Brookings: Projects - Blueprint for American Prosperity

MetroMonitor: An Uneven Economic Recovery

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:55:33 GMT

Alan Berube, research director of Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy program, says the second MetroMonitor shows an uneven recovery, that economic gains in some regions of the country have been offset by an increase of financial instability in others.

Tracking Economic Recession and Recovery in America’s 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The second in a series of interactive quarterly reports, the MetroMonitor ranks the nation’s 100 largest metro areas—which generate three quarters of U.S. output—on key indicators of economic performance. This edition of the monitor reveals that, amid signs at the national level that job and income losses are slowing, metropolitan economies continued to perform at highly variable rates through June 2009. While several metro areas may have reached a turning point, there are many others that still have not touched bottom, as well as a few that have almost fully recovered.

Bay Area’s Economic Recovery Workplan: Guiding State Stimulus Spending

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A Bay Area economic development nonprofit selected among hundreds of proposals to craft a single ARRA implementation strategy that creates jobs in the short-term and lays the foundation for economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term.

Bay Area’s High Speed Rail Plans: Advancing 21st Century Regional Transportation

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To accelerate the arrival of regional high speed rail, a collaboration of Bay Area leaders proposes to use ARRA funds on the track and station upgrades that are both necessary for high speed rail but also enhance the safety, capacity, and performance of existing train operations. Brookings experts examine the proposals.

California’s Green Jobs Corps: Building Green Workforce Region-wide

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

California is piloting a regionally-based, public-private partnership-driven, green jobs training program for at-risk youth that leverages ARRA funds with local resources to bring together new collaborations of employers, community colleges, and workforce organizations.

Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts Modernize with New Broadband Infrastructure: Advancing Regional Connectivity

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To modernize the communications infrastructure in Southeastern Massachusetts, a regional public-private partnership is pursuing ARRA funds to install hundreds of miles of fiber optic cable and create a shared, multi-purpose regional data center.

A Chicago-Area Retrofit Strategy: Coordinating Energy Efficiency Region-Wide

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A regional nonprofit plans on using ARRA funds to boost its current retrofit and weatherization activities in the short-term while promoting greater regional cooperation and expanded services in the long-term.

Chicago’s Multi-Family Energy Retrofit Program: Expanding Retrofits With Private Financing

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The city of Chicago is using ARRA funds to introduce a new program for retrofit delivery that relies on private sector financing and energy service companies to target property owners of lower-income multi-family homes.

Implementing ARRA: Innovations in Design in Metro America

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this framing paper, Mark Muro, Sarah Rahman and Amy Liu highlight the work of some of the most creative recovery act implementers in metropolitan America, noting that their efforts to innovate come against the grain of federal “business-as-usual.”

Chicago’s Southern Suburbs Focus on ARRA: Coordinating Inter-Suburban Recovery

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A group of 40 struggling Chicago-area suburbs are utilizing a pre-existing multi-jurisdictional neighborhood stabilization strategy as a framework for linking multiple ARRA funding flows to support community development, energy efficiency and infrastructure upgrades.

Greater Flagstaff’s Integrated ARRA Initiatives: Linking Green Recovery Goals

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Flagstaff and Coconino County, AZ are working together on ways to reduce the communities’ high utility costs by using ARRA money to jump-start a drive to retrofit targeted households’ homes while drawing on newly trained local workers.

Kansas City’s Green Impact Zone: Targeting ARRA for Neighborhood Uplift

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This comprehensive plan to address a struggling 150-block urban zone in Kansas City utilizes multiple ARRA funds and other resources to train and employ the jobless to perform various energy-efficient and green infrastructure projects in the area.

Memphis Blueprint for a City of Choice: Advancing Joint City-County Recovery

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The city of Memphis and Shelby County, TN along with local business leaders have developed a blueprint to transform the core city into a choice place for living and working by investing ARRA dollars and other funding sources into human capital, government efficiency and economic growth.

