Livable Communities Act of 2011

The Livable Communities Act of 2011 has been introduced - Senate S1621 and House H.R. 3325. Do your own homework – this will further limit our property rights.

Contact your elected officials today to ensure this legislation never makes it out of committee. Senator Dodd introduced Livable Communities Act of 2009. This legislation did not make it out of committee. However, they are back at it again! They can’t pass a budget but they strive to control your property rights through community planning supported by federal grants. This legislation would promote control of land through transportation, housing, energy at the local level with the use of Agenda 21 principles.

(9) LIVABLE COMMUNITY- The term `livable community' means a metropolitan, urban, suburban, or rural community that--

(A) provides safe, reliable, and accessible transportation choices;

(B) provides long-term affordable, accessible, energy-efficient, and location-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities;

(C) supports, revitalizes, and encourages the growth of existing communities and maximizes the cost-effectiveness of existing infrastructure;

(D) promotes economic development and economic competitiveness;

(E) preserves the environment and natural resources;

(F) protects agricultural land, rural land, and green spaces; and

(G) supports public health and improves the quality of life for residents of, and workers in, the community.

(10) LOCATION-EFFICIENT- The term `location-efficient' characterizes mixed-use development or neighborhoods that integrate housing, commercial development, and facilities and amenities-(A) to lower living expenses for working families;

(B) to enhance mobility;

(C) to encourage private investment in transit-oriented development; and

(D) to encourage private sector infill development and maximize the use of existing infrastructure.

This legislation is based on Agenda 21.

Agenda 21 in our Local Communities

The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide, published by ICLEI, 1996 - “No one fully understands how or even, if, sustainable development can be achieved; however, there is growing consensus that it must be accomplished at the local level if it is ever to be achieved on a global basis.”

Agenda 21 and Private Property

Report from the 1976 UN’s Habitat I Conference. “Land…cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth, therefore contributes to social injustice.”

Report from the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, page 112. “Private land use decisions are often driven by strong economic incentives that result in several ecological and aesthetic consequences…The key to overcoming it is through public policy…”