Office of Sustainable Housing 

and Communities: 

HELPING COMMUNITIES REALIZE A MORE 

PROSPEROUS FUTURE
HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities is pleased to present this 

first in an annual series of reviews highlighting the accomplishments of the office 

and its partners. For more information about the Office of Sustainable Housing and 

Communities, please see www.hud.gov/sustainability/.

Providence, RI
Working with the Department of Transportation 

(DOT) and the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) through the Partnership for 

Sustainable Communities, OSHC is helping 

communities create master plans that are led 

by local stakeholders to better meet their 

housing, transportation, and environmental 

goals. OSHC manages two sustainable 

communities planning grant programs which 

help communities capitalize on regional assets 

and create blueprints for their future. It also 

works to infuse sustainability and energy 

efficiency policies and programs across HUD’s 

program and field offices. OSHC accomplishes 

its mission of creating economically strong, 

environmentally sustainable, and inclusive 

communities by connecting housing to jobs, 

fostering local innovation, and supporting 

energy-efficient and healthy, affordable housing.

Two distinct initiatives are housed within OSHC, 

the Sustainable Housing Initiative (SHI)

and the Sustainable Communities 

Initiative. OSHC’s Sustainable Housing 

Initiative (SHI) advances energy efficiency, 

green building and sustainable design in 

affordable housing. SHI also works in 

partnership with a diverse group of 

organizations and stakeholders: multifamily 

property owners, Public Housing Authorities, 

state and local recipients of formula and 

competitive grants, and private-sector lenders 

and developers. As program lead for HUD’s 

Annual Performance Goal, a target of more 

than 300,000 energy efficient, healthy new and 

existing homes from 2010-2013, SHI helps to 

retrofit existing housing, supports 

energy-efficient new construction, and 

promotes financing mechanisms to reduce 

energy use in HUD-assisted affordable housing 

and private market developments. SHI leads 

initiatives and fosters collaborations that lower 

energy usage and costs for individuals and 

families and works to advance market 

transformation through promoting healthy and 

green building practices in our nation’s homes 

Sustainable Communities Listening Tour

In February 2010, HUD released an advanced Notice of 

Funding for its Regional Planning Grant Program and 

embarked on a Sustainable Communities Listening Tour to 

hear from leaders on the ground about how its grant 

program could be most helpful in spurring local innovation 

and economic prosperity. More than 700 people participated 

in OSHC's in-person sessions and 600 individuals joined 

web-based discussions.

Introduction

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of 

Sustainable Housing and Communities (OSHC) was created in 2010 to help 

communities realize their visions for a more prosperous future. OSHC was 

created as part of the Obama Administration’s Partnership for Sustainable 

Communities, which is a ground breaking effort created to address the fact that 

the average American household spends 52 cents of every dollar on just housing 

and transportation expenses. These costs not only present a burden for working 

families, but limit additional local spending and savings. By aligning federal 

investments in housing, transportation, infrastructure, and the environment, 

OSHC is helping communities get more out of every federal dollar spent by 

leveraging private, philanthropic and local government funds and catalyzing 

hubs of opportunity across the country.

2
OSHC’s Sustainable Communities 

Initiative (SCI) stimulates a pioneering 

approach to community development to 

enhance U.S. competitiveness. Through two 

forward-thinking grant programs, HUD’s SCI 

encourages integrated regional planning to 

guide state, metropolitan, and local 

investments in job creation, transportation, 

and housing, and helps regions and localities 

undertake new approaches to community 

planning. The Regional Planning Grant 

Program supports locally-led collaborative 

efforts that bring together diverse interests 

from the many municipalities in a region to 

determine how best to target housing, 

economic, and workforce development, and 

infrastructure investments to create more jobs 

and regional economic activity. The 

Community Challenge Grant Program helps 

individual localities develop innovative solutions 

to development challenges, including 

modernizing local land-use rules and reducing 

barriers to affordable housing, mixed-use 

development, and the reuse of older buildings 

and structures. In FY 2010 and FY 2011, HUD 

awarded 143 grants in 48 states, totaling $240 

million that have in turn leveraged close to 

$253 million in private investment and 

commitments from local partners. The 

communities that have received these grants 

vary from rural and tribal communities in West 

Virginia, South Dakota, and Washington to 

larger cities, such as Chicago, Seattle, and 

Kansas City.

Figure 1 shows the communities and regions 

funded in FY 2010 and FY 2011 through the 

Sustainable Communities Initiative. A complete 

list of grantees is available on our website at 

www.hud.gov/sustainability/. 

Figure 1. Map of HUD Sustainable Communities Planning Grantees, FY 2010 – FY 2011 

Source: HUD, February 2012

3
Preferred Sustainability Status

In recognition of the unmet demand for 

Sustainable Communities grants and the quality 

of innovative approaches being developed, HUD 

established Preferred Sustainability Status 

(PSS), which allows qualifying applicants access 

to technical skill training, connection to peer 

exchange networks, and bonus points on 

related HUD discretionary grant applications. 

Nine regions that received PSS in FY 2010 were 

awarded HUD Sustainable Communities grants 

in FY 2011, and 18 Sustainable Community 

grantees also have received funding through 

HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods initiative - an 

indication the PSS program and such reciprocal 

relationships within government are helping 

communities, even when OSHC funds are not 

available.

1. http://www.huduser.org/portal/sustainability/home.html

As part of its work to support grantees, OSHC 

has established a new online Sustainable 

Communities Learning Network. Through 

this portal, OSHC, in conjunction with national 

capacity-building experts, provides training on 

topics of interest to Sustainable Communities 

grantees and holders of Preferred Sustainability 

Status, facilitates peer exchange of ideas and 

practices among grantees, and provides direct 

technical support to low- and 

moderate-capacity grantees. The Sustainable 

Communities Learning Network focus areas are 

based on the expressed interests from OSHC 

grantees, and currently include:

• Leadership Development;

• Scenario Planning;

• Community Engagement and Equity 

 Assessments;

• Implementation Tools and Strategies;

• Rural, Small Town and Tribal Issues; and

• Water and Wastewater Planning.

OSHC, in conjunction with HUD’s Office of 

Policy Development and Research, has also 

established the Sustainable Communities 

Resource Center.1 The Resource, Center 

provides a platform for members of the public 

and anyone interested in sustainability to learn 

about best practices and cross-agency 

information to help integrate housing, 

transportation, and infrastructure investments 

and leverage private resources to address 

environmental, social, and economic needs. It 

identifies successful strategies being developed 

across the country and provides informational 

support to any community seeking tools and 

training to adopt sustainable community 

development practices.

The Regional Planning Grant Program Supports Locally-Led, Collaborative Efforts to Build 

Regional Economies. Eligible Regional Planning Grant Activities Include: 

 • Development of a comprehensive Regional Plan for Sustainable Development; 

 • Activities to ensure meaningful resident participation in the planning process;

 • Coordinated intergovernmental planning and related public and private development;

 • Alignment of infrastructure investment to ensure equitable land use planning; 

 • Activities to strengthen management and decision-making capacities to execute sustainable 

 regional planning;

 • Technical planning studies on local development issues; and 

 • Identification of performance measures to track progress. 

4
Building A Shared Vision Of Livability And 

Sustainability

OSHC is HUD’s representative to the Partnership 

for Sustainable Communities, an unprecedented 

collaboration between HUD, DOT, and EPA, and 

works closely with the Partnership to fulfill its 

mission. By coordinating federal investments 

in infrastructure, facilities, and services, the 

Partnership is laying the groundwork for an 

economy that provides good jobs now and 

creates a strong foundation for long-term 

prosperity that can meet multiple economic, 

environmental, and community objectives with 

each dollar spent. 