New York State’s New Green Jobs Program: Linking Financing and Job Training Statewide

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A new state program would draw on potential stimulus funds to establish a statewide revolving loan fund to accelerate mass-scale building energy efficiency audits and retrofits, and collaboratively expand opportunities for green workforce development and job placement.

Metro Philadelphia’s Energy Efficiency Strategy: Promoting Regionalism to Advance Recovery

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A new regional entity is coordinating five counties in a joint application for competitive Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants that calls for new retrofit loan financing, a technology deployment fund, technical assistance to local governments around energy efficiency plans, and energy performance measurement of public buildings.

Energy Efficiency: Better Lightbulbs and Beyond

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Moving beyond President Obama administration’s new lightbulb standards, Mark Muro and Jonathan Rothwell of the Metropolitan Policy Program note the need for broader policy interventions to shrink the carbon footprint of the built environment.

Puget Sound’s ARRA Coordination: Facilitating Regional Stimulus Applications

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Seeking to bring together potential regional partners and coordinate requests for ARRA funding, the Puget Sound Regional Council has launched an online clearinghouse, message board and blog, as well as bi-weekly meetings, to inform area leaders about ARRA programs and process and opportunities for collaboration.

Puget Sound New Energy Solutions: Scaling Up for Regional Sustainability

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Using ARRA funds in the short-term to seed a long-term initiative, a consortium of cities, counties, and local utilities in the Puget Sound area have banded together to advance innovative sustainability solutions in that region.

A New Generation of Federal Housing Policy

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Before the Center for Housing Policy’s Learning Conference on State and Local Housing Policy in Chicago, IL, Bruce Katz outlined a new architecture for national housing policy for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

California Metros Hit Hard by Recession

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Most California cities are experiencing the worst economic downturn since the Depression; most Texas cities are not. Based on a new Brookings analysis on the nation's largest metropolitan areas, Alan Berube explains that “a lot depends on what a metro area's firms and workers do, and what its housing market did in the lead-up to the crash.”

Seattle’s Green Building Capital Initiative: Partnering for Citywide Retrofits

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment will put ARRA funds to work providing home energy efficiency audits and retrofit financing, in partnership with regional utilities and area nonprofits.

Washington D.C. Suburbs Join Together for NSP2: Combining Regional Scale and Local Flexibility

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Six suburban jurisdictions around Washington DC came together under the leadership of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to submit a joint NSP2 application that combines a region-scale loan fund with local-level flexibility in delivering homebuyer assistance and redeveloping select foreclosed properties for affordable rental housing.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Carefully Prioritizes Stimulus: Strategically Selecting ARRA Transit Projects

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To select the most high-impact, ready-to-go projects for stimulus funding, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority conducted a new, agency-wide structured process that will also serve as the framework for future capital needs decisions.

Congress Plans a Transportation Overhaul

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Federal gas taxes are drying up and the nation’s highway bill is set to expire this fall. In that context, Robert Puentes analyzes the House proposal to revamp U.S. transportation policy and the administration’s call for an 18 month delay to ensure “better investment decisions."

Youngstown Region Collaborates on NSP2: Taking a Multi-jurisdictional Approach to Recovery Priorities

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Nine cites have submitted one joint application for the second round of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program that draws on at least 20 different regional institutions to take a multi-pronged approach to addressing the area’s problems with foreclosed, abandoned, and vacant properties.

Metropolitan Areas Reveal Unevenness of the Recession

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:52:06 GMT

When it comes to the U.S. economy, not all areas of the country are created equal. A new Metropolitan Policy Program report on the health of America’s metropolitan economies reveals that different parts of the country are experiencing the recession in different ways. Alan Berube says the study shows that broad-based recovery efforts are not the only answer to the complexities of the recession.

Waxman-Markey: What About Innovation?

