chicago’s long-term productivity by making sustainable development the guiding ethos of public decision making. CNT mailed each mayoral and aldermanic candidate a copy of its recommendations last week.
“The efficient use of resources is a basic tenet of good business, and it also applies to urban areas,” said Scott Bernstein, president of CNT. “That simple concept has driven CNT’s work for 32 years. We are committed to working with the city’s next leaders to help Chicago reach its full potential.”
“Investing in a Better Chicago” has four key strategies that call on the next mayor and City Council to:
- Ramp up energy conservation with efficiency retrofits of the city’s buildings and other cost- and energy-saving measures.
- Improve transportation alternatives, encourage development around transit, and champion Chicago’s rail assets so people and products can travel affordably.
- Strengthen benchmarks and incentives to encourage value-enhancing green infrastructure to manage stormwater and avoid costly flooding to private property.
- Reduce climate change emissions by pursuing the above strategies and implementing low-carbon, low-cost goals for municipal operations.
“Chicago is at risk of falling behind other regions and cities unless it takes additional steps to improve its productivity as an urban area,” said Jacky Grimshaw, CNT vice-president of policy. “By investing rather than spending, Chicago’s new leaders can position us to be the most productive, competitive, environmentally conscientious, livable and profitable city in America in the 21st century.”
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CONTACT:
Emily Robinson, Center for Neighborhood Technology, erobinson@cnt.org, 773-269-4043
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Monday, October 25th, 2010
October 25, 2010 (Chicago IL) – The Center for Neighborhood Technology’s My HomeEQ project was one of nine projects selected to receive funding through the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s national competition soliciting ideas for scalable approaches to spurring energy efficiency retrofits of existing buildings in the United States. Launched in April 2010, the selection process was highly competitive, with 372 pre-proposals submitted by organizations in 44 states. The process included review by a panel of experts in real estate, finance, construction, efficiency technologies and government policies. More information on the competition can be found at www.ddcf.org/retrofits.
CNT will refine and launch the online MyHomeEQ tool for homeowners interested in how to retrofit their homes for greater energy efficiency. The tool will calculate and display a home’s actual energy use, allow for comparison with similar homes based on location and type of house, provide customized recommendations for energy efficiency improvements, and offer information about local contractors and financing opportunities.
“MyHomeEQ will make it easy for homeowners to make energy improvements to their homes and, ultimately, to enable the real estate marketplace to value the improvements,” said Anne Evens, director of CNT Energy, a division of CNT.
The MyHomeEQ project will focus on the Chicago area for the initial roll-out and will develop a business plan for how to expand to other metropolitan areas.
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For more information contact:
Stephanie Folk, CNT Energy
Phone: (773) 269-4085
E-mail: sfolk@cntenergy.org
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Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
CHICAGO (October 20, 2010)—Forty-two municipalities in Chicago’s south suburbs have been awarded $2.3 million in federal funds to implement a revitalization strategy that will make better use of the region’s established rail infrastructure to focus the development of housing in transit-oriented neighborhoods, attract jobs and foster smart growth. The award is part of $40 million in competitive grants made possible by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Sustainable Community Challenge Grant program.
At the same time, the south suburbs received a grant of professional services from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Smart Growth Assistance Program.
“Our communities have a thoughtful, coordinated plan to revitalize the Southland in a sustainable way,” said Ed Paesel, Executive Director of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA), the recipient organization of the HUD grant and a government association that provides technical assistance and joint services to member municipalities representing a population over 650,000 in Cook and Will Counties. “The federal award is exactly what we need to attract more investment and fast track the great initiatives we already have started here.”
The Sustainable Community Challenge grant recipients are required to meet six livability principles, including providing more transportation choices, promoting affordable housing, enhancing economic competitiveness, and leveraging investments.
The south suburban plan—developed by SSMMA and the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), with support from the Metropolitan Planning Council and a broad range of partners—epitomizes the program’s livability principles. SSMMA will use the federal award to create a land bank and acquisition fund to assemble and maintain properties near transit stations that will be developed into sustainable communities with strong connectivity between households, jobs, and amenities. The EPA professional assistance grant will be used to guide SSMMA and its partners in structuring the land acquisition fund and bank. The initiative will acquire more than 60 acres of land near transit nodes that will lead to the development of over 700 housing units in the next five years and approximately $500 million in construction activity.
