12 local community outreach organizations attended the latest Equity Express “train-the-trainer” workshop

Energy consumption, transportation utilization, food purchases, and communication expenditures comprise approximately 40 percent of a monthly budget; once these expenses are paid, households, especially those with low to moderate incomes, have barely enough money for housing and general living expenses, and savings are out of the question.  With little to no money in the bank, these households have no financial security, leading to elevated stress levels and reduced quality of life.  Equity Express demonstrates that by making simple, environmentally mindful changes in energy, transportation, food, and communication costs, a household can increase its financial security while enjoying a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, energy consumption, transportation utilization, food purchases, and communication expenditures comprise approximately 40 percent of a monthly budget.

While these lessons taught by Equity Express are simple, their impact is significant. Participants in the program report savings of over $100 per month, an amount that can help build a financial safety net when unexpected costs arise.  And, as one attendee of the recent workshop attested, “this program changed my life forever.”

Through a combination of environmental and financial education, “train-the-trainer” sessions facilitate discussion between community outreach organizations, allowing them to effectively host Equity Express workshops and foster financial stability in their communities.  According to one trainer, “I learned new things and shared resources, made new connections and contacts.”  Another, excited to pass on the lessons of Equity Express, stated, “Everything I learned here will be useful for me, my family, and clients.  I LOVED IT.”

Trainers are invited to continue the collaborative educational process by attending monthly meetings of the Equity Express Chicago Learning Network.  These meetings allow trainers to share their progress in implementing Equity Express workshops, solve potential problems, and celebrate victories.

“Train-the-trainer” workshops are held approximately twice a year.  CNT is planning to host the next workshop later this year. Contact CNT Social Ventures Associate, Adam Mays, to learn more.

Knoxville region - from the PlanET "Project Information Sheet"

Transit currently exists in Knoxville in the form of underutilized bus lines due to dispersed patterns of housing and retail development.  The majority of the population lives in suburban and exurban communities that are not easily accessed by bus, which makes driving the default way to get around. As part of PlanET, Knoxville hopes to build a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system that will improve public transit efficiency and encourage residents to leave their cars at home some of the time.

Proposed BRT system in Knoxville - from a presentation by the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission and the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization entitled "Regional Transit Corridors Study: Building a Sustainable Region"

Before BRT can be successfully implemented, however, housing and retail density must increase near transit stops.  CNT conducted a market analysis of selected Knoxville area locations to assess the potential for transit-oriented development (TOD).  CNT measured aggregate income, location efficiency, and demographics to identify areas where TODs can unlock pent up market potential. TODs are characterized by compact development, mixed uses, and amenities built around transit stations. Our analysis showed that prioritizing investment in underused lots in the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Tennessee, Market Square, and other locations in the city of Knoxville and several suburbs with mixed-use, mixed-income development would provide Knoxville with a solid foundation for sustainable, affordable, urban growth.

Transportation costs in the Knoxville region

In addition to providing a TOD analysis, CNT studied areas that were ideal for investing in cargo-oriented development (COD). The freight equivalent of TOD, CODs bring industrial and logistics firms to communities with freight infrastructure to support them and the workforce to fill new jobs. Developing industrial areas in a compact COD pattern creates efficiencies for businesses and workers alike, while improving the environment by reducing truck freight traffic and long auto commutes by workers. Metropolitan Knoxville is located on a major trade route through the Appalachian Mountains and is within a day’s drive of 70 percent of US markets, giving the region a prominent role in transferring cargo throughout the country.  Capturing the region’s logistics opportunities will compliment efforts to expand high-tech manufacturing linked to the research capabilities of the University of Tennessee and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

CNT identified 20 sites within Knoxville that have COD potential based on the combined assets of rail service, expressway connections, commodity transload facilities, existing concentrations of industrial businesses and workers, and, in some cases, airport access or river port facilities. Several of these locations also have the capability to host an intermodal container terminal—a facility where goods packed in international shipping containers are shifted between trains and trucks. The development of a modern intermodal terminal is an essential step for East Tennessee in realizing its potential as a logistics and manufacturing hub.  The current and potential COD areas identified in CNT’s analysis all lie in priority corridors that form a  “T” pattern along the joint I-40/75 expressway as it extends west from downtown Knoxville and I-140 as it runs north-south between Oak Ridge and the Alcoa-Maryville-Airport district.  Concentrating new industrial development within these corridors would allow workers to get to work without driving a car, minimize truck traffic, offer good-paying jobs, and attract new, economy-boosting businesses.

CNT identified 20 sites within Knoxville that have COD potential, forming a “T” pattern along the joint I-40/75 expressway.

The research, planning, and community outreach needed to create the final version of PlanET is funded by a combination of local support and a $4.3 million Regional Planning Grant for Sustainable Development (RPSD) provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  PlanET will enable the counties of eastern Tennessee to prioritize goals for regional development and craft a process for implementing these goals based on data and community support. By implementing CNT’s TOD and COD recommendations, Knoxville will be able increase its density, improve its affordability, enhance its economy, and ensure its cost of living remains low for decades to come.

