Over at NYC Streetsblog, Ben Fried reports that the "Livable Streets Vibe" that's coming out of Washington is becoming part of how President Obama's USDOT presents itself when it takes its act on the road. Reporting from the New York Metropolitan Council's annual meeting, Fried caught Vice Admiral Thomas Barrett, Deputy Secretary at U.S. DOT talking about the role that USDOT can take in creating stronger communities:
The one-size-fits-all transportation project is going to have to giveway to one that’s more tailored to preserving and enhancing thequalities -- the sustainability, the environmental qualities, thecommunity values -- that make each city, each county across thiscountry special. We're looking to sustain and build communities --reinforce them in ways that work.
Let's hope that LADOT and Caltrans don't look at the call to change from a "one-size-fits-all" approach as an excuse to widen more highways.