 

At the Partnership for Sustainable 

Communities’ inception, the three agencies 

created six Livability Principles to guide their 

work and programs: 

1. Provide more transportation choices.

Develop safe, reliable, and economical 

transportation choices to decrease household 

transportation costs, reduce our nation’s 

dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, 

reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and 

promote public health.

2. Promote equitable, affordable housing.

Expand location and energy-efficient housing 

choices for people of all ages, incomes, races, 

and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower 

the combined cost of housing and transportation. 

3. Enhance economic competitiveness.

Improve economic competitiveness through 

reliable and timely access to employment 

centers, educational opportunities, services, 

and other basic needs by workers, as well as 

expanded business access to markets. 

4. Support existing communities.

Target federal funding toward existing 

communities through strategies like 

transit-oriented, mixed-use development and 

land recycling in order to increase community 

revitalization, increase the efficiency of public 

works investments, and safeguard rural 

landscapes. 

5. Coordinate and leverage federal policies 

and investment.

Align federal policies and funding to remove 

barriers to collaboration, leverage funding, and 

increase the accountability and effectiveness of 

all levels of government to plan for future 

growth, including making smart energy choices 

such as locally generated renewable energy.

6. Value communities and neighborhoods.

Enhance the unique characteristics of all 

communities, whether rural, urban, or 

suburban, by investing in healthy, safe, and 

walkable neighborhoods.

5
South Florida Regional Planning Council
SUSTAINABILITY THEMES

Creating 

Thriving 

Economies

Leveraging 

Resources and 

Reducing Red Tape

Ensuring 

Affordability 

and Choice 

Re-energizing America’s 

regions, cities, and 

towns increases U.S. 

competitiveness. By 

creating great places to 

live and work, linking 

transportation options to 

affordable homes, and 

safeguarding natural 

assets, we are helping 

communities flourish 

long into the future. 

Offering housing and 

transportation choices in 

urban, suburban, and 

rural areas provides 

families access to 

employment and 

economic opportunities 

and improves the vitality 

of neighborhoods and 

communities. Energy 

efficiency cost savings 

are another way OSHC is 

helping families reduce 

their housing costs.

Taxpayers across the 

country are seeing how 

HUD-funded planning 

initiatives can reduce 

duplication, achieving 

multiple benefits for 

every dollar invested, 

and pave the way for 

new private and public 

sector investments. 

Inspired by the Livability Principles, OSHC’s initiatives and grantees 

are making significant strides towards a more prosperous and 

sustainable future in the following ways:

7
Promoting Healthy 

and Livable 

Communities for All

Supporting 

More Resilient 

Communities

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

Communities are 

realizing their long-term 

planning must consider 

the effects of climate 

change.

Ensuring that 

communities are valued 

for their unique 

characteristics and that 

the planning processes in 

which they are engaged 

represents all voices 

creates neighborhoods 

that are healthier, safer, 

and more diverse.

HELPING COMMUNITIES REALIZE A MORE PROSPEROUS FUTURE 

provides an overview of projects, programs, and activities 

supported by HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and 

Communities, organized by the above five themes.

8
Seattle, WA
CREATING 

THRIVING

ECONOMIES

Pittsburgh, PA
Attracting Jobs and Industry

Regions that embrace sustainable development 

have a built-in competitive advantage in 

attracting jobs and private investment. 

Sustainable planning encourages companies to 

invest in communities that have cleared the 

way for investment that is supported by the 

market as well as the neighbors.

The integrated housing, transportation, and 

economic development strategy employed by 

Memphis, TN is stimulating investment in the 

vicinity of the Memphis International Airport – 

The Aerotropolis. The strategy, developed with 

the support of a Community Challenge Grant, 

led to the attraction and retention of nearly 

3,000 logistics and manufacturing jobs in the 

area. Additionally, there are another 3,000 

new jobs committed to the area by companies 

such as FedEx, Electrolux, Mitsubishi Electric 

Power, and Nucor Steel. Now Memphis’s 

challenge is to improve the quality of life in the 

neighborhoods surrounding the Aerotropolis so 

that new workers have affordable housing near 

their jobs.

As local governments’ economic resources are continually diminished, they are 

faced with stretched budgets, drastic cuts in services and infrastructure 

maintenance, and reduced staff capacity to reposition local investments. These 

stresses emerge at a time when labor markets are highly mobile and attracting 

talent depends, in part, on building communities that deliver good schools, 

strong local economies, affordable housing near jobs, and access to cultural and 

recreational amenities. In a time when businesses often follow talent, the 

importance of building livable and sustainable communities has never been more 

important.

Mayor of Austin, Lee Leffingwell, speaking at the Community 

Challenge Grant press conference, January 4, 2012.

With a $3.7 million grant from HUD as 

the catalyst, the Austin, TX region is 

linking its long-term regional 

transportation plan and local public 

works capital plans to 37 mixed-use 

centers. These hubs of offices, light 

manufacturing, residential, and 

commercial uses, strategically positioned 

along the region’s transit system, are 

expected to generate over 7,000 new 

permanent jobs in the next 10 years, in 

addition to supporting thousands of 

construction jobs as the projects are 

built. That’s a strong return on 

investment.

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CREATING THRIVING ECONOMIES

In Kansas City, MO, the Mid-America 

Regional Council and its partners are using 

an FY 2010 Regional Planning Grant to create a 

unified vision for sustainable development. To 

develop a region of vibrant, green, connected 

places, the Kansas City team identified six 

corridors that will serve as demonstration 

projects for Creating Sustainable Places, the 

focus of this effort. Dispersed throughout the 

Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the sites will be 

the focus of extensive redevelopment projects. 

Initial estimates project that successful 

implementation of Creating Sustainable Places 

could attract up to 110,000 jobs to the 

corridors by 2040.

Place-Making for Economic Revitalization

Many communities’ zoning and building codes 

need to be updated to 

reflect 21st century 

business needs and 

residential markets. 

Implementing 

sustainable 

communities 

approaches not only 

meets current demand 

for homes in these 

neighborhoods, but 

also positions 

communities to meet 

future market conditions.

Burdened by aging, underutilized industrial 

properties, the 6.45 mile stretch of land along 

the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, PA is one 

of the largest undeveloped parcels of riverfront 

in the United States. Residents old and new 

have made it clear that the Allegheny 

Riverfront must adapt to the city’s shifting 

needs and preferences. Pittsburgh, one of 61 

communities to receive funding from HUD’s 

Community Challenge and DOT’s TIGER II 

(Transportation Investments Generating 

Economic Recovery) Planning Grant programs 

to carry out coordinated housing and 

transportation work, is using its grant funds to 

develop their Green Boulevard Action Plan, an 

ambitious, yet achievable effort to preserve

“Imagine a riverfront 

destination that you can easily 

walk to, bike to, and take 

public transportation to and 

you can easily envision a place 

that sustains and attracts new 

residents and businesses.” 

-Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, City 

of Pittsburgh

Kansas City Missouri Before and After Bancroft School Project: 

This image is a rendering of the Mid America Regional Council’s 

renovation of the abandoned Bancroft School. This project will 

create 50 units of affordable housing, some in the renovated 

school and some in adjacent townhomes.

