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Transportation Alternatives Program

ASLA supports policies that promote the design, construction, and management of transportation corridors and facilities that enhance public health and safety and promote interconnected transportation options for transit riders, pedestrians, bicyclists and other micromobility users.

The Transportation Alternative (TA) program was created in 1991 under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). Since then, the program has been the nation’s largest dedicated source of funding for bicycling, walking, and trails projects. Over time, TA has been known by several names and is currently a set-aside under the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, which also may be referred to as the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA).

Administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), TA provides funding to states for alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities. TA funding may also be used for improvements to transportation assets. TA provides funds to state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations for:  

  • Pedestrian and bicycle facilities
  • Safe Routes to School program
  • Recreational Trailsprogram
  • Vegetation management practices in transportation rights-of-way to improve roadway safety, prevent invasive species and provide erosion control
  • Stormwater mitigation in rights-of-way.
  • Wildlife management
  • Scenic turnouts and overlooks
  • Historic preservation and rehab of historic transportation facilities

TA was reauthorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58, November 15, 2021) at roughly $1.44 billion annually, increased from about $850 million under the previous authorizing bill (MAP21, P.L. 112-141, July 21, 2012). The current reauthorization bill is set to expire in September 2026, at which time Congress must pass a new surface transportation law that includes TA.

Landscape architects are leaders in designing bicycle, pedestrian, and trail projects across the nation, and the profession accesses TA to plan and design these critical infrastructure projects. In a 2024 ASLA survey, members reported that they overwhelmingly access TA and other federal active transportation programs to build community projects in our state and across the nation.

On May 22, 2026, in a 62-2 vote, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. The measure must now go to the full House of Representatives for a floor vote. 

The Senate has not considered its version of a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill.

Rep. Sam Graves (MO) and cosponsors.

Revitalizing America's Schoolyards Act

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) believes skillful use of vegetation in built environments is integral to quality of life, sustainability, and resiliency, including at schools. School grounds that include certain vegetation and other nature-based solutions can serve as extensions of the classroom by providing opportunities for hands-on learning, environmental education, physical activity, and social interaction, while strengthening community resilience.

School districts are one of the largest land managers in almost every city and town in the United States. The land management choices made by schools and districts directly impact students’ experiences and the well-being of the surrounding community. On-campus green space, including revitalized schoolyards, can provide hands-on learning experiences for students and have community-wide resilience benefits. Such benefits include stormwater management, rainwater collection, carbon sequestration, air quality improvement, wildlife habitat restoration, extreme heat mitigation, and ecological resiliency.

Revitalized schoolyards are park-like outdoor environments at elementary or secondary schools, which may include climate-appropriate trees, plants, cultivated gardens, outdoor meeting and gathering areas, natural playgrounds, and other elements designed for the students and surrounding community. 

Landscape architects have the technical knowledge and creative skills necessary to transform underused outdoor spaces into park-like environments and outdoor classrooms. From developing master plans, leading community engagement, creating designs, and assisting with outdoor education lesson plans, landscape architects are equipped to steward these projects through grant selection, design, construction, academic evaluation, and more.

The Revitalizing America's Schoolyards Act, introduced by Senator Martin Heinrich (NM) and Representative Summer Lee (PA), establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Education to support the planning and implementation of revitalized schoolyards. Specifically, the bill will: 

  • Create a Revitalizing America's Schoolyards Grant Program:
    • Establishes competitive planning and implementation grants for eligible schools, educational agencies, and nonprofit partners.
    • Awards grants through biennial cohorts with planning grants followed by implementation grants.
  • Support Nature-Based Schoolyard Design:
    • Defines revitalized schoolyards as park-like outdoor learning environments that strengthen ecological systems, promote nature play, and improve health and well-being.
    • Encourages features such as trees, gardens, outdoor classrooms, gathering spaces, pollinator habitat, natural playgrounds, green infrastructure, and stormwater management.
  • Support Planning and Implementation Projects:
    • Provides funding for planning, design, construction documents, community engagement, and implementation.
    • Supports educator professional development and long-term stewardship of revitalized schoolyards.
  • Prioritize Underserved Communities:
    • Gives competitive priority to schools serving high percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
    • Prioritizes investments in schools with low tree canopy and high vulnerability to extreme heat or flooding.
    • Reserves 5 percent of annual funding for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education and Tribal schools.
  • Promote Best Practices and Long-Term Success:
    • Requires projects to include long-term maintenance plans and community participation.
    • Establishes a national clearinghouse of best practices, design resources, lesson plans, partnership models, and technical assistance for outdoor learning environments.

On March 26, 2026, Sen. Martin Heinrich (NM) introduced the Revitalizing America's Schoolyards Act of 2026 (S. 4258) in the Senate. Companion legislation, H.R. 8303, was introduced in the House by Rep. Summer Lee (PA).

Senate: Senator Martin Heinrich (NM).

House: Representative Summer Lee (PA) and cosponsors.

Revitalizing America's Schoolyards Act: Talking Points | Leave Behind

Heinrich, Lee Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Help Schools Re-Envision & Build Vibrant Outdoor Learning Spaces

Supporting Organizations of the Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act of 2026.

Green Schoolyards America: Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act of 2026

ASLA: Professional Practice—Health Benefits of Nature.

ASLA Student Community Service Award of Excellence—Seeding Resilience: Celebrating Community, Education, and the Environment at Princeville Elementary School.

ASLA: Landscape Architecture Magazine—The Schoolyard Is Sick. June 25, 2019.

ASLA Student Community Service Honor Award—15 Weeks to Transform Colorado's Unique Ecosystem into a Learning Landscape. 

Designing Outdoor Environments for Children: Landscaping Schoolyards, Gardens and Playgrounds (2006), Lolly Tai, PhD, RLA, FASLA.

National Wildlife Federation: Time Out: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance. September 2, 2009.