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The climate change bill now winding its way through the House of Representatives has significant components dedicated to energy innovation and clean energy technology development and deployment. However, Mark Muro argues, funding the Department of Energy’s budget request for innovation would more immediately establish American alternative energy leadership.

Budget 2010: New Investments in Transforming America’s Schools and Workforce

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The detailed FY 2010 federal budget reveals many elements of the administration’s strategy to achieve needed reforms in schooling and worker skills. Alan Berube analyzes the significant steps in the departments of Education and Labor budgets toward a national economic strategy that invests strategically in human capital to improve our collective prosperity.

Budget 2010: Sustainability and Quality Places

Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Jennifer Bradley argues that sustainable growth strengthens existing cities and communities, conserves fiscal and natural resources, and advances U.S. efforts to address climate change and achieve energy independence—a central theme of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program’s Blueprint for American Prosperity

ARRA and Metropolitan Policy: A Preliminary Assessment

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

At the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership meeting in Minneapolis, MN, Alan Berube outlined strengths and limitations of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act from a metropolitan perspective.

Budget 2010: A New Embrace of Regional Innovation

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The in-depth versions of President Obama’s first budget released in early May detail a number of significant direct and indirect investments in the innovation capacity of U.S. metropolitan areas. Several of these proposals reflect ideas generated by Metropolitan Policy Program experts.

Budget 2010: Signaling Changes in Federal Transportation Policy

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Puentes discusses how President Obama’s FY 2010 budget holds the baseline on transportation infrastructure spending with slight increases at the modal agencies at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Transforming America’s Community Colleges: A Federal Policy Proposal To Expand Opportunity and Promote Economic Prosperity

Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To renew America’s status as the world’s leader in college attainment, the federal government needs to transform America’s community colleges and equip them for the 21st century. This report outlines a structure for this long-overdue investment and proposes to establish national goals and a related performance measurement system; provide resources to drive college performance toward those goals; and stimulate greater innovation to enhance the quality of sub-baccalaureate education.

To Make Clean Energy Cheaper, U.S. Needs Bold Research Push

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro and Teryn Norris urge policy-makers to move innovation and commercialization to the fore of America’s outdated energy policy. They advocate creating regional energy partnerships—or e-DIIs—to accelerate the development of reasonably priced alternative energy technologies and bring them to the marketplace.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is Not Alone in its Financial Struggles

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Transit agencies across the United States are facing service cutbacks and fare increases in order to close their budget gaps. The largest, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), is no exception. Robert Puentes and Emilia Istrate offer recommendations for closing the MTA’s budget gap.

Metro Potential in ARRA: An Early Assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

America’s national economic crisis is also a metropolitan crisis, because metropolitan areas are the true engines of the national economy. So it matters intensely how well the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) empowers metropolitan leaders to boost prosperity. This paper finds that although ARRA is limited in its support for creative metropolitan-area implementation, it delivers critical investments in what matters to metros and holds out significant opportunity for metropolitan empowerment and problem-solving.

Creating Livable Communities: Housing and Transit Policy in the 21st Century

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Before a special session of the Senate Banking Committee, Robert Puentes discussed the coordination of transportation and housing policy and its role in developing livable communities. Among others things, he stressed the need for the federal government to assist states and metropolitan areas in one of their hardest tasks: transcending the stovepiping of disparate programs that remains a serious cause of undesirable development outcomes.

Supporting Integrated Planning and Decision Making by Joining Up Housing and Transportation

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee, Robert Puentes examined the linkages between housing and transportation, calling for increased awareness of these connections and a federal policy that simultaneously promotes the economic vitality and environmental quality of metropolitan areas.

Miracle Mets: How U.S. Metros Propel America's Economy and Might Drive Its Recovery

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

U.S. metropolitan areas are the under-recognized engines of America’s economy, and the nation must adjust its federal system—and American federalism—to support them so they can lead us back to prosperity, write Bruce Katz, Mark Muro, and Jennifer Bradley in a major framing essay for Democracy: A Journal of Ideas.