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

12

Diagram of the Urban Redevelopment of 

Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard Plan
the riverfront’s green space, while also creating 

room for bikes, pedestrians, and passenger and 

freight rail. The Allegheny Riverfront Green 

Boulevard Planning project will include the 

development of a plan to convert a freight line 

into a green riverfront rail and trail corridor 

extending from downtown Pittsburgh to the 

city’s eastern edge.

The City of Covington, KY struggled for years 

to keep open the doors of its downtown stores, 

as sprawl development from Cincinnati moved 

into the suburbs rather than across the river to 

Covington. Now, as urban living is a priority 

for young people, this historic center across 

from Cincinnati is experiencing a revival with 

apartments and businesses moving into 

rehabilited buildings. Covington is using a HUD 

Community Challenge grant to create a 

Downtown Action Plan to carry out an energetic 

improvement strategy to revitalize its 

downtown. The city is developing a plan to 

maximize use of local, state and federal funds 

for renovation and rehabilitation of vacant 

and/or underutilized older commercial 

buildings. This plan will clear the way for a 

more vibrant community while increasing the 

availability of spaces attractive to businesses. 

The city is also working to increase the number 

of workers who live downtown near jobs and 

improve pedestrian amenities.

Fostering Economic Growth Consistent 

with Community Character 

Limited access to jobs, services, and 

transportation options is challenging rural 

communities across the country. Rural and 

resource based economies are particularly 

vulnerable to the impacts of commodity prices, 

land value swings, and other market 

fluctuations and many are facing increased 

demand for social services without comparable 

dollars to pay for them. HUD’s Sustainable 

Communities Initiative is helping rural and 

small communities chart a course for economic 

success that builds on local assets while 

preserving a community’s special character. 

With a network of historic towns, small and 

large cities, and rural areas. Metropolitan 

Boston is a thriving home to nearly 3 million 

residents. With a HUD Regional Planning Grant, 

the Metropolitan Area Planning Council is 

implementing MetroFuture – a regional plan for 

development that addresses the unique needs 

of both urban and rural communities. For 

example, OSHC funding assisted the 

development of new zoning rules in the town of 

Littleton, MA to support agricultural jobs and 

protect Farmland.

North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad region 

(Greensboro-Highpoint-Winston-Salem area) is 

at the crossroads of change. It is a region 

proud of its agricultural and manufacturing 

“Littleton is committed to economic development 

consistent with community character. We’re host to IBM’s 

largest software development lab in North America, but 

we’re also a rural community with a rich agricultural 

tradition, active farms, and even a town-owned orchard. 

We want to help our farmers keep their land in agricultural 

uses by expanding ancillary uses, so we’re big on green, 

as well as Big Blue [IBM].” 

-Keith Bergman, Littleton Town Administrator. 

13

Pittsburgh Current Riverfront ARBG bike tour on the river:

A bike tour of the Allegheny River will be improved by The

City of Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard Plan.
Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

CREATING THRIVING ECONOMIES

heritage and working to find its place in the 

new economy. Once known for three strong 

industries – furniture, textiles and tobacco – its 

mills and once productive fields are now silent. 

With a FY 2010 Regional Planning Grant 

awarded to the Piedmont Authority for Regional 

Transportation, the region is planning for its 

future across jurisdictional lines. It will focus 

on deteriorating neighborhoods and abandoned 

manufacturing areas to foster new 

development patterns along the region‘s 

transportation corridors and near existing 

downtowns and employment centers. The plan 

will identify preferred development patterns 

and policies that will maximize the use of the 

region’s built environment, physical 

infrastructure and natural resources.

New River Valley, Virginia is a 

predominately rural region located in 

southwest Virginia covering 1,453 square miles 

and home to 178,237 residents. There are five

localities of notable size (Blacksburg, 

Christiansburg, Radford, Pulaski and Floyd) and 

a number of small towns. The region boasts 

many natural assets, including the scenic 

beauty of the Jefferson National Forest and the 

Blue Ridge Parkway. Similar to other Appalachian

communities there are numerous challenges. 

The percentage of residents living in poverty 

has been growing since 2000 and employment 

options are concentrated in the towns far from 

where many of the poorest residents live. 

Currently no public transit exists to serve the 

more rural counties even though many of their 

residents commute long distances to work. 

The New River Valley Sustainable Communities 

Consortium is developing a regional 

sustainability plan to address these challenges. 

Northern Maine Development - 

Commission, Maine, representing the 

Counties of Washington and Aroostook, is 

working with its partners to chart a course for 

mutual economic success with an integrated 

plan that addresses housing, transportation, 

water infrastructure, and 

environmental planning, as well as 

economic opportunity and workforce 

development. Northern Maine is 

working with HUD through a 2011 

Regional Planning Grants to leverage 

its combined regional assets, from 

Washington’s mighty nonprofit 

network to Aroostook’s emerging 

biomass energy industry, into 

long-term economic viability. The 

region’s livability framework will offer 

solutions to problems that 

complement and respect their rural 

surroundings. The team is conducting 

research into small-scale sewage 

treatment technology and public 

transportation systems that are 

suitable for their needs. The most 

promising options will be tested with 

demonstration projects that can be 

replicated at the local level if they 

prove successful.

Citizens have been engaged in New River Valley’s planning process 

through online surveys, smaller group meetings, and through “BUILT,” a 

visioning tool and hands-on exercise that helps residents plan the 

development direction of their community.

14
Tampa, FL
ENSURING 

AFFORDABILITY 

AND CHOICE

The Station at Othello Park, Seattle, WA
Ft. Worth, TX

The Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve 

Base has been an integral part of Western 

Tarrant County and greater Fort Worth since 

1941 and generates an estimated $1.3 billion 

in annual revenue for the North Texas region. 

Through a collaborative effort with the military 

and local government agencies, the North 

Central Texas Council of Governments, an FY10 

Community Challenge grantee, is researching 

ways to focus more development within the 

area surrounding the base, which will increase 

the availability of affordable housing and 

improve access to neighborhood amenities for 

the thousands of families and residents who 

support the base. Once the North Central Texas 

COG has completed its set of recommended 

changes to zoning codes and other regulations, 

it will work with local municipalities to update 

their comprehensive plans to better support 

the continued growth and economic vitality of 

the existing Fort Worth communities and the 

military mission. 

Traverse City, MI

Grand Traverse County, MI, recipient of an 

FY2010 Community Challenge grant, works to 

ensure more housing options for residents. A 

2008 study revealed that just 37 of 231 homes 

listed on the local market cost less than 

$125,000. Responding to the growing need for 

affordable housing, local collaborators are 

focusing on developing affordable housing 

corridors within Traverse City that will provide 

access to employment and recreation 

opportunities.

Housing and Transportation Affordability 

Initiative

The Housing and Transportation Affordability 

Initiative (HTA) is a collaborative effort 

between HUD and the US Department of 

Transportation to explore the link between 

housing, transportation costs and location. The 

impetus for this work is HUD’s recognition that 

the dearth of information on transportation 

costs is a significant barrier to affordable 

housing. Unlike housing costs, transportation 

costs are not readily apparent either to 

individual households or policy-makers, even 

though they are the second-biggest budget 

item for the majority of families. The lack of 

public information about transportation costs 

means that households often overlook 

transportation costs when making decisions 

about a place to live or work, causing them to 

underestimate the actual costs of living 

American households spend on average 52 cents on every dollar on housing and 

transportation expenses. These costs not only present a burden for working 

families, but also limit additional local spending and savings. Through its 

Sustainable Communities Grant Program, its Sustainable Housing Initiatives, 

and its Housing and Transportation Affordability Initiative, OSHC helps keep 

more money in the pockets of hard working families, and improves the stability 

of the U.S. economy. Below we highlight some examples.

