Shortly after taking office President Obama announced his
intention to develop federal policies to induce states and local
communities to embrace "smart growth" land use strategies that
would deter growth, crowd development, and discourage automobile
Dubbed the "Livable Communities Program," several of the
President's cabinet departments have proposed a series of early
initiatives to implement the plan and establish long-term
strategies. As part of this effort, the Administration provided
funding support to the transit industry's Moving Cooler study,
which argued that their greenhouse gas reduction proposals "may
result in higher housing prices, and some people might need to
live in smaller homes or smaller lots than they would prefer."
As the evidence from other countries reveal, the creation of a
federal land use policy will likely lead to a decline in housing
quality, including house size. To prevent this outcome, Congress
should ensure that land use policy remains exclusively the
responsibility of state a