Federal Energy R&D: Do It All - But Differently

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Some say America needs to deploy existing green technology quickly while others say the nation needs to stress new scientific breakthroughs. Mark Muro says both camps are right, and that MPP’s proposal for the federal government to create a series of energy discovery-innovation institutes (e-DIIs) suggests a way to make progress on both counts.

Commercial Innovation Gets Nod in Obama’s Budget

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro explains how President Obama’s first budget makes important gestures toward putting commercial innovation at the center of national economic concern.

Sustainability and Quality Places

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Jennifer Bradley argues that sustainable growth strengthens our existing metropolitan areas, conserves fiscal and natural resources and advances our nation’s efforts to address climate change and find alternative sources of energy. She notes how President Obama's first budget advances some of these goals.

New Budget Marks Shift in Transportation Policy

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Puentes discusses how President Obama’s FY 2010 budget marks a shift in transportation policy, especially in mass transit. One proposal to create and fund a National Infrastructure would provide financial assistance to qualified and innovative infrastructure projects—from road and rails to ports and pipes—that matter to the nation as a whole or to a group of multiple states.

Human Capital and Support for Low-Income Workers

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alan Berube analyzes how President Obama's first budget places hopeful new emphasis on graduating more students from college. Community colleges enroll increasing numbers of students, but for several reasons fail to graduate most of them—particularly those from lower-income backgrounds—through to a degree or certificate.

Untangling Transportation Funding

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As the recent kerfuffle between Transportation Secretary LaHood and the White House spokesperson demonstrate, debate over transportation policy and funding is heating up fast. Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer suggest that, while that flap was about taxing miles traveled instead of, or in addition to, gasoline consumed, the comments provide a window into the long simmering quandary over how we move the nation.

What Happens in Vegas … Stimulates the Economy

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

President Obama might not have intended to knock Las Vegas when he admonished travel on the taxpayer’s dime, but Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman sure took it that way when he branded the comment “outrageous.” Mark Muro and Robert Lang write that we shouldn’t push austerity so hard that it is ultimately self-defeating. Sometimes junkets provide the truest form of economic stimulus.

Strengthening Our Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After years of benign neglect, the nation’s crumbling infrastructure is getting its public hearing. Bruce Katz delivered a major speech during a special session of the National Governors Association Winter Meeting dedicated to infrastructure financing, accountability and sustainability. He urged the critical importance of policy reform in shifting the infrastructure conversation from one focused on spending, to one focused on investing.

Can Metropolitan Leaders Make the Stimulus Package Work?

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

President Obama’s economic recovery package will succeed to the extent it juices metropolitan areas, the true engines of the U.S. economy. Mark Muro and Sarah Rahman argue that, for all the business-as-usual in Washington, the disconnected funding flows of the stimulus will strengthen the cause of regionalism in America.

Delivering Metropolitan Stimulus

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A historic fiscal experiment in this country will evolve in the weeks, months and years ahead as a $790 billion stimulus package is spent to revive America’s economy. Metropolitan Policy Program experts suggest how this money might be strategically deployed to invigorate our nation’s metropolitan areas, the sources of national prosperity.

The White House Office of Urban Policy: Form and Function

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Before a housing conference at the NYU School of law, and prior to the president’s executive order creating the office, Bruce Katz outlined his vision of the function and role of a White House Office of Urban Affairs. “The new office has a powerful bully pulpit to set a vision for how federal policy can unleash the potential of America’s urban and metropolitan areas given their changing role and function,” Katz told conferees.

Foreclosures and Stimulus: What’s At Stake for America’s Neighborhoods

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The final House-Senate compromise on the economic recovery package offers no boost for HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, established last year to help state and local governments mitigate the impact of foreclosures. Alan Berube and Alan Mallach argue that additional funds for the program (part of the House proposal omitted in the final bill) would provide much-needed assistance to local communities.