17
assessments. For policymakers, the lack of 

data on transportation costs makes it more 

difficult to anticipate the consequences for 

affordable housing, transportation, and 

land-use decisions.

The Housing and Transportation Affordability 

Initiative will produce a Location 

Affordability Index that measures housing 

and transportation costs at the neighborhood 

level and a Transportation Cost Calculator

that allows individuals anywhere in the country 

to enter information about their household and 

generate customized transportation cost 

estimates, as well as an analysis of the impacts 

of HUD programs and policies on the combined 

housing and transportation cost burden in 

American communities.

“Many homeowners and 

renters have traded 

relatively high housing 

costs for high 

transportation costs in 

their search of affordable 

housing [...] While housing 

costs in distant suburban locations may be lower, 

transportation costs are higher, and the combination 

of housing and transportation costs now averages 57 

percent of income for working families in 

metropolitan areas.”

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, March 18, 2009

ENSURING AFFORDABILITY AND CHOICE

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

My Transportation Cost Calculator will enable users to input their address and basic household characteristics—including 

annual income, number of commuters, and locations of employment—to produce customized transportation cost estimates. 

Users will then be able to edit components of their predicted transportation profile to increase accuracy and add additional 

locations in order to compare their projected costs in alternative addresses.

18
Research has shown that increases in transportation 

costs offset savings in housing costs starting at 

commute distances of 12 to 15 miles

Innovative Financing for Green Home 

Improvements Keeps More Money in 

Americans’ Pockets

HUD has supported an unprecedented level of 

investment in energy efficiency and green 

building over the past four years, with the 

infusion of Recovery Act funds, and through 

HUD’s on-going formula grants, mortgage 

insurance and rental assistance programs. This 

investment will yield healthier, more 

comfortable and energy efficient housing for 

building residents, and also will lower operating 

costs for property owners. OSHC has served as 

HUD’s program lead for HUD’s two-year Annual 

Performance Goal of 159,000 energy efficient 

and green units in HUD’s portfolio of public and 

assisted housing. In this capacity, OSHC works 

to align energy standards and reporting, and 

provides support to HUD’s 

program offices.

Utility costs, energy, and water, 

account for almost 25 percent of 

operating costs of public and 

assisted housing. By reducing 

utility consumption and 

generating cost savings, dollars 

can instead be used for other 

critical maintenance and repair 

needs. The Bellingham 

Housing Authority (Washington 

state), for example, was able to 

reduce energy costs by 30 

percent in their 1970s-era 

buildings with the installation of 

photovoltaic solar panels, new 

boilers, and other measures. These

updates have made buildings 17 

percent more efficient than 

newer buildings built to 2004 

energy codes. HUD’s Green 

Retrofit Program upgraded 

almost 20,000 affordable homes 

in 200 properties, with an 

average energy savings reduction 

of 27 percent. OSHC is 

supporting HUD’s Program Offices 

to scale up these efforts. These 

cost-saving measures help to 

preserve housing affordability.

The Location Affordability Index will display data on the combined housing 

and transportation cost burden for every region in the country in unprecedented 

detail. The user will enter a city, address, or zip code to bring up a map that 

depicts the predicted percentage of the typical regional household’s income that 

would go to the combined cost of housing and transportation in every 

neighborhood in that region. The user can change the shading of the map by 

selecting any of 12 regional representative households that cover a range of 

family types and incomes.

19
ENSURING AFFORDABILITY AND CHOICE

HUD is working agency-wide to promote 

energy efficiency and green building in 

response to three key factors:

The agency is committed to supporting the 

energy-efficient, green, and healthy housing 

market by retrofitting existing housing, 

supporting energy-efficient new construction, 

improving home energy labeling, and 

promoting financial products that will reduce 

the carbon footprint of all residential buildings.

HUD continues to 

expand the 

availability of 

financing for 

energy efficiency 

improvements. 

Working with the 

Federal Housing 

Administration 

(FHA), OSHC is 

helping to pilot 

and test 

innovative financial products. As a key 

facilitator in this process, OSHC’s Sustainable 

Housing Initiative brings together federal 

agencies, states, local communities, and 

industry partners to expand existing 

opportunities and pilot new innovations in 

financing for green home improvements. 

As of September 2011, HUD has 

exceeded its energy goal for 

2010-11, with 201,000 new or 

retrofitted units. Combined with 

the Department of Energy’s 

retrofit activities, HUD and DOE 

have jointly retrofitted more than 

1 million households since 2009.

1. Rising utility costs in federally assisted 

 housing, which cost HUD and the federal 

 taxpayer more than $7 billion a year;

2. The energy burden borne by low-income 

 households, who pay a disproportionate 

 share of their incomes on utilities; and

3. The environmental impact of energy use in 

 the residential sector, which accounts for 20 

 percent of carbon emissions in the United 

 States.

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

Increasing Opportunities for Energy and 

Cost-Savings in Affordable Housing: Green 

Refinance Plus

The first property to utilize Green Refinance 

Plus was City Gardens in Santa Ana, CA. This 

274-unit apartment building primarily serves 

households with children. The property owner, 

LINC Housing, worked in conjunction with 

Enterprise Community Investment to solidify a 

$19 million refinance, five percent of which will 

go toward energy efficient upgrades. These 

improvements include: 

• Replacing old inefficient gas-fired furnaces 

 with ENERGY STAR-rated furnaces

• Installing low-flow plumbing fixtures

• Installing energy-efficient lighting in units 

 and common areas

• Installing a passive solar domestic hot water 

 system

In addition, the property was landscaped to 

provide relieve from “heat island” effects and 

Green Refinance Plus is an enhancement of 

the Fannie Mae/FHA Risk-Share program. This 

program generates extra loan proceeds for 

property rehab and energy-efficient retrofits. 

Program requirements include the following:

• Properties must be at least 10 years old, with 

 a recorded use agreement of the affordability 

 restrictions;

• At least five percent of the refinance loan 

 proceeds must be applied to property 

 renovation or energy retrofit; 

• All rehabilitation and energy improvements 

 must enhance value and improve property 

 operations; and 

• Properties must undergo a Green Property 

 Needs Assessment to identify a property’s 

 deferred capital needs and cost effective 

 opportunities for increasing energy and 

 water.

20
irrigated with reused grey 

water, lowering both energy 

and water consumption on 

the property and reducing 

expenses. These measures 

are projected to save the 

owner and tenant’s costs on 

their energy and water bills. 

Increasing Opportunities 

for Energy and 

Cost-Savings for 

Homeowners:PowerSaver

PowerSaver will give more 

homeowners the ability to live in greener 

homes. In April 2012, Efficiency Maine began 

offering PowerSaver loans to Maine 

homeowners. Maine currently has the oldest 

housing stock in the country and is more 

dependent on heating oil than any other state. 

PowerSaver will offer a clear path to reducing 

energy consumption.

