The U.S. Senate held this week its first hearing on a bill that would reward metropolitan areas grant money for creating what the bill calls “livable communities.”

During the first reading, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., the author of Senate Bill 1619, described living communities as communities that successfully combine housing development, public transit, infrastructure and land-use planning into their city development process.

The grants would be awarded to cities for projects that would create livable communities. The bill would authorize $100 million a year through 2013 for planning grants. Another $3.75 billion would be allotted once to fund implementation grants through 2013.

http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/06/11/federal-grants-would-fund-livable-communities/