New Paradigms in Energy Research

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

February 09, 2009, 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM

With new national leadership committed to investing in clean energy technology, now is the time to explore new research paradigms in America. At this event, the Blueprint for American Prosperity released a new report that examines the role of expanded energy research in reinvigorating America’s metropolitan economies, tackling security challenges and responding to global climate change.

Stabilizing Communities: A Federal Response to the Secondary Impacts of the Foreclosure Crisis

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The wave of home mortgage foreclosures that began in 2006 continues to surge, greatly destabilizing neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the United States. However, the federal government has played a limited role to date in blunting its effects. This Blueprint policy brief argues for carefully-targeted federal policies to assist states and localities in mitigating the community-level impacts of foreclosure, and creating the conditions for ultimate housing market recovery.

Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes and the American Economy

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:53:06 GMT

Describing a proposed national network of regionally based Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes, Mark Muro highlights how these institutes would be aimed at creating jobs of the future and at transforming our metropolitan economies.

Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes: A Step toward America's Energy Sustainability

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

America’s economic revitalization and future energy security compel the transformation of U.S. energy policy. To push innovation to the center of national reform, this Blueprint for American Prosperity report argues that the federal government should establish a national network of regionally-based energy discovery-innovation institutes (e-DIIs) to serve as the hubs of a decentralized, commercialization-oriented research network.

The Nation's Driving Footprint

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:50:23 GMT

Metropolitan Policy Program Fellow Robert Puentes explains the historic trends that have reduced the nation’s “driving footprint” and urges a new vision that reflects the realities of Americans staying out of their cars.

The Road…Less Traveled: An Analysis of Vehicle Miles Traveled Trends in the U.S.

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Leveraging Infrastructure Investment Now and for the Future

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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.

The Sun Corridor as Mountain Mega: One of America's Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help It Prosper

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

November 21, 2008, 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM

The authors of the report, “Mountain Megas: America’s Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper” held a forum in Phoenix to discuss population growth and economic/demographic change in America’s Intermountain West.

Arizona Needs to get in the Federal Game

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro and Robert Lang in a recent Arizona Republic column discuss the major change of management in Washington, and urge “megapolitan” areas of the Intermountain West to better organize their energies and consider how to amplify their voice in national affairs as federal policy responses are renegotiated.

Getting Infrastructure Bang for the Buck

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this opinion piece published in the New Republic, Robert Puentes argues that President-elect Obama has a tremendous opportunity to connect infrastructure spending to broad national goals (such as economic competitiveness and environmental sustaianability). In this way the federal stimulus dollars can accelerate the right kind of projects in the right places, creating jobs and waking up related areas of the economy.

Land Banking as Metropolitan Policy

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A new Blueprint paper argues that the rising number of vacant and abandoned properties around the nation requires a more robust drive by the federal government to aid states and localities in land banking. The author, Frank Alexander of Emory University, recommends that federal policy should better capitalize local and regional land banking (the process or policy by which local governments acquire surplus properties and convert them to productive use), encourage code reform and regional collaboration.

Megapolitan Las Vegas: One of America’s Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help It Prosper

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

October 28, 2008, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM

On Tuesday, October 28, the authors of the report, “Mountain Megas: America’s Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper” held a forum in Las Vegas to discuss population growth and economic/demographic change in America’s Intermountain West.

Changing the Game: The Federal Role in Supporting 21st Century Educational Innovation

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

To resolve dramatic disparities in educational achievement and ensure future American workers are globally competitive, the federal government needs to change the game by catalyzing a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in public education. A new office within the Department of Education should partner with the private sector, philanthropy, and state/local governments to scale up successful educational entrepreneurs and seed transformative educational innovations.

Western Perspective: Mountain Megas

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro and Robert Lang in a recent Headwaters News column bring to attention the “New American Heartland” — the Intermountain West, noting that the region's signature issues increasingly reflect the nation's, whether it be road and rail infrastructure, job quality, immigration, or energy.