Supporting Innovation: Energy Innovation 

Fund Grants

Through a new Energy Innovation Fund, the 

Office also supports the development of a 

broader green and 

healthy housing 

market. Across the 

country, owners of 

aging apartment 

complexes are looking 

for ways to reduce 

their energy 

consumption and save 

money. In order to 

test new and 

innovative ways to cut 

energy bills and to 

finance energy 

efficiency upgrades in existing multi-family 

residential properties, HUD awarded nearly $23 

million in March 2012 to a dozen organizations 

on the cutting edge of bringing energy-saving 

solutions to the housing market. The federal 

grants are directly leveraging an additional $60 

million in local, 

philanthropic and 

private capital. 

Grantees under this 

program are piloting 

solutions to the 

challenges of energy 

efficiency 

and renewable energy 

investment in existing 

affordable multifamily 

properties, leveraging 

private capital and 

additional public 

funding to do so, and 

overcoming historic 

barriers to energy 

efficiency in rental 

housing, such as the 

“split incentive” which 

has stood in the way 

of building owners 

investing in energy efficiency when residents 

realize the savings. Moreover, these grantees 

are conducting applied research to document 

and share scalable approaches to retrofitting 

these properties.

“PowerSaver is another financing 

tool in the tool kit,” said Richard 

Burbank, president of Evergreen 

Home Performance in Rockland, 

Maine. “It’s one of the best options 

for many homeowners to pay for a 

comprehensive home energy 

upgrade and protect themselves 

from the devastating combination of 

high heating oil prices, inefficient old 

houses, and cold winters.”

21
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. 

New York, NY

$2,795,071

Heat Watch, LLC, Glen Head, NY

$356,300

Columbus Property Management & 

Development, Inc., Philadelphia

$3,000,000

Community Environmental Center, Inc., 

Long Island City, NY

$3,000,000

Jonathan Rose Companies, LLC

(activity in Newark, NJ)

$325,732

New Ecology Inc., Boston

$989,275

Maryland Dept. of Housing 

and Community Development, MD

$1,250,000

NRG Solutions LLC, Boston, MA

$5,250,000

University of Illinois-Champaign, IL

$500,000

Stewards of Affordable Housing 

for the Future, Washington, DC

$1,500,000

iCast , Lakewood, CO

$590,118

Network for Oregon Affordable

Housing, Portland, OR

$3,000,000

2012 Energy Innovation Fund Grantees and Their Geographic Impact

ENSURING AFFORDABILITY AND CHOICE

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

PowerSaver has the potential to enable thousands of homeowners to borrow up to $25,000 

for terms as long as 20 years to make energy improvements of their choice, based on a list of 

proven measures developed by FHA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). $25 million in 

funding for this pilot energy-efficient financing program was financed by the 2010 Appropriate 

Act’s Energy Innovation Fund. 

Loan interest rates are expected to be between five and seven percent—comparable to or lower 

than home improvement loans available to most homeowners.

Examples of eligible improvements include: insulation, duct sealing, energy efficient 

doors and windows, energy efficient HVAC systems and water heaters, solar panels, 

and geothermal systems. FHA encourages consumers to utilize an energy audit to determine 

the most cost effective improvements for their home.

22
Columbus, OH
LEVERAGING 

RESOURCES AND 

REDUCING RED TAPE

Porcupine, SD
Saving Taxpayer Dollars

Across the country, taxpayers are seeing how 

planning initiatives that HUD is funding can 

conserve resources, achieving multiple benefits 

for every dollar invested, and pave the way for 

new public and private sector investment.

In places like Salt Lake City, UT, Chicago, IL, 

and Fresno, CA, Sustainable Communities 

Regional Planning grantees are projecting 

significant savings from more integrated 

planning. Salt Lake City has found that it can 

save $4.3 billion in infrastructure costs if it 

focuses development on the region’s 

transportation system and existing 

communities. Strengthening its competitive 

advantage in the global marketplace, the 

Chicago metropolitan area has devised a plan 

that is projected to save $1.5 billion in future 

infrastructure spending. The City of Fresno, CA 

estimates their new comprehensive plan will 

save $1.1 billion in new infrastructure costs 

and $350 million in operation and maintenance 

costs over the 20 year life of the plan.

Getting the Most from Every Federal Dollar 

Invested

Every dollar OSHC has spent on grantees has 

been matched by private investments and 

commitments from partners. As a condition of 

the Sustainable Communities grant programs, 

awardees are required to match at least 20 

percent of the requested funding amount in the 

form of cash, verified in-kind contributions, or 

a combination of these sources. Most grantees 

have contributed more.

Twin Cities, MN

The seven-county Twin Cities region in Minnesota 

secured significant funding from regional 

sponsors for its Corridors of Opportunity Plan

– an initiative that promotes vibrant and healthy 

communities, using the region’s emerging 

transitway system as a development focus. After 

receiving a $5 million HUD Sustainable 

Communities Regional Planning Grant to support 

the Corridors of Opportunity Plan, the 

consortium of businesses and local counties, led 

by the Metropolitan Council, secured an 

additional $8,907,875 from community partners, 

local jurisdictions and counties, the Minnesota 

Housing Finance Agency and the University of 

Minnesota. The Twin Cities region also received 

additional funding from Living Cities, a 

collaboration of 22 of the nation’s largest 

foundations and financial institutions. Living 

Cities offered $2.77 million in grants, $10 million 

in commercial loans, and $3 million in flexible, 

low-cost loans. In total, HUD’s grant will 

leverage almost five times the initial federal 

investment to promote development along the 

Twin Cities’ emerging transitway.

When a DOT-funded plan calls for building a roadway on one side of a 

community and a HUD-funded plan calls for investing in housing and community 

development in another part of town, we overlook opportunities to encourage 

interagency cooperation and private investment. OSHC plays a critical role in 

coordinating federal investments to meet multiple economic, environmental and 

community objectives, minimizing red tape and working with sister agencies to 

make government more efficient and responsive.

25
Thunder Valley Community Development 

Corporation, Oglala and Sioux Tribal 

Lands, SD 

For rural, smaller and fiscally-restrained 

communities, leveraged resources have a 

deeper impact on the entire community. The 

Thunder Valley Community Development 

Corporation (TVCDC) based in Porcupine, SD, 

on the Pine Ridge Reservation, offered nearly 

27 percent of matching resources for its 

proposed Regional Plan and grant request of 

$996,073. These matching resources included 

over $100,000 in cash funding from TVCDC as 

the lead agency and a planning consultant. 

Additional amounts ranging from $15,000 to 

$25,000 were provided by Smith, Shelton & 

Ragona, LLC, a local law firm; the Pine Ridge 

Area Chamber of Commerce, and Oglala Sioux 

Tribal Office of Economic Development (REDA). 

In-kind services valued at $3,200 were 

provided by partnering environmental advocacy 

group, InNative, Inc. These resources are 

critical on a reservation where unemployment 

is 47 percent.

Federal Agencies Working Together to 

Simplify Community Planning

To make it easier for communities to secure 

federal funds, OSHC works with several federal 

agencies, to align planning requirements. HUD 

and its domestic agency partners are seeking 

to make it easier to use federal funding for 

effective local solutions by reforming 

26

guidance, issuing waivers, and expediting 

permits. Below, we present two case studies of 

federal agencies working together to simplify 

community planning and one profile of a state 

agency utilizing HUD funds to allow 

communities to modernize their own rules.

Department of Commerce and HUD

In October 2011, the U.S. Department of 

Commerce’s Economic Development 

Administration (EDA) announced that HUD 

Regional Planning Grantees could leverage their 

planning efforts into a region’s Comprehensive 

Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for 

EDA – meaning one planning effort could count 

towards two federal requirements. EDA is 

working with the New Jersey Sustainable 

Communities Consortium to pilot this process.

