President Obama’s call for a major investment in our national infrastructure is getting a lot of attention as the November elections near.

Photo by Flickr user See Ming Lee. Used under Creative Commons.

But lost in the foolish argument about whether infrastructure investments are a smart way to give the economy a short-term boost - they are – is a more important question.

Will low-income communities and people of color reap long-term benefits from these investments?

Our recovery will begin in our communities – and there is no doubt that low-income communities and communities of color were hit first and worst by this recession. Investing in bridges, transit, broadband, water systems, parks, and other vital infrastructure will help build a strong foundation for sustainable, equitable growth.

We already know that there’s significant pent-up demand for these kinds of projects. The federal TIGER grants program, for instance, received more than $59 billion in requests for just $1.5 billion in actual transportation grants.  (Click here to see a map of TIGER projects)

Any federal infrastructure proposal – including the president’s – will only succeed if it invests in these core areas:

• Leveraging infrastructure investments to boost economies in high-need communities
• Increasing access to quality jobs, job training, and contracting opportunities for women, people of color, and low-income people
• Expanding and upgrading public transportation in urban, suburban, and rural areas
• Coordinating transportation, housing, environment, and community revitalization strategies
• Engaging the public - especially historically disadvantaged communities – in the planning and implementation processes

The President’s proposal heralds a new day of serious, solution-minded policy ideas in Washington. Infrastructure will be the backbone of any true equitable growth strategies.

What infrastructure projects need help in your community? Tell us your ideas in the comments.

How do you create 180,000 new jobs without spending a single extra dollar?

The new report “More Transit = More Jobs,” by the good folks at Transportation Equity Network, has the answer.

If the country’s top 20 metro areas shifted half their highway spending to transit, they’d create 1,123,674 new transit jobs over a five-year period — for a net gain of 180,150 jobs over five years.

That’s nothing short of amazing.

So, who’s doing a good job already? Here are the Top Five (and Bottom Five) cities ranked by the percentage of overall transportation spending they direct toward transit:

1. New York, NY

2. Honolulu, HI

3. Portland, OR

4. Philadelphia, PA

5. Kalamazoo, MI

The Bottom Five?

1. Minneapolis, MN

2. Boston, MA

3. Atlanta, GA

4. Denver, CO

5. St. Louis, MO

Read the full “More Transit = More Jobs” report. Great stuff in there!

Can suped-up bikes be part of the solution to the crisis facing boys of color? This video from the folks at “California is a Place” makes the case pretty persuasively:

According to the Scraper Bike King, in order to become a member of the Original Scraper Bike Team, you must:

• Be a resident of Oakland, CA.
• Be at least 7 y/o or older.
• Retain A 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA)
• Create your own Scraper Bike…(It Has To Be Amazing, Or Else You Can’t Ride.)
• Stick to a single-file line when riding.

After 10 rides The Scraper Bike King and his Captains will decide if your bike is up to standards and if you can follow simple guidelines. After your evaluation we will consider you a member and honor you with an Original Scraper Bike Team Shirt. Only worn when Mobbin’ Stay posted to our website for all upcoming Scraper Bike Rides…”

What is California is a Place? Let them tell you:

California is loaded. From Disneyland to farmland, we’ve got Scientology and superstars, Silicon and silicone, crips and bloods. The border. Krumpin’ Clownin’ Jerkin’. The surf and the turf. The boom and the bust. California is humanity run amuck and then packaged, branded and sold. California Cuisine, California Love, California Casual, California Gold, California Girls, and of course, California Dreams. If it exists in the world, it exists here and it does so with pizzaz.

Obviously, we love this stuff. That’s why we’re doing this project. Simply put, California is sensational. And the closer we look the better it gets: words and images, stories and songs, opinions and ideas. This project is ongoing. We hope you like what you see and say so. We plan to post often. So until that day, when we finally float off into the Pacific, California is a place. Stay tuned.

Check them out for more videos.

Late last week, PolicyLink submitted comments in response to the Federal Transit Administration’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on the New Starts and Small Starts Programs.

Read our full comments here: Leveraging the New Starts Program to Build Communities of Opportunity_PolicyLink

Here is a sample:

As a leader in the movement to build more equitable transportation policy, PolicyLink is deeply invested in the success of the New Starts and Small Starts programs. As the largest federal source of funding for building our nation’s public transportation systems, the New Starts and Small Starts programs play a significant role in shaping communities around the nation.

If leveraged well, these programs can foster more equitable, sustainable, and opportunity-rich communities throughout the country.

The transportation projects that are funded by the New Starts and Small Starts Programs should build healthy, sustainable communities of opportunity—places with quality schools, access to good jobs with family-supporting wages, affordable housing choices, public transportation, safe and walkable streets, parks, healthy environments, access to healthy food, and strong social networks.

First, this means increasing transportation access and mobility for communities where public transportation is unaffordable, unreliable, or nonexistent, most often in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.

This also means leveraging the New Starts and Small Starts Programs to: reduce housing, transportation, and energy costs for working families; improve health outcomes (particularly disproportionate health impacts on disadvantaged communities); and link low-income workers and minority-owned firms to economic opportunities in the transportation industry.