The Political Geography of Ohio, Michigan, and Missouri: Battlegrounds in the Heartland

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this analysis of what they term “the battleground states,” William Frey and Ruy Teixeira crunch the demographic and voting numbers to determine which voters will decide the 2008 presidential contest in Ohio, Michigan, and Missouri.

The Political Geography of Virginia and Florida: Bookends of the New South

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Political Geography of America’s Purple States: Five Trends That Will Decide the 2008 Election

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

October 10, 2008, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

A briefing on a new series of reports on the political demography of "purple" states in the 2008 election. Authors William Frey and Ruy Teixeira highlighted the political and demographic trends in the 10 battleground states: Virginia, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

A Small-town or Metro Nation?

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Jennifer Bradley and Bruce Katz examine the notion that America is still nation of small towns. Taking cues from Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin about her hometown of Wasilla, Bradley and Katz's metro area analysis shows that even so-called “small towns” like Wasilla are in fact part of larger metro areas, like Anchorage that contribute greatly to their state’s economy.

Assessing America’s Infrastructure Challenges

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this presentation Robert Puentes provides a deeper understanding of the range of demographic and market forces which effect American infrastructure and investment opportunities and possibilities therein.

Options for Metropolitan Transit Funding

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this testimony, Robert Puentes argues that congestion pricing holds the most promise for securing the financial future of New York City and its transit agency over the next several years. A recent proposal to charge drivers that enter a "congestion zone" in Manhattan was slated to raise more than a half million dollars annually for transit. The current funding challenges are bolstering the case for revisiting that proposal.

Demographic Trends Affecting Transportation in the U.S.

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this presentation Robert Puentes provides a deeper understanding of trends that are impacting metropolitan America and how those trends may impact the transportation demand and service in the coming decades. The presentation stresses several key points including dramatic changes in household formation, the increasing diversity reflected in both cities and suburban areas, and the key spatial effects on the American landscape.

Public Transit's Role in Reducing Dependence on Foreign Oil

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In Senate testimony, Robert Puentes argues that America's transportation system is "no longer aligned with the way we live or work, nor with the major economic, energy and environmental challenges facing the country." He outlines how federal policies for public transit can reduce dependence on foreign oil, encourage energy sustainability and promote economic efficiency.

Painting the Mountain States Blue

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Democrats plant their blue flag in America's newest, most geographically expansive "swing" region - the fast-growing, increasingly diverse, no-longer-reliably-Republican Intermountain West.

What the Delegates Can Learn From Denver

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

What will delegates take away from the Denver convention? Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley write that Denver is the shape of things to come. Denver and its region’s leaders collaborate across borders and program areas as a full-fledged metropolitan area. Metro areas are the true engines of our national economy and Denver gets it.

The Political Geography of the Intermountain West: The New Swing Region

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Long viewed as a GOP stronghold, the Intermountain West states have recently elected a number of Democrats in statewide races. In this analysis of what they term “the new swing region,” William Frey and Ruy Teixeira crunch the demographic and voting numbers to determine which voters where will decide the 2008 presidential contest in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Minneapolis: Our Bridge is Fixed; The Problem is Not

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The replacement for the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed one year ago is nearing completion. But, argue Bruce Katz and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, the calls for reinvestment in transportation infrastructure have not been heeded. As outlined by the Metropolitan Policy Program, the federal government needs to systematically identify, map and prioritize the nation-shaping projects that require federal investment, breaking radically from our current practices. It shouldn’t take another bridge collapse to teach us.

The Summit for American Prosperity Presentations

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:16:50 GMT

The Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution recently launched an ambitious, multi-year initiative to promote the health and vitality of America's urban clusters. In these presentations, Bruce Katz and Rob Puentes present policy ideas for improving the federal partnership with states and cities.