The initiatives funded by the Sustainable Community Challenge grant are part of a larger multi-jurisdictional strategy known as the Chicago Southland Green TIME Zone, which emphasizes development around transit, intermodal freight industries, green manufacturing and environmental stewardship. The comprehensive plan is a culmination of years of work among institutions and organizations throughout the region, who committed financial matches as part of SSMMA’s application to HUD. The Green TIME Zone strategy aims to attract 13,000 jobs and $2.3 billion in new income to the area over the next 10 years.
“The south suburbs is poised to thrive in a green economy—with its skilled workforce, transportation infrastructure and proximity to Chicago and international freight hubs,” said Scott Bernstein, President of CNT, a Chicago-based national leader in research and demonstration projects for sustainable development and a long-term strategic partner of SSMMA. “Our innovative redevelopment plan serves as a model for communities across the country similarly endowed with passenger and freight rail assets. Today’s award announcement brings the Green TIME Zone plan closer to fruition.”
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CONTACT:
Emily Robinson, Center for Neighborhood Technology, erobinson@cnt.org, 773-269-4043
Janice Morrissy, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, jmorrissy@ssmma.org, 708-922-4672
About SSMMA: Located south of the City of Chicago, the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) is an intergovernmental agency providing technical assistance and joint services to 42 municipalities representing a population over 650,000 in Cook and Will Counties. SSMMA members work cooperatively on transportation, legislation, land use, economic development, recycling, purchasing, stormwater and open space planning, infrastructure, human resources, public safety and housing issues. www.ssmma.org
About CNT: Founded in 1978, CNT is a Chicago-based think- and do tank that works nationally to advance urban sustainability by researching, inventing and testing strategies that use resources more efficiently and equitably. Its programs focus on climate, energy, natural resources, transportation, and community development. CNT is one of eight nonprofits selected from around the world to be recognized by a 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Visit www.cnt.org for more information.
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Monday, October 18th, 2010
CHICAGO (October 18, 2010) – The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) announced today that it has selected CNT Energy, a division of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), to coordinate the implementation of a $25 million dollar federal grant for energy efficiency retrofits for the region’s buildings. Over the next three years, the CNT Energy team will oversee completion of more than 8,000 energy efficiency retrofits, leverage more than $500 million in local investments, and create more than 2,000 jobs.
The program, known as the Chicago Region Retrofit Ramp-up (CR3), is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). CMAP and its partners, the City of Chicago and the City of Rockford, have created an innovative program that will transform the retrofit market, generate large scale retrofit activity and serve as a national model for other building retrofit efforts. CNT Energy leads a team that includes the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC), Shaw Group, Delta Institute and Renewable Funding.
“The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning is excited about this new partnership in the implementation of the CR3 program,” said Randy Blankenhorn, CMAP executive director. “Under the leadership of CNT Energy and the team they have assembled, we are tapping into the brightest and best minds on energy efficiency, which will be a significant part of making the CR3 program a success.”
The team will put its nationally recognized planning, researching and retrofitting capabilities to work removing barriers that prevent large-scale participation in the retrofit marketplace.
“We’re excited and ready to make the region’s building stock more energy efficient,” said Anne Evens, director of CNT Energy. “A huge part of the team’s job is to help homeowners and building owners sort through the complexities of making energy efficiency improvements. We’ll connect them with the information, financing and trained workforce they need to get the job done and start saving on their energy bills.”
CNT Energy currently administers the Energy Savers program, an energy efficiency program for owners of multifamily buildings in the Chicago region. Since 2007, Energy Savers has retrofitted 2,800 housing units, achieving typical energy savings of 30 percent. CNT Energy’s experience and success running Energy Savers helped it secure the implementation role for the CR3 program.
“CNT Energy has the energy efficiency expertise and the project management experience needed to expand the building retrofit market throughout the Chicago metropolitan region and Rockford,” said Sandeep Sood, a building owner who has retrofitted six buildings through the Energy Savers program. “The team’s expert advice, along with their one-stop-shop approach, made it easy for me to make improvements that would have been extremely difficult without their help.”