“CNT’s Water program is embarking on very exciting and very important work over the next two years, and we’re extremely pleased to have Ryan on board to shape and implement our initiatives,” said Harriet Festing, CNT Water program director.

Ryan joins CNT from Conservation Design Forum, a sustainable site design and engineering consultancy, where he lead planning and design for demonstrations of urban green infrastructure. Among his most successful projects are the first phase re-development of the Woodlawn Center South neighborhood and the Industrial Corridors Stormwater Basin Planning, one aspect of the Chicago Sustainable Strategies Initiative. Ryan is actively involved in the research and design of innovative green infrastructure practices as landscape architect for The Plant, Chicago’s vertical farm and food business incubator. He is also a design educator with Archeworks, a non-profit design and build school that utilizes collaboration, prototyping, and community engagement to apply design thinking to issues of social and environmental justice.  Ryan is a registered landscape architect and LEED accredited professional. He received a BLA from the University of Georgia’s College of Environment & Design.

María Choca Urban, transportation and community development director at CNT, set the stage with an overview of the Prospering in Place report. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Oak Park Village President David Pope followed her with their stories of policies and planning initiatives that bring CNT’s report to life. The three talks resulted in a layered perspective of the economic benefits that are possible when numerous municipalities come together to pull off significant investments in transportation infrastructure.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, along with Oak Park Village President John Pope, brought stories of policies and planning initiatives that bring CNT’s report to life

In her remarks, Pres. Preckwinckle voiced support for the report recommendation that urges decision makers to prioritize transportation and real estate investments in places that are primed for growth. The president endorsed the creation of transit- and cargo-oriented developments (TODs and CODs, respectively), especially in southern suburbs like Harvey and western suburbs like Cicero, which have existing transit and freight infrastructure and a high potential for immediate COD success that would benefit the entire region.

Pres. Preckwinkle also said her staff has been investigating the feasibility of developing a land bank in Cook County, such as the Cook County Land Bank Proposal circulated by Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer, which would give the county authority to consolidate small plots of land into bigger parcels, eliminating costly assembly legwork for potential industrial developers. By maintaining a regional perspective on new transit and freight developments, Preckwinkle argued, Chicago has the opportunity to create an integrated system of sustainable transportation that can be used as a model worldwide.

Oak Park Village President David Pope echoed Preckwinkle’s call for regional integration of transportation development. The proliferation of sprawl and the reduction of public transportation options is a regional problem and its solutions, therefore, must be addressed regionally, he stated. He said trying to make Oak Park succeed without considering the health of nearby communities like Forest Park or Berwyn ignores the interconnected nature of neighborhood economies, to everyone’s detriment. Reliable public transportation increases employment opportunities for residents, and helps create vibrant places where people want to spend their time and money. Collaboration between municipalities to create a robust, people-oriented transportation network can only yield positive economic results.

With the support of Pres. Preckwinkle, Village President Pope, and others in the room, I left the event hopeful that the region’s decision-makers are thinking about ways to work together in implementing the ideas outlined in Prospering in Place to the benefit of the regional community. Stay tuned to Going Places for updates on more exciting transportation developments as they occur.

One resource is the Transportation for Communities site. Full disclosure: I sit on a federal committee that directs research on transportation issues and funded development of this site as a way to disseminate information to stakeholders, from the long-range transportation planner to the woman worried about service expansions for the commute route that gets her to work each day.

Transportation for Communities - Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP) is a decision support tool, built from the experiences of transportation partners and stakeholders, which provides how-to information when it is most needed.

A little overwhelming at first for the transportation neophyte, spend some time with the site and you’ll find guidance on how to insert yourself in a planning process. You’ll also get information about what the different types of transportation planning entail. Transportation for Communities is especially useful for people who work in transportation, since it shares best practices and case studies from across the country that may be of use in other communities.

Here in Chicago, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning has done a great job involving the public in GO TO 2040, which is the region’s long-term transportation plan. Now in the implementation phase, CMAP staff engage local businesses, officials, and citizens in every step of their projects. Involving stakeholders builds the political will to fund the programs which will enhance millions of lives.

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning has done a great job involving the public in GO TO 2040, the region’s long-term transportation plan.

As a CTA board member and a member of many federal committees, I deal with large transportation projects on a daily basis, so I know first-hand of the extensive operation, building, maintenance, and extension costs that go into these developments. Big projects require a lot of time and a lot of coordination among agencies and officials. It’s easy to leave out the customers in the interest of time and efficiency.

It’s a partnership: transportation professionals can’t make an end run around the public, and the public can’t shirk their responsibility to pay attention and get involved.

The goals outlined in the 2010 accord will never come to fruition without consistent funding, however, and even Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s new Infrastructure Trust may be able to finance new projects, like transit, but we’ll still need a dedicated way to maintain and upgrade them down the road. So, this past Monday, April 23, I attended the Earth Day Transportation Summit to discuss financing options for regional transportation.