Environmental Protection Agency and HUD

Policies, protocols and programs adopted 

separately can be barriers to implementing 

integrated solutions. Prior to this 

Administration local property owners who had 

used Environmental Protection Agency funds to 

a contaminated sites were not encouraged to 

seek HUD funds to build affordable housing. 

With new guidance issued in 2010, property 

owners only need to provide a certificate from 

EPA that the site has been cleaned to 

residential standards in order to apply for HUD 

funding. HUD and its domestic agency 

partners are seeking to make it easier to use 

Federal funding for effective local solutions by 

reforming guidance, issuing waivers, and 

expediting permitting for major 

Federally-funded projects. 

Modernizing Local Development Rules to 

Create Resilient Economies

New Hampshire Housing, leveraged its 2011 

Challenge Grant to provide competitive, 

matching grants to NH municipalities to reform 

land-use regulations. Cities and towns awarded 

such grants will use these funds to modernize 

zoning and building codes, incent development 

in village centers, and develop new land-use 

guidelines to help spur flourishing communities 

and economies.

LEVERAGING RESOURCES AND REDUCING RED TAPE

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future
Creating Reciprocal Relationships 

OSHC represents HUD in the Partnership for 

Sustainable Communities (Partnership), the 

landmark collaboration with the Department of 

Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) that coordinates public 

investments to achieve more with less. In a 

pioneering effort, HUD and DOT created a 

single application in FY2010 to jointly fund 

HUD’s Community Challenge and DOT’s Tiger II 

Planning Grants, covering $68 million worth of 

activities that coordinate housing and 

transportation planning. In June 2012, HUD, 

DOT, and EPA announced that a select number 

of their competitive assistance programs would 

be more formally aligned. For the first time, 

the three agencies will take the other agencies’ 

investments into account in making grant 

allocation decisions and utilize common 

language in notice of funding proposals. This 

type of reciprocal arrangement is at the core of 

the Partnership’s success, and will bring a new 

level of coordination to federal investments for 

maximum efficiency. 

Aligning Energy Standards 

The majority of HUD’s affordable housing 

portfolio, both public and assisted housing, was 

built before the advent of energy codes. Today, 

the Federal programs that help produce and 

preserve rental housing vary widely in energy 

efficiency requirements. While some variety is 

appropriate, given the federal government 

provides various forms and levels of assistance 

to properties along a continuum of physical and 

financial conditions, there is an opportunity to 

achieve greater alignment and maximize the 

potential for energy and financial savings in 

rental housing. 

Federal agencies recognize that building codes 

are largely a state and local responsibility, and 

code compliance and enforcement is highly 

uneven across the country. The agencies also 

recognize the economic and practical benefits 

of energy efficiency and have begun to improve 

and standardize energy efficiency requirements 

across federal rental housing programs.

Building on that progress and extending it to 

cover more rental housing production and 

rehabilitation programs, the Obama 

Administration has initiated an interagency task 

force to reduce duplicative efforts among 

federal agencies and clarify federal energy 

efficiency standards This alignment initiative 

focuses on establishing minimum energy 

standards for competitive grant programs, 

reliance on recommendations in capital needs 

assessments for substantial rehabilitation 

projects, and the use of ENERGY STAR or 

Water Sense appliances for moderate 

rehabilitation of housing projects.

Over the past three years, HUD’s relatively 

small investments in planning have leveraged 

significant public and private investments, 

creating multiple health, safety, and 

environmental benefits and realizing 

cost-savings from avoided infrastructure or 

services required to serve unplanned growth. 

OSHC’s Regional Planning Grants have 

provided localities muscle to address complex 

problems that go beyond the boundaries of 

any single community. In times of limited 

resources, this type of strategic coordination is 

particularly important; many local and state 

governments cannot undertake such efforts 

alone.

27
SUPPORTING

MORE RESILIENT 

COMMUNITIES

West Tampa, FL
While many OSHC grantees are pursuing 

strategies such as energy efficient building 

practices, walkable neighborhoods, and energy 

smart community design that help reduce the 

generation of greenhouse gases, a growing 

number of grantees also are addressing 

adaptation to climate change in their 

long-range regional planning efforts.

The New York-Connecticut Sustainable 

Communities Consortium, led by the 

Regional Plan Association, with support from a 

Sustainable Community Regional Planning 

Grant, will develop tools 

to improve resilience in 

areas most vulnerable to 

the projected effects of 

sea level rise and 

changes in the climate. In 

practice, they will help 

minimize damages and 

disruptions from coastal 

flooding and storm 

surges. These tools will 

focus specifically on 

protecting the region’s 

critical infrastructure, 

including power plants 

and water treatment 

facilities, and identifying 

design implications.

Communities throughout the country are realizing their long-term plans must 

include planning for the impacts of climate change. More frequent and intense 

heat waves, flooding, droughts, and rising sea level threaten the long-term 

prosperity and quality of life of U.S. communities. 

Seven-50: Southeast Florida Prosperity Plan 

Under the Sustainable Communities Regional 

Planning Grant, Southeast Florida has been 

developing a regional strategy to address 

resilience to climate change and economic stress.

Sea level rise has already been measured in the 

southeast portion of Florida and it has become 

imperative to address this growing problem. 

Saltwater has begun to intrude upon inland areas 

and rising water tables have caused increased 

flooding. 

Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe 

Counties have collaborated since 2009 over how 

best to coordinate climate change mitigation and 

adaption strategies for a region containing 5.5 

million people and responsible for about one third 

of Florida’s entire economy. 

Part of the plan is to develop a regional climate 

resiliency strategy in order to better understand 

the likely impacts of climate change. There are 

three parts of this strategy:

• Assess the extent of sea level rise;

• Determine the total amount of greenhouse gas 

 emissions and how the region can reduce those 

 emissions; and

• Develop a coordinated regional adaptation 

 strategy and a plan to protect the natural, built, 

 and human environments. 

AnnualSeaLevelatKeyWest

ProjectedSeaLevelRiseRangebasedonUSACEGuidance

Historic Key West Sea Level Rise Rate For Comparison

2010

Sealevel=0

2030

3-7inches

2060

9-24inches

29
The Gulf Regional Planning Commission, in 

Mississippi, a recipient of a 2010 Regional 

Planning grant, conducted a water assessment, 

which included a review of coastal vulnerability. 

Based on data from the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, Mississippi is likely 

to experience a minimum sea level rise of 10 

inches by 2100 along the Gulf Coast. According 

to the United States Geological Survey Coastal 

Vulnerability Index, up to 100 percent of 

Mississippi’s shoreline is in the high or very 

high vulnerability categories, with 83 percent in 

the very high category.

The Gulf Regional Planning Commission is 

responding to the risks of increased flooding, 

serious damages to infrastructure, and changes 

to the water supply by conducting planning 

activities to minimize the costs when such 

events occur. The Commission is also 

strengthening emergency strategies to address 

vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and 

the sick.

An FY 2010 Regional Planning Grant recipient, 

the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning

Organization, delineated in its Tomorrow 

Plan, a focus on resilience for the Des Moines 

region.

While the Greater Des Moines area economy 

has largely weathered the storm of the national 

economic downturn, a marked increase in 

floods poses just as great a threat to their 

prosperity. In 1993, a large downpour halted 

rail and freight traffic, causing $716 million in 

losses. A 2008 flood, 

called “Iowa’s Katrina,” 

left crop damage 

estimated at $3 billion. 

