USDOT announces $13 million funding opportunity from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for transit planning that addresses climate change, equity

May 27, 2022
Priority will be given to projects, such as mixed-use development near transit stations, that help reduce transportation costs, combat pollution and climate change, and promote housing affordability.

Nearly $13 million in competitive grant funds is available through the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning.  

TOD looks at the relationship among transit, housing and land use and recognizes that better planning can help reduce costs for American families and reduce the impacts of transportation on climate and air quality.  

"We’re making this funding available to help more cities and towns plan for the future their residents want and deserve. When communities are able to locate housing, jobs and cultural centers alongside public transit, it helps people get where they need to go more quickly and affordably, and with less pollution," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, funding for the TOD Planning grant program was bolstered by 38 percent and will send nearly $70 million to communities across the country over the next five years. 

"The program encourages communities to think innovatively about the intersection between land use and mobility," said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. "It also challenges communities to think about road safety, equity, climate change and affordable housing as intertwined with transit investments." 

The existing pilot program for TOD planning supports comprehensive or site-specific planning projects that improve economic development and ridership, foster multimodal connectivity and accessibility, improve transit access for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, engage the private sector, identify infrastructure needs and enable mixed-use development near transit stations.   

This year's program will support comprehensive or site-specific planning efforts that support President Joe Biden's call to lower costs for American families, combat climate change and promote equitable delivery of benefits to underserved communities. Special consideration will be given to applications that improve air quality, advance environmental justice and promote housing affordability. 

To apply for program funding, an applicant must be an existing FTA recipient – either a project sponsor of an eligible transit project or an entity with land use planning authority in the project corridor. To ensure that work meets the needs of the local community, transit project sponsors and land use planning authorities must partner to conduct the planning work. The application period will close on Monday, July 25, 2022. 

FTA's Pilot Program for TOD Planning was created as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) in 2014 to support communities' efforts to promote TOD. It was carried over to the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, and funding was increased as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to $68.9 million over five years, 38 percent more than under the previous authorization.