Gore Launches Urban Sprawl Initiative

As part of the White Houses preview of initiatives that will be presented in its proposed fiscal 2000 budget, Vice President Gore on Jan. 11 unveiled a Livability Agenda aimed at reducing urban sprawl. The proposal would consolidate many existing federal programs and provide for more than $1 billion in new spending to help local governments preserve green space, ease traffic congestion, and pursue smart growth strategies. The package is a winner, comments Michael Replogle, federal transportation director of the Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental group. For decades, federal policies fueled sprawl and traffic growth. This administration is giving communities vital resources targeted to reverse that tide.