“Given that 70 percent of the Chicago region’s global warming emissions come from operating our buildings, it’s crucial we improve their energy efficiency,” said Evens. “The beauty in retrofits—like most thoughtful climate-friendly initiatives— is that what’s good for our pocketbooks is also good for the environment.”
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For more information contact:
Stephanie Folk, CNT Energy
Phone: (773) 269-4085
E-mail: sfolk@cntenergy.org
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Monday, October 18th, 2010
CHICAGO (October 18, 2010)— The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD) today launched a first-of-its-kind web database to provide access to comprehensive information about more than 4,000 transit zones across the United States. The web tool will help developers, investors, and city officials make planning decisions that take advantage of development opportunities around transit nodes.
The TOD Database, available at http://toddata.cnt.org, provides information on density, demographics, occupation and transportation habits of households near 4,160 existing and proposed fixed-guideway transit stations, including commuter rail, streetcars, light rail, bus rapid transit and ferries. Spanning Honolulu to Portland, Maine, the database synthesizes 40,000 data fields at half mile and quarter mile buffers around fixed rail stations to create a user-friendly web site that allows people to view maps of various transit regions and choose data reports for stations of interest. Users can also query data by geography or demographics. The TOD Database is a product of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, a partnership among the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Reconnecting America and Strategic Economics.
“The Federal Transit Administration’s goal is to partner with communities that want to develop smart transportation solutions that will inspire new economic development, reduce congestion and our dependence on oil, and help connect people with work, school, or the doctor’s office,” said Therese McMillan, deputy administrator of the FTA, which funded the creation of the TOD Database. “Having the best data available at your fingertips will help cities, neighborhoods, and developers, achieve the goal of a more livable, walkable community that benefits all of their residents.”
“When talking to potential developers, this site will be great to give them detailed reports surrounding station areas, and the same is true for retailers who want to know about foot traffic in the area,” said Craig Sklenar, a city planner for Evanston, Illinois. “This will help any city develop really good TODs.”
When transit-oriented development is planned and implemented effectively, it is economically and environmentally beneficial to cities and families of all incomes. Dense, walkable, transit-rich neighborhoods can be more affordable, because a typical household owns fewer cars and drives less than a household in a dispersed, car-oriented community with no access to transit. TOD projects make economic sense for cities as well, since development around transit nodes make use of existing infrastructure, avoiding the expense required to install new infrastructure in greenfield locations on the urban fringe. Because they reduce transportation-related pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, TOD projects are better for the environment.
“We created the TOD Database as a one-stop shop for information on TOD to encourage more transit-focused communities in the marketplace,” said Scott Bernstein, president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology. “We’ve provided research on 4,160 transit-centered opportunities for smart development decisions that are good for people’s pocketbooks and the economy.”
“The web-based TOD Database is an exciting step for us,” said CTOD Director Sam Zimbabwe. “In the six-year history of the partnership, we have always sought to empower good decision-making and sound investment by communities large and small. We’re excited to take this step and look forward to incorporating more information over the next year as it becomes available through the U.S. Census.”
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CONTACT:
Emily Robinson, Center for Neighborhood Technology, erobinson@cnt.org, 773-269-4043
Becky Sullivan, Reconnecting America, bsullivan@reconnectingamerica.org, 202-429-6990 x206
The Center for Transit-Oriented Development (CTOD) is the only national nonprofit effort dedicated to providing best practices, research and tools to support equitable market-based transit-oriented development. CTOD partners with both the public and private market sectors to strategize about ways to encourage the development of high performing communities around transit stations and to build transit systems that maximize development potential. CTOD works to integrate local and regional planning, generate new tools for economic development, real estate and investment issues, improve affordability and livability for all members of the community, and respond to imperatives for climate change and sustainability. The Center for TOD is a partnership of Reconnecting America, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and Strategic Economics. For more information go to CTOD’s website at http://www.ctod.org.
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Monday, August 16th, 2010
CHICAGO (August 16, 2010)—The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) announced today that it is providing its ground-breaking transportation cost information to the popular website WalkScore.com.