Mountain Megas: America’s Newest Metropolitan Places

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:15:00 GMT

Event Information:

July 22, 2008, 11:15 AM to 2:30 PM

On Tuesday, July 22, the authors of a new report, “Mountain Megas: America’s Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper” held a forum in Denver to discuss population growth and economic/demographic change in America’s Intermountain West.

New Urban Centers in the American West

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:42:26 GMT

A new Metropolitan Policy Program report states that parts of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado are becoming new urban centers with bright futures. But, they also face many challenges. Mark Muro, policy director for the Metropolitan Policy Program, says presidential contenders should take note of the issue.

Mountain Megas: America's Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this report, the authors describe and assess the new supersized reality of the Intermountain West and proposes a more helpful role for the federal government in empowering regional leaders’ efforts to build a uniquely Western brand of prosperity that is at once more sustainable, productive, and inclusive than past eras of boom and bust.

MetroPolicy for a MetroNation

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

To unleash greater local and national prosperity, U.S. metropolitan leaders need to be better equipped to deal with today’s increasingly dynamic economic, social and environmental realities. This summary outlines a new federal-state-metro partnership that provides metropolitan actors the support, capacity, tools and discretion they need to resolve key challenges; grow in more productive, inclusive, and sustainable ways; and, ultimately, to maximize America’s overall prosperity.

MetroPolicy: Shaping a New Federal Partnership for a Metropolitan Nation

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

To unleash greater local and national prosperity U.S. metropolitan leaders need to be better equipped to deal with today’s increasingly dynamic economic, social and environmental realities. This report calls for a new federal-state-metro partnership that provides metropolitan actors the support, capacity, tools and discretion they need to resolve key challenges; grow in more productive, inclusive, and sustainable ways; and, ultimately, to maximize America’s overall prosperity.

A Bridge to Somewhere: Rethinking American Transportation for the 21st Century

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Puentes calls on the federal government to empower major metropolitan areas by giving them direct transportation funding and the flexibility to make unbiased decisions between different modes of transportation. The federal government can then maximize performance by committing itself (and the recipients of federal funds) to an evidence-based, outcome driven, and benchmarked way of doing business.

From Urban Policy to Metro Policy: Cities and Suburbs Working Together

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:20:10 GMT

This luncheon plenary panel featured city and county leaders who represent the political, economic and demographic diversity of urban and suburban experiences found in America today. They showcased the rise of cities and suburbs "collaborating to compete" globally, rather than simply competing against each other within their metro areas.

The Summit for American Prosperity: Washington and Metro Areas Working Together

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:18:54 GMT

The opening dinner of the Summit for American Prosperity featured remarks by metropolitan leaders and a keynote address by Michael Porter, author and a professor at Harvard Business School.

The Summit for American Prosperity: Washington and Metro Areas Working Together

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

June 11, 2008, 7:00 PM to 9:30:00 PM
June 12, 2008, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Brookings's Metropolitan Policy Program hosted a national Summit for American Prosperity, which launched the next phase of the Blueprint for American Prosperity: Unleashing the Potential of a Metropolitan Nation, an ambitious, multi-year initiative to build long-term U.S. prosperity by reinvigorating the federal role in promoting the health and vitality of America's metropolitan areas.

Creating Quality Places: Making Housing Part of the Sustainability Solution

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:21:09 GMT

This panel discussed links among housing, transportation, and climate change goals, with particular attention to the roles of the federal government in re-framing the affordability issue and fostering sustainable metropolitan growth.

The Prospects for Advancing MetroPolicies in the Coming Year

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:21:25 GMT

New Approaches to Innovation and Industry Clusters

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:20:37 GMT

This session explored two federal policy proposals that address America’s innovation challenge. Each proposal harnesses the power of the private sector, state and local governments, and metropolitan level institutions. Both are designed to address the innovation needs of all U.S. metropolitan areas, including those with economies based on manufacturing and “low tech” services as well as high technology regions.