No locality was spared 

from the floods of 

1993 and 2008, 

making it clear this 

was a regional problem 

that required a 

regional solution. The 

Tomorrow Plan 

addresses how all of 

Central Iowa can 

become storm ready. 

Projecting future land 

use patterns, 

Tomorrow Plan 

researchers are 

charting the links 

between residential 

sprawl, loss of green 

space, and increased 

flooding. Now, local leaders are working 

together to plan for a future that prevents 

environmental hazards and sustains economic 

prosperity.

SUPPORTING MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

"The Tomorrow Plan will position us to 

compete more effectively in a global 

economy and to attract top talent. 

Additionally, these efforts will allow our 

region to entice even more start-ups and to 

sustain the businesses already located here.” 

- Suku Radia, President and CEO of Bankers 

Trust, Des Moines, IA

30
A HUD-funded study found that if Greater Des Moines continues with its current growth 

patterns, stream water level will be unstable in most of the region by 2050. This enhanced 

flood risk threatens farmland and key freight routes.

31

South Florida Regional Planning Council
PROMOTING HEALTHY 

AND LIVABLE 

COMMUNITIES FOR ALL

Morrow County, OH
Ensuring that communities are valued for their unique characteristics and that 

the planning processes in which they are engaged represents all voices is 

creating neighborhoods that are healthier, safer and more diverse.

Listening to Diverse Voices

In the past, low income groups and members 

of racial/ethnic minority groups have often 

been underrepresented in community planning 

processes. In many cases, these communities 

and planners have lacked adequate community 

engagement tools to solicit a range of local 

voices to inform policy and investment 

decision-making. This has resulted in plans 

that did not reflect community needs and the 

exclusion of marginalized groups from access 

to opportunities throughout regions. 

Excluding individuals and groups from 

community decisions hurts us all. As the 

demographics of our nation shifts and Latino, 

Asian, mixed race, and African American births 

now constitute the majority of births in the 

U.S. – it is imperative to create communities of 

opportunity, which give everyone access to 

economic and social success.

OSHC places a priority on public engagement 

and community outreach efforts, including 

engagement with marginalized populations and 

minority groups. Ensuring equitable and 

inclusive development helps communities 

retain young people, attract working families, 

and allows current demographics to drive 

neighborhood transformation.

Below we highlight three communities who are 

using HUD grants to re-assess community 

demographics and needs.

Denver, CO

Denver, CO is taking significant strides to 

address equity on a regional level. The Denver 

Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) is 

using a $4,500,000 Regional Planning Grant to 

fund their Metro Vision 2035 plan. As part of 

this initiative, the DRCOG is developing an 

interactive website where users can create 

their own maps using the Denver Regional 

Equity Atlas, the product of a joint effort 

between the Piton Foundation and 

Reconnecting America. The Denver Regional 

Equity Atlas which takes stock of economic, 

education, mobility, and health disparities in 

the Denver area and will be used to aid state 

and local decision-makers. The Atlas provides 

Fair Housing Equity Assessment

& Regional Analysis of Impediments

Equity and access to opportunity are critical 

underpinnings of the Sustainable Communities 

Regional Planning Grant program. One way to 

address questions of equity and opportunity 

access across a region is the Fair Housing and 

Equity Assessment (FHEA), which Regional 

Planning grant recipients are required to 

complete. The FHEA includes the following 

assessment components:

1. Segregated Areas and Areas of Increasing 

 Diversity and/or Racial/Ethnic Integration;

2. Racially/Ethnically Concentrated Areas of 

 Poverty;

3. Access to Areas of High Opportunity;

4. Major Public Investments; and

5. Fair Housing Issues, Services, and Activities

Many grantees are taking the extra steps 

needed to transform their FHEA products into a 

Regional Analysis of Impediments. The Regional 

AI offers considerable value in assessing fair 

housing issues, as many of the fair housing 

issues that are most intractable are best 

addressed at a regional level. 

The Regional Analysis of Impediments has a 

broader analytical scope than the FHEA in that 

it must encompasses issues associated with 

race, color, national origin, sex, religion, familial 

status, and disability, which are important 

protected classes covered by the Fair Housing 

Act. 

33
a visual aid to help users understand the 

challenges low income populations in the city 

and surrounding suburbs face in accessing 

jobs, good schools and healthy food. 

Mid-America Regional Council (MARC)

In Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS, the 

Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), 

recipient of a FY2010 Regional Planning grant 

and a FY2011 HUD Community Challenge 

grant, is working to create an equitable 

regional process that bring all voices to the 

table. 

MARC’s equity efforts support the following 

objectives: 

1. Supporting the development of a regional 

 equity network geared to inform and 

 influence the preparation of a sustainable 

 community plan for the region; 

2. Working with land use and transportation 

 planners on incorporating equity outcomes 

 in each component of the adopted final 

 plan;

3. Creating a peer exchange with regional 

 equity advocates; and, 

4. Developing a tailored community 

 engagement model along transportation 

 corridors and across the region. 

PROMOTING HEALTHY AND LIVABLE COMMUNITIES FOR ALL

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

34

The city of Denver conducts planning for their Decatur-Federal Station Area 

Planning process funded by HUD Challenge and DOT Tiger II Planning Funds.

The Mid-America Regional Council conducts an equity workshop 

to focus on regional dialogue and redevelopment. 
Puget Sound Regional Council

In Seattle, WA, home prices have nearly 

doubled from 2000 to 2008, forcing families to 

move farther from job centers in search of 

cheaper housing. To address this challenge, a 

consortium of cities, counties, and public and 

nonprofit partners, led by the Puget Sound 

Regional Council, is using 

a HUD Regional Planning 

Grant to implement the 

Growing Transit 

Communities project. 

This initiative will invest 

in key transit corridors 

and ensure equitable, 

meaningful participation 

in decision-making. 

Working with the 

Runstad Center at the 

University of Washington, 

Growing Transit Communities is using 

innovative technology that allows local 

residents to visualize development scenarios in 

real-time, demonstrating how the planning 

process can be brought directly to the region’s 

diverse communities.

Promoting Healthy Communities

Public health experts are looking at the 

connections between health and where people 

live, learn, work, and play. 

Research has shown that places 

and environments have a major 

impact on health outcomes. Key 

components of a neighborhood, 

such as the housing, 

transportation, economic 

development, and land-use 

development play important 

roles in promoting or 

preventing good health in a 

community. For example, diet 

and access to healthy food is a 

critical factor that affects wellbeing. Similarly, 

physical activity is a major factor in addressing 

chronic illness, and access to walkable spaces 

like parks can influence the amount of activity 

within a neighborhood. 

HUD’s Sustainable Communities grantees are 

undertaking a wide range of innovative 

approaches to address health within their 

communities. Many are making critical 

connections between health outcomes, land 

use, planning, and holistic program 

implementation. These efforts range from 

creating green 

home 

improvement 

programs that 

focus on resident 

health and 

wellness to 

enhancing 

residents’ access 

to healthy food. A 

number of 

grantees also include health care experts on 

their project teams to ensure that public health 

is considered and adequately addressed in the 

planning process. Below we highlight four 

examples where communities have 

incorporated public health concerns into 

community planning efforts.

“What’s impressed me the most is 

how we’re working with residents 

and communities in ways we 

never have before. This not only 

builds support for a shared vision, 

but builds the local capacity to 

make that vision a reality.” 