Walk Score, which allows users to obtain a “walkability” rating for a specific location based on the number of nearby amenities, is using data from CNT’s Housing + Transportation Affordability Index (H+TSM Index) to give its users a sense of transportation costs and environmental impact for a neighborhood . CNT’s H+T Index is the nation’s most comprehensive assessment of household transportation costs by location.
“The time and money spent commuting is lost forever,” said Josh Herst, CEO of Walk Score. “By incorporating CNT’s Housing + Transportation Index into our commute reports, we are increasing the transparency of transportation costs and empowering people to make more informed decisions about where they live and work.”
The H+T Index presents housing and transportation cost data for neighborhoods in 337 metro areas, enabling users to compare the relative costs of communities within a region. The H+T Index is a robust transportation model that quantifies household transportation costs using census data, residential density, transit access, employment proximity, and block size. Importantly, the H+T Index illustrates how choosing to live in walkable, transit-connected neighborhood can lower household expenses and one’s impact on the environment.
“When choosing where to live, the housing costs of a neighborhood are readily available, but the costs of getting around are hidden,” said Scott Bernstein, president of CNT. “Our data reveals a neighborhood’s hidden transportation costs and gives people a much better sense of a community’s affordability.”
CNT is making its transportation cost data available through an application programming interface (API), which allows partner sites, such as Walk Score, to integrate average transportation costs and carbon impact with their own content.
“We’re pleased to have Walk Score as our first API partner,” said Linda Young, CNT’s research director. “People need a complete picture of affordability when making important decisions about where to live, and CNT is excited to work with other groups to disseminate this information as far and wide as possible.”
The API provides a link to CNT’s new consumer-oriented website Abogo (Abogo.cnt.org). A combination of the words “abode” and “go,” Abogo allows users to type in an address and find the average transportation costs for a typical household living at that location. Transportation costs include car ownership, gas and transit expenses.
CNT’s H+T research on housing affordability has implications for the nation. Based on a traditional definition of housing affordability — households spend 30 percent or less of their income on housing — seven out of 10 U.S. communities are considered “affordable” for the typical household. But when the definition is expanded to include housing and transportation costs — households spend 45 percent or less of their income on the two expenses — only four in 10 communities are affordable to households earning the area median income. CNT’s data allows users to locate communities that fit their housing and transportation budget.
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About CNT: Founded in 1978, CNT is a Chicago-based think-and do tank that works nationally to advance urban sustainability by researching, inventing and testing strategies that use resources more efficiently and equitably. Its programs focus on climate, energy, natural resources, transportation, and community development. CNT is one of eight nonprofits selected from around the world to be recognized by a 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Visit www.cnt.org for more information
About Walk Score: Walk Score is the flagship product of Front Seat, a civic software company based in Seattle, WA. Walk Score rates any address based on its proximity to nearby amenities (grocery stores, restaurants, schools, public transit, etc.) and promotes walkable neighborhoods for their economic, environmental and health benefits. Walk Score delivers 3 million scores per day across a network of over 4,000 Websites. According to independent research conducted by CEOs for Cities, one point of Walk Score is worth as much as $3,000 in home value. Visit www.walkscore.com for more information.
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Thursday, July 8th, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8th, 2010
Contacts: Steve Wise, CNT, 773-269-4042
Nicole Gotthelf, CNT, 773-269-4029
Katherine Baer, American Rivers, 202-347-7550
CNT Applauds Senators Udall and Whitehouse for Their Leadership on Clean Water Issues
[Chicago, IL] — The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is pleased to announce that Senator Udall (D. NM) and Senator Whitehouse (D. RI) have introduced the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2010 (S. 3561) to the Senate.
Green infrastructure offers a 21st century approach to managing our nation’s stormwater. By replicating, restoring, and protecting the natural hydrology of the landscape, water is infiltrated where it falls, filtering out contaminants and reducing the volume of stormwater that overwhelms our water infrastructure systems. From the neighborhood scale rain barrel to a watershed scale system of green roofs, permeable pavements, and wetland restoration, green infrastructure has the flexibility and economic viability to protect and restore clean water supplies for communities.
