SPOTLIGHT: Transportation

Reuters/Mike Segar - Passengers board and disembark from a train at the Times Square Subway station in New York.
Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer, December 16, 2008
Nevada, Idaho and Colorado lead the way in ending car dependence, according to a first-ever ranking, as do the metro areas around Austin, Indianapolis and Atlanta. A new Brookings report by Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer shows that other modes of transit grow in popularity, even as gas prices drop, suggesting a need for dramatic shifts in the way we fund transportation, build our communities and address greenhouse gas emissions.
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Transportation, Federalism, Highways, Traffic, Environment
SPOTLIGHT: Auto Industry

Reuters/Rebecca Cook - Chrysler assembly workers work on 2009 Jeep Wranglers at the Toledo Supplier Park Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, December 3, 2008.
Howard Wial, December 12, 2008
Emergency federal funds will keep General Motors and Chrysler solvent for a few more months but the automakers’ outcome is still uncertain. If plants are closed, a blow is struck to the regional economies of 50 metropolitan areas. Most are located in the Great Lakes region, but the loss of jobs and income would stretch to metros as far flung as Huntsville, AL; Ogden, UT; and Ithaca, NY.
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Auto Industry, U.S. Economy, Labor Markets
SPOTLIGHT: Infrastructure

Reuters/Andy Clark - Workers dig a trench for a transit line.
Robert Puentes, December 10, 2008
Today’s fiscally-constrained environment demands a new approach to infrastructure policy both for short-term stimulus and long-term prosperity. In this backgrounder, Robert Puentes outlines a strategic infrastructure investment path to upgrade our existing system, expand choices in moving people and goods and move us closer to energy independence.
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Infrastructure, Transportation, Highways, Traffic, Federalism
INTERMOUNTAIN WEST

Wikicommons - The Central Avenue business district skyline in Phoenix, Arizona
Friday, November 21, 2008
8:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Phoenix, AZ
On Friday, November 21, authors of the recent Brookings report "Mountain Megas" held a forum in Phoenix to discuss how the Sun Corridor and other "megapolitan" areas of the Intermountain West could better organize their energies and amplify their collective voice to achieve a more productive partnership with a changing government in Washington.
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Demographics, Regions and States, Community Development, U.S. Economic Growth
UPCOMING EVENT: Invest in Infrastructure for Long-Term Prosperity
Monday, January 12, 2009
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
President-elect Obama is preparing plans for an immediate economic stimulus package. At the same time, his new administration must consider how to make investments that will stabilize and strengthen our economy over the long term. On January 12, the Metropolitan Policy Program’s Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes will present their recommendations on bolstering infrastructure and investing in other economic drivers that can enhance long-term prosperity. Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell will offer the opening remarks.
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Infrastructure, Competitiveness, U.S. Economy, Cities, U.S. Department of Commerce