Driving Competitiveness: A Transportation Policy for the 21st Century

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:20:23 GMT

This session explored a new plan to overhaul U.S. transportation policy to meet the needs of the 21st century economy. This included a discussion of the key economic, environmental challenges facing metro areas, the flaws in the current federal policy response and recommendations for a new, unified, and competitive vision for federal transportation policy.

Promoting Inclusive Growth: Building Skills and Enhancing Income

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:20:57 GMT

This panel discussed proposed federal policy reforms designed to: foster greater innovation and entrepreneurship in the provision of elementary and secondary education; stimulate and support community compacts that provide high school graduates with financial guarantees for higher education; and build a stronger platform for post-secondary student success, especially in the urban community colleges that serve much of the nation’s diverse future workforce.

Metro Raise: Boosting the Earned Income Tax Credit to Help Metropolitan Workers and Families

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Slowed economic growth and rising prices for necessities like food, transportation, and child care threaten to exacerbate the challenges already facing America's low-income workers and their families. The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) could do more to help close the growing gap between stagnant wages and rising prices. "Metro Raise" demonstrates how an expanded and modernized EITC would benefit families and communities in the nation's major metropolitan areas.

Periodic Payment of the Earned Income Tax Credit

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Many low-income working families would benefit from a streamlined ability to access the proceeds of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) throughout the year as they pay for ongoing expenses like housing, child care, and transportation. The federal government should consider adopting a model for direct periodic payment of the EITC, as most other countries with in-work tax credits provide.

Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings released a report that ranks the carbon footprint of the nation’s top 100 metropolitan areas. For the first time, the report quantifies a metropolitan area’s carbon footprint based upon carbon emissions from highway transportation and residential energy consumption and lists metropolitan areas by total metric tons of carbon emissions per capita in 2005. The report offers recommendations on how the federal government should step up its support of metropolitan efforts to shrink their carbon footprints.

Metro Policy: How the Federal Government Can Empower a Metro Nation

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:56:47 GMT

Bruce Katz, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, unveiled a new framework for improving the federal partnership with states and metropolitan areas—a true Blueprint for American Prosperity—to better leverage the great assets of our metropolitan areas.

Boosting Productivity, Innovation, and Growth through a National Innovation Foundation

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

To respond to America’s slipping leadership in commercial innovation the federal government should establish a National Innovation Foundation (NIF)—a nimble, lean, and collaborative entity devoted to supporting firms and other organizations in their innovative activities. By realigning and augmenting the nation’s diffuse present efforts the new entity would help create better jobs in America, not just for highly educated “knowledge workers” but for high school graduates in manufacturing and “low-tech services.”

Clusters and Competitiveness: A New Federal Role for Stimulating Regional Economies

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Regional industry clusters—geographic concentrations of interconnected firms and supporting organizations—represent a potent source of productivity at a moment of national vulnerability to global economic competition. For that reason, Karen Mills, Elisabeth Reynolds and Andrew Reamer say the federal government should establish an industry clusters program to stimulate the collaborative interactions of firms and supporting organizations in regional economies to produce more commercial innovation and higherwage employment.

America’s Innovation Challenge: Innovation Policy and Regional Industry Clusters

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

April 22, 2008, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

The authors of a new report, “Boosting Productivity, Innovation, and Growth through a National Innovation Foundation" held a forum at the National Press Club in Washington DC to respond to America's slipping leadership in commercial innovation and urge the federal government to establish a National Innovation Foundation (NIF)—a nimble, lean and collaborative entity devoted to supporting firms and other organizations in their innovative activities.

The Political Geography of Pennsylvania: Not Another Rust Belt State

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In the first in a series of reports on the demographic and political dynamics under way in 10 “battleground” states that will be crucial in deciding the 2008 election, the authors examine the political geography of Pennsylvania to explore whether the state will become more Democratic, remain closely divided or even go Republican for the first time in five elections.