“It’s time for Congress to move green infrastructure to center stage in our national water strategy,” said Jacky Grimshaw, Vice President for Policy at the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago. “Green infrastructure creates healthier, more vital communities, protects clean water, saves energy, and helps to build green jobs. The Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act will extend EPA’s partnership toward sustainable communities by expanding cost- and ecologically effective green infrastructure.”
“This legislation emphasizes the importance of green infrastructure as a cost-effective alternative to traditional hard infrastructure fixes. By establishing a precedent of green infrastructure solutions, this approach can become a new norm rather than just a demonstration,”said Katherine Baer, Senior Director, Clean Water Program at American Rivers.
This bill will increase research and development of innovative green infrastructure techniques, promote the use of green infrastructure in permitting and regulations within EPA, and provide incentive funding to communities to plan, develop, and install green infrastructure technologies.
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Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
National H+T Index Counts Housing and Transportation Costs for 337 Metro Areas, Highlights the High Costs of Transportation in Many Communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new analysis by the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) shows that only two in five American communities—or 39 percent—are affordable for typical households when their transportation costs are considered along with housing costs.
The Housing + Transportation (H+TSM) Affordability Index, unveiled today, examines 337 metro areas across the country—encompassing 161,000 neighborhoods and 80 percent of the U.S. population—and provides the only comprehensive snapshot of neighborhood affordability by accounting for combined housing and transportation costs associated with a community. The H+T Index and its accompanying report, Penny Wise, Pound Fuelish, illustrate the direct link between household transportation costs and the location and design of neighborhoods and transit options.
Under the traditional definition of housing affordability (30% or less of household income spent on housing), seven out of ten U.S. communities are considered “affordable” to the typical household. But in almost all metro regions of the country, when the definition of affordability includes both housing and transportation costs—at 45% of income—the number of communities affordable to households earning the area median income decreases significantly. Nationally, the number of affordable communities declines to 40 percent, resulting in a net loss of 48,000 neighborhoods with combined housing and transportation costs that stress the average family’s budget.
“Across the nation, families are dealing with the economic crisis and looking at their bottom lines to determine how they can save money and plan for the future,” said Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). “The H+T Index provides valuable information about the two biggest household expenses, housing and transportation. This index will help policymakers level the playing field to improve location efficiency, and it will help lenders educate consumers about the trade-offs and costs associated with their housing choices.”
For most families, transportation is the second largest household expense. The new analysis shows that for many families in “drive ‘til you qualify” zones, savings realized from lower cost housing are eliminated by unexpectedly high transportation costs. Yet, it is difficult for consumers and policymakers to estimate the full costs of a location, including the cost of both housing and of transportation. This lack of information can lead families to unknowingly make housing decisions that cause them to live beyond their means as gas prices rise and commutes grow longer. A community’s average transportation costs can range from 12% of household income in efficient neighborhoods with walkable streets, access to transit, and a wide variety of stores and services to 32% in locations where driving long distances is the only way to reach essential services.
“The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to have funded the H+T Index as part of our initiative to promote equitable and sustainable transportation,” said Nick Turner, Managing Director at The Rockefeller Foundation. “This unique tool will give consumers the opportunity to make more informed decisions about where they can afford to live, and help provide policy makers with data to develop new policies and targeted investments that can reduce transportation costs. Transportation costs are often the second highest expense for working Americans – and the Rockefeller Foundation’s initiative is committed to helping Americans re-think our transportation future as a critical way to expand economic opportunity.”
The failure to provide Americans with affordable transportation and compact neighborhoods that support pedestrians and cyclists as well as drivers, increases the financial pressure on families, resulting in unstable household budgets, lack of savings, and even foreclosure, and places communities across the country, particularly those with inadequate transportation options, at greater risk.
“In recent years we have seen foreclosures increasing faster in outer suburbs than in central cities. When gas prices peaked in 2008, families in many regions saw their transportation costs soar by $3000 per year or more. When communities have few transportation options and require driving long distances for basic necessities, already stressed household budgets are very vulnerable to spikes in gas prices and rising transportation costs.” said Scott Bernstein, president and founder of CNT. “The H+T Index gives a reliable estimate of each neighborhood’s average household transportation costs, a strong move toward a “no surprises, no sticker shock” home buying or renting experience.”
