The state of California is expected to collect about $850 million this year from its greenhouse gas reduction program. Governor Jerry Brown and state lawmakers are negotiating how much of that money should go to building transit-oriented housing.
Eric Johnson with the Department of Housing and Community Development says the idea is to get more people walking and taking transit.
“Transit-oriented development is affordable housing that is located in or near a transit center,” says Johnson.
Matt Schwartz of the California Housing Partnership says a recent study supports the notion that locating affordable housing near public transit reduces carbon emissions.
“Housing extremely low-income households in transit-rich areas, reduces the number of miles that would be driven by a typical household by more than 50 percent,” says Schwartz.
An Assembly proposal would dedicate $400 million of cap and trade revenue to “sustainable communities” projects. The senate plan would spend $170 million. And Governor Brown proposes $100 million for the program.
A budget agreement has already been reached to spend an additional $100 million on affordable housing unrelated to the “sustainable communities” program.
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