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From The Brookings Institution

Public transit is a critical part of the economic and social fabric of metropolitan areas. Nearly 30 million trips are made every day using public transit. Almost all of these trips occur in the nation’s 100 largest metro areas, which account for over 95 percent of all transit passenger miles traveled. People take transit for any number of reasons, but one of the most common is to get to work.

However, when it comes to the question of how effectively transit connects people and jobs within and across these metropolitan areas, strikingly little is known. With governments at all levels considering deep budget cuts, it is increasingly important to understand not just the location and frequency of transit service, but ultimately how well transit aligns with where people work and live. To better understand these issues, the Metropolitan Policy Program developed a comprehensive database that provides the first comparable, detailed look at transit coverage and connectivity across and within the nation’s major metro areas.

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The Surdna Foundation, a New York City-based family foundation, seeks a Program Officer for its Strong Local Economies Program.  The Program Officer will report directly to the Program Director for Strong Local Economies. 

The Program Officer will be part of a three-person team led by a Program Director and staffed by a Program Associate.  This position reports directly to the Program Director and has joint supervisory responsibilities for the Program Associate.  The Program Officer works closely with the Program Director on all aspects of the program, including both day-to-day operations and broader program strategy development.

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We would like to share with you the latest research paper issued by National Ttransportation Policy Project, co-authored by Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Martin Wachs, Strengthening the Connections between Transportation Investments and Economic Growth.  This paper was officially released on Friday, January 21^st, at a press conference at the offices of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). Please click here to view video coverage of the event.

This paper examines how well-targeted investments in transportation infrastructure can contribute to the nation's economic recovery, can create short- and long-term jobs, and can improve America's competitiveness and productivity.  Although it has long been argued that any investment in transportation both creates jobs and grows the economy, this latest research paper, prepared for NTPP, asserts that this is not necessarily the case.  Federal transportation investments can, and should, be required to advance both long-term productivity gains and shorter-term job creation, in order to achieve economic growth.  However, in order to achieve these results, the paper argues that federal legislation should be reformed, so as to require that investments demonstrate broad, sustainable, long-term economic growth, beyond immediate job creation.

EDA Innovation in Economic Development Competition: Deadline August 27