Recent Streetsblog LA posts about President Obama

Crunching June Stimulus Numbers: Roads Create Pricier Jobs Than Transit

By Elana Schor | Aug 19, 2009 | No Comments

Transportation spending under the economic stimulus law created close to 15,000 jobs in June, or three times as many as were created in May, according to estimates released today by the U.S. DOT. (Photo: Cleveland Plain Dealer) Those numbers are bound to hearten Obama administration officials who have defended the stimulus’ 6-percent investment in infrastructure […]

Ad Nauseam: What “Cash for Clunkers” Hath Wrought

By Ben Fried | Jul 24, 2009 | 18 Comments

The government’s Cash for Clunkers program officially begins today, but car dealers have been running ads like this one for a while already. They have to keep the public informed: Now you can trade in your old car and buy a brand-new SUV or pick-up truck with a hefty assist from Uncle Sam. Here we […]

Obama’s Agenda for Cities: Enough Talk

By Ryan Avent | Jul 14, 2009 | No Comments

In closing his speech to a roundtable on urban and metropolitan issues, given yesterday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Barack Obama quoted Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, who famously urged men to "make no small plans." It’s a nice line for leaders with big goals, but it’s worth noting that Burnham wasn’t all talk. Does […]

Obama Talks Urban Policy as LaHood Seeks More Urban Transpo Money

By Elana Schor | Jul 13, 2009 | No Comments

The White House Office of Urban Affairs, which has drawn criticism for its inactivity at a rocky economic time for the nation’s cities, capped a day-long summit today with a speech by President Obama. Referencing his formative years as a Chicago community organizer, Obama urged the mayors, governors, and Cabinet secretaries who attended the urban […]

Obama Keeps Roads Out of National Forests — For a Time

By Elana Schor | May 29, 2009 | 1 Comment

Paved roads are a fact of life in most of the country, but should they be permitted in the nation’s protected forest areas? The Obama administration says no, as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack affirmed today in a directive that prohibits road construction in nearly 50 million acres of forest land. Alaska’s Copper River Highway runs […]

Flashback: Obama Once Led Push for ‘Complete Streets’

By Elana Schor | May 28, 2009 | No Comments

With Congress out of town on its Memorial Day break, the nation’s capital is a quiet place to be — but all of that will change next week, as the appearance of the House transportation bill is expected to kick off an intense battle to reshape federal policy on transit, bikes, roads and bridges. Before […]

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