During breakout sessions, all attendees were asked to discuss a set of funding options and rate each according to soundness of public policy, ease of implementation, feasibility of enactment, and potential for growth. Based on those criteria, here are the ideas that were most popular:

- Indexing taxes to inflation was the revenue option that most people supported. Currently, the state motor fuel tax (MFT) is 19 cents per gallon for gasoline, a price that has remained unchanged since 1991. Raising the MFT to reflect inflation would result in a tax of 32 cents per gallon, almost double the current rate.  Even a small raise in the MFT would generate a significant sum: according to CMAP’s GO TO 2040 plan, an increase by eight cents, with a subsequently applied inflation index, would generate $19.4-billion dollars in revenue by 2040.

- Congestion pricing received the second highest ranking among summit attendees. Under congestion pricing, drivers would be required to pay a toll when entering or leaving the city or designated zone (cordon pricing); to pay an increased toll during preset rush hours regardless of traffic (fixed pricing); or to pay fluctuating tolls based on real-time congestion.  Commuters would have to then choose to spend more on transportation, find an alternate (non-toll) route, or (the optimum goal) utilize public transit.  GO TO 2040 estimates that revenue from congestion pricing could generate up to $12 billion dollars by 2040.

Is congestion pricing the best way to fund transit? Photo by Joe Bergantine

- A surprise winner, in third place, was increasing parking fees. If parking fees are higher, drivers can weigh the costs of parking when they decide on travel options.  If driving is the chosen mode, they are less likely to stay in one spot for extended periods of time, thus reducing street congestion caused by drivers looking endlessly for a parking spot.   But, since street parking in Chicago is currently leased to Chicago Parking Meter LLC, this measure would primarily affect parking lots and suburbs where the RTA has the authority to raise fees in parking lots associated with malls, movie theaters, and private garages.  Parking fees are easily implemented, however, and the idea garnered widespread support.

All of the methods we discussed for creating a dedicated transportation revenue stream are feasible.  The biggest roadblock is a lack of political will from our leaders.  My hope is that the new focus on how we pay for infrastructure—brought about by discussion of Chicago’s new Infrastructure Trust—will keep these issues on the table and embolden our political leaders to start making difficult but important decisions about funding our transportation system for the long run.

About halfway through the interview, Hobson asked kind of an offbeat question about where Mayor Emanuel gets his inspiration. The mayor cited Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles but didn’t say exactly why.

Chicago or L.A.? Photo credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

I think what Mayor Emanuel was referring to was Villaraigosa’s very innovative plan to build out his city’s public transportation system much faster than what’s typical for infrastructure projects of that scale. The plan is certainly inspiring and something we here in Chicago should be discussing as a model for funding our own transit needs. Here’s the back story:

It all started with Move LA, a project of community partners that set a goal and vision for expanding transit options for Angelenos. After a year of building support, Move LA got a measure on the ballot in 2008 to create a dedicated funding stream for new transit projects. With 68 percent of the vote, Angelenos approved Measure R, a half cent sales tax increase that went into effect in 2009 to raise $40 billion over 30 years to revamp the transit system and double the amount of existing rail in the city.

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Mayor Villaraigosa took the plan to another level. Instead of accepting the anticipated 30 years it would take to fix LA’s transit system, he pushed to shorten construction time to 10 years by using the future Measure R sales tax revenue as collateral to get more money through a low-interest federal loan and long-term bonds.

Currently the Crenshaw Line, which would connect the Metro Green Line and Expo Line, has been authorized by the Federal Transportation Administration to proceed with project implementation. When all is said and done, Los Angeles will have a Westside subway extension, a regional connector to link downtown rail lines, a light rail extension to LAX airport, and bus-only lanes along some corridors. These projects will add 78 miles to the current transit system. On top of that, it is estimated that 160,000 jobs will be created, annual vehicle miles traveled will drop by at least 191 million miles, annual gasoline usage will decrease for 10.3 million people, and annual mobile source pollution emissions will decrease by 521,000 pounds.

Guess how much it’ll cost each LA resident? $25 a year. Would Chicagoans be willing to invest $25 per year for similar benefits? It’s something to think about as you wait for the next bus to show up or fill up your car with gas.

Equity Express is an innovative workshop curriculum that helps participants achieve goals by lowering expenses, living healthy, and helping the environment. Participants share strategies to reduce expenses on energy, transportation, communication and food, and discover how their choices affect their health and the environment. Households have seen savings up to $200 a month.

Organizations have used the curriculum to put on their own Equity Express Workshops, or integrated the materials in to their existing programs. Organizations using Equity Express include:

• Centers for New Horizons
• Aunt Martha’s
• Trinity United Church of Christ
• North Side Community Federal Credit Union

The free Train-the-Trainer workshop is a 2-day session that brings in staff from a variety of organizations for interaction and discussion. We invite up to two trainers from each organization. Breakfast and lunch are provided. The workshop will be held at CNT’s offices, 2125 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL.

Space is limited, so please contact Adam Mays (amays@cnt.org, 773-815-5985) if you are interested in attending, or would like more information.

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