The H+T Index is the nation’s most comprehensive assessment of household transportation costs by location. The H+T Index is an innovative tool that analyzes transportation costs at a neighborhood level and allows users to view housing and transportation data as maps, charts and statistics for 337 metro areas, revealing the relative costs of communities within a region.
To explore the H+T Index or obtain a copy of Penny Wise, Pound Fuelish visit: http://htaindex.cnt.org/.
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ABOUT CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY
Since 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has been a leader in promoting urban sustainability – the more effective use of existing resources and community assets to improve the health of natural systems and the wealth of people, today and in the future. CNT is a creative think-and-do tank that combines rigorous research with effective solutions. We have tackled a wide range of issues, always with an eye toward simultaneously improving the environment, strengthening the economy, and advancing equity. We work across disciplines and issues, including transportation and community development, energy, natural resources, and climate change. CNT is one of eight nonprofits selected from around the world to be recognized by a 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. More information is available at www.cnt.org.
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Friday, March 19th, 2010
HIDDEN COSTS OF TRANSPORTATION PUT HOUSEHOLDS & COMMUNTIES AT RISK
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Rockefeller Foundation to discuss federal action to redefine affordability, call for disclosure and smarter investment in transportation choice
Download this media advisory (PDF)
WHAT: On Tuesday, March 23, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) will join experts from the Center for Neighborhood Technology and the Rockefeller Foundation to discuss the findings of the new Housing + Transportation Affordability Index and its accompanying report, Penny Wise, Pound Fuelish. The Index for the first time examines 337 metro areas across the country—encompassing 161,000 neighborhoods and 80 percent of the U.S. population—to provide the only comprehensive snapshot of neighborhood affordability by taking into account the transportation costs associated with neighborhood location and design.
The H+T Index is an innovative tool that allows users to view maps and statistics for 337 metro areas, revealing where transportation costs have the greatest impact on affordability within each area. The H+T Index shows that once transportation costs are factored into the definition of “affordable housing,” the number of affordable communities drops in almost every metro area in the country, putting a total of 48,000 American communities out of reach for the typical family.
WHO: U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Secretary Shaun Donovan, Housing & Urban Development (tentative)
Secretary Ray LaHood, Department of Transportation (tentative)
Scott Bernstein, President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology
Randy Blankenhorn, Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Nick Turner (moderator), Managing Director of the Rockefeller Foundation
WHEN: Tuesday, March 23, 2010
11:00 AM EST
RSVP: Contact Paula Chrin Dibley, pchrin@mrss.com, 202-478-6138, for call-in information.
WHY: For most families, transportation is the second largest household expense. The new analysis shows that for many families in “drive ‘til you qualify” zones, savings realized from lower cost housing are eliminated by unexpectedly high transportation costs. This lack of information can lead families to unknowingly make housing decisions that cause them to live beyond their means as gas prices rise and commutes grow longer. A typical household’s transportation costs can range from 12% of household income in efficient neighborhoods with walkable streets, access to transit, and a wide variety of stores and services, to 32% in locations where driving long distances is the only way to reach essential services. Despite this expense, it is difficult for consumers and policymakers to estimate the full costs of a location, including the cost of both housing and of transportation. The H+T Index fills the void, giving an accurate assessment of affordability in 337 metro areas for the first time.
CONTACT:
PAULA CHRIN DIBLEY, 202-478-6138
PCHRIN@MRSS.COM
KATLYN CARTER, 202-478-6176
KCARTER@MRSS.COM
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Since 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has been a leader in promoting urban sustainability – the more effective use of existing resources and community assets to improve the health of natural systems and the wealth of people, today and in the future. CNT is a creative think-and-do tank that combines rigorous research with effective solutions. We have tackled a wide range of issues, always with an eye toward simultaneously improving the environment, strengthening the economy, and advancing equity. We work across disciplines and issues, including transportation and community development, energy, natural resources, and climate change. CNT is one of eight nonprofits selected from around the world to be recognized by a 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. More information is available at www.cnt.org.
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