Smart Growth Conference -- and Obama Cabinet Members -- in Seattle

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at the podium, with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan seated in the center. Moderator seated in the center.

As the 14th most populous county in the United States (that's right: King County) continues to attract more citizens while working hard to maintain livability, the 9th Annual New Partners in Smart Growth Conference is in town to generate new ideas and partnerships nationwide. 

The conference has also brought a few luminaries from the Obama cabinet.  In an OpEd Wednesday in the Seattle Times, Secretaries Ray LaHood (U.S. Department of Transportation), Shaun Donovan (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) and Administrator Lisa P. Jackson (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) wrote about their interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.  It calls for unprecedented collaboration between agencies to ensure the quality of where we live, how we move and what we breathe. 

At the conference plenary Thursday night, they announced some exciting grant opportunities that our region should compete for.  One doesn't have to be too creative to imagine how bicycles can be part of the solution....