It’s possible that 2009 might be remembered as the Year of Infrastructure. With Congress’s recent passing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – not to mention the pending American Clean Energy and Security Act – the country has taken a large step toward a greener built environment by enacting bold initiatives that will spur the design, construction, and renovation of sustainable buildings. Now Congress can take the next major step by enacting – this year – the bipartisan Surface Transportation Authorization Act, which will transform our decades-old transportation policies for the 21st Century and is currently being debated by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

As a longtime advocate for transportation reform, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is pleased these bills incorporate the necessary steps to begin fixing the oft-woeful state of transportation in the U.S. A 2008 report from the AIA, Moving Communities Forward, proved well-planned, smartly-designed transportation projects create more prosperous, sustainable and livable communities – an effort that is ever more important as unemployment rises and Americans struggle to make ends meet.

Transportation reform can go a long way in easing this pain, which is why it is crucial that these efforts remain high on the list of national priorities. Infrastructure is a construction project category that has too often been an afterthought. Election cycles and long-term building efforts often don’t match, and even simple repair projects can fall victim to legislative apathy.

That short-term thinking at the consequence of long-term public safety is the reason we saw catastrophic levee failures in New Orleans and the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. As tragic as those occurrences were, they helped to raise the issue of infrastructure investment and the need for legislation such as the Surface Transportation Authorization Act.

In tandem with the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, which passed with billions of dollars dedicated to infrastructure projects, there is a rare window of opportunity to make great strides with transportation reform – particularly in major metro areas whose systems lag behind in scope and sophistication.

We cannot spend money on transportation the same way we’ve spent it for the last 50 years. Rather, the opportunities of today require an attitudinal change in how projects are approached from the outset. We have to examine how all modes of transportation interrelate with our communities and the way in which we live.

Transportation planning must be linked to land use, residential and commercial development and the growing desire of Americans to curb urban sprawl. Local politicians, architects, and civically engaged citizens have led this effort in many communities throughout the country, developing creative and dynamic green building and land use policies in recent years. Leaders, at the city and county level, have passed a myriad of green building policies, highlighted in the AIA’s Local Leaders in Sustainability reports, providing important best practice examples from all regions of the country.

Now, there is an opportunity to meet this local experimentation with a coordinated federal effort. According to a recent AIA poll, the percentage of voters who agree federal and state governments should allocate less money for building new highways and more for building mass transit systems rose six percentage points – 68 percent agreeing in 2009, as compared to 62 percent in 2008.

These sorts of projects reduce traffic congestion (minimizing air pollution), offer people more transportation choices, including walking or using mass transit, and promote economic development, resulting in a more vibrant community with a reduced carbon footprint.

In addition, these “livable communities” – made of mixed-use developments – foster more community involvement and enhance economic development. Such neighborhoods also have fewer traffic fatalities and faster emergency services response time.

To help address the challenges of this effort, architects have helped develop new approaches to land use for transportation systems. Some cities around the country have had success in reducing congestion and developing more thriving communities by:

* Reinvesting in streetcar systems
* Installing bus rapid transit options
* Linking farther reaching regional communities through high-speed rails
* Modifying grid patterns which help alleviate the congestion on existing traffic arteries.

As the waves formed from the passing of this bill make their way into states, the AIA calls on local governments to approach projects with a comprehensive, long-term mindset. Executing transportation projects that will make sure the money is well spent, leaving a positive, lasting legacy that improves our everyday quality of life.

Christine McEntee is the Executive Vice President /CEO of the American Institute of Architects.