Based on APA's adopted legislative priorities, these 10 items make up an important agenda for the 108th Congress to promote smart growth and livability in the nation's communities. An APA/AICP national survey found that 78 percent of voters believe that it is important for Congress to help communities solve problems associated with urban growth and land-use.

APA calls on Congress to take these steps to help make great communities happen:

• Support reauthorization of the nation's transportation laws based on principles of increased choice, access, equity, flexibility, and livability through planning;

• Address the nation's affordable housing crisis by adopting new tools such as a national housing trust fund and tax incentives for historic homeownership and preserving HOPE VI and the existing structure of the Section 8 program;

• Build on the passage of brownfields reform by fully funding the program and developing new initiatives to support the reuse of brownfields and abandoned property;

• Support urban parks and open space by fully funding the Title VIII Conservation Trust Fund and federal land conservation programs and adopting tax credits for land conservation;

• Restore full protection for the nation's wetlands by amending the Clean Water Act to include all wetlands;

• Evaluate infrastructure assistance programs for impacts on sprawl and consistency with local planning;

• Provide sufficient funding to implement the American Community Survey and make necessary investments in data and technology programs that support local planning;

• Improve interagency cooperation on planning requirements and provide support for disaster mitigation and security planning as part of the nation's homeland defense;

• Reform the National Flood Insurance program to eliminate federal incentives for development in flood plains;

• Include support for energy conservation and efficiency initiative in any comprehensive energy legislation.

The public has demonstrated overwhelming support for these initiatives with recent polls indicating bipartisan support of 75 percent or more. Americans believe that federal government can be a vital partner in promoting community livability and smart growth.

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