BY ROXANNE BLACKWELL, HON. ASLA

Portland Mall Revitalization, ASLA 2011 Professional General Design Award of Excellence, designed by ZGF Architects LLP. Image courtesy ZGF Architects LLP.

FROM ASLA'S THE DIRT BLOG

 

The House of Representatives just passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which makes significant investments in the nation's transportation, water, renewable energy, and broadband infrastructure. The legislation incorporates 13 of the transportation, water, and natural resource policy recommendations sent by ASLA's Government Affairs team to the leaders of congressional transportation and infrastructure committees and the Biden–Harris administration.

The legislation includes a five-year reauthorization of transportation programs and dramatically increases funding for safe, active, and low-carbon transportation programs such as the Transportation Alternatives Program, the Safe Routes to School program, and the Complete Streets initiative.

The package creates new programs that will allow landscape architects to lead projects nationwide. These include the Healthy Streets initiative as well as programs to remove invasive plants, create habitat for pollinators on highway rights-of-way, and plan and design new wildlife crossings.

There are also some first steps to address the legacy of environmental and social inequities in cities created by highways that have divided communities for decades. The Reconnecting Communities program provides $1 billion to remove highways and reconnect communities through multimodal transportation options, boulevard-like green spaces, and new connections to economic opportunity. These are projects landscape architects are poised to lead.

The legislation increases funding for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund programs, which landscape architects will be able to access to help communities address their water quality and quantity issues.

The legislation will also create five new Stormwater Centers of Excellence. These will enable landscape architecture educators to explore new types of nature-based green infrastructure methods to improve existing designs and strategies for financing and rate setting, public outreach, and professional training. Read more of this post