- Ben Bakkenta, Project Manager, 

Puget Sound Regional Council

"The fact that we can predict 

health, economic, and educational 

outcomes of children based on zip 

code is a tragedy. And it's not who 

we are as Americans." 

– Secretary Shaun Donovan, HUD

The central Puget Sound region is looking at how to 

create equitable transit communities in the South 

Corridor's 24 existing and future light rail and bus rapid 

transit station areas. 
One strategy being used by Denver, CO is the 

application of the Health Development 

Measurement Tool (HDMT), which is a 

comprehensive toolkit that supports the 

advancement of community health through 

urban infrastructure investments. Through a 

collective effort with the Denver Housing 

Authority and numerous local, state and 

national agencies and a local resident- business 

steering committee, the South Lincoln 

Redevelopment Master Plan leveraged over 

$7.5 million in OSHC grants with $22 million in 

HOPE VI and an additional $27 million in 

philanthropic funds from the Ford Foundation 

and Living Cities, to transform the South 

Lincoln neighborhood. South Lincoln is one of 

the oldest neighborhoods in Denver with 270 

public housing units on 15.1 acres. 

After receiving an HDMT assessment, the 

community made a commitment to address 

health issues including improved mobility, 

access to healthy food, and increased 

energy-efficiency and social cohesion. The new 

development includes energy-efficient and 

green building practices to align with LEED for 

Neighborhood Development, Enterprise Green 

Communities and ENERGY STAR. To address 

local availability, economic implications, 

environmental considerations, the team 

examined several energy source options, 

including solar photovoltaic panels and 

biomass. Leveraging the projected savings 

from their energy efficiency improvements, the 

neighborhood was also able to plan for holistic 

healthy neighborhood improvements including 

pedestrian-friendly, landscaped streets, 

greenspace enhancements, and a community 

garden and food hub to bring fruits and 

vegetables into the neighborhood through 

existing local markets, new stores and farmers’ 

markets. 

Oklahoma City, OK is working with public 

health experts to enhance PlanOKC, a 

comprehensive plan funded by a FY2010 

Community Challenge grant. After being 

ranked one of the fattest cities in the country 

by the Trust for America’s Health and the 

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Oklahoma 

City's Mayor Cornett started a campaign in 

2008 to encourage the city to lose one million 

pounds. Building on this momentum, Planokc 

examines data connections between the built 

environment and health in Oklahoma City. To 

infuse “health in every policy,” the PlanOKC 

team has established a Healthy Communities 

Oversight Group comprised of citizens and 

public health professionals. This group reviews 

phases of PlanOKC development and 

recommends ways to incorporate health in the 

plan. By seeking input from the public health 

community, Oklahoma City is working to 

provide healthier choices for residents and 

reverse the city’s obesity trend.

Western New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, the Upper Valley Lake 

Sunapee Regional Planning Commission 

(UVLSRPC) is using an FY 2010 Community 

Challenge Grant to conduct Food Source 

Mapping and Housing Needs Assessments in 

Western New Hampshire to help community 

leaders increase the supply of affordable 

housing within walking distance of food 

sources. As part of this process, the UVLSRPC 

is working to map the availability of food 

options near housing. To complete the data 

PROMOTING HEALTHY AND LIVABLE COMMUNITIES FOR ALL

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

Tacoma Link Light Rail is supporting vibrant new activity in 

Tacoma's South Downtown neighborhood. With HUD 

Sustainable Communities funding, the City is conducting an 

up-front environmental review of the neighborhood, designed 

to speed up the permit process and incent new development 

in this designated regional growth center.

36
collection, the Commission is enlisting the help 

of local citizens and providing them with GPS 

training to collect data on food sources and 

walkability. The findings will help communities 

understand what food options are currently 

available and which areas are facing food 

insecurity. UVLSRPC will also use the findings 

to understand ways to improve the distribution 

of foods from local farms. The Commission will 

use the assessments to inform local leaders 

and advocate for policies that promote 

improved health outcomes throughout Western 

New Hampshire.

In Columbus, OH, the Mid-Ohio Regional 

Planning Commission (MORPC) is using a FY 

2010 Community Challenge Grant to remedy 

the lack of access to fresh food in Weinland 

Park by integrating a local food system into the 

community. The MORPC plans to integrate a 

number of projects, including: new community 

gardens on foreclosed, vacant, and abandoned 

properties, a neighborhood food campus for 

food distribution and classes in food production 

and entrepreneurship, transportation planning, 

and the creation of a “healthy food team.” 

MORPC is conducting research into best 

The Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission boasts five local food 

councils to help each of the region’s 12 counties implement their 

Local Food Assessment and Plan. 

practices in urban agriculture, environmental 

site analysis, and design development. MORPC 

and its partners are also working to develop a 

curriculum tailored to urban gardening 

and entrepreneurship.

Fourth Street Farms, a new community garden located in the 

heart of Weinland Park -- a distressed, mixed-income 

neighborhood between downtown Columbus and Ohio State 

University that is the site of a HUD funded plan to incorporate all 

aspects of local food (growing, processing, distributing, eating) 

into its revitalization. 

37
Conclusions

Building the Momentum: Looking to the Future

Since its creation in early 2010, HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and 

Communities (OSHC) has catalyzed pioneering community development work 

that is energizing regions and communities across the country. Through its 

Sustainable Communities Initiative and its engagement with the Partnership for 

Sustainable Communities, OSHC is building strong regional economies, 

attracting new private investment, and creating new job opportunities to 

improve the lives of American families and communities. OCHS’s Sustainable 

Housing Initiative is keeping more money in the pockets of taxpayers by helping 

to reduce energy use and utility bills in affordable homes. 

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

Demand for OSHC’s assistance has far 

exceeded available resources. For example, 

only about 10 percent of applicants for OSHC’s 

competitive Sustainable Communities grants 

have been funded. Community activities 

supported by OSHC 

grants have been 

extremely popular on 

the local level. 

To continue building on 

the successes of the 

Sustainable 

Communities Initiative, 

OSHC appointed 70 

Sustainability Officers 

in June 2010 in HUD 

regional and field 

offices, to help 

communities across 

the country leverage 

public and private 

resources to plan a 

more vibrant and 

competitive future. Through its Sustainable 

Communities Learning Network, OSHC is 

assisting both grantees and Preferred 

Sustainability Status communities adopt best 

practices and utilize new community 

development tools. Additionally, through HUD’s 

new online Sustainable Communities Resource 

Center, OSHC is distributing information about 

public/private partnerships and economic 

development to the public at large.

A fundamental tenet of OSHC’s work is that 

integrated economic development planning can 

be done in communities of all types. OSHC has 

supported work in communities in 48 states 

and the District of Columbia, ranging in size 

from the vast 

metropolitan areas of 

New York and Chicago 

to rural and tribal areas 

in South Dakota, 

northern Wisconsin, 

and southwestern 

Virginia. Different 

regions and 

communities have 

developed different 

approaches to this 

work, which suit their 

individual 

circumstances and 

visions for the future. 

OSHC’s Sustainable 

Communities Initiative 

is developing national 

models and best practices to help communities 

across the country embark on robust economic 

development. 

"Our Region’s prosperity and quality of life 

hinges on our ability to reduce fragmentation 

and duplicative effort. With the support of 

the Sustainable Communities Initiative and 

regional stakeholders, the Southeast Florida 

Regional Partnership has a unique 

opportunity to rethink and change “business 

as usual.” Enhanced regional collaboration 

and strategic investment will set the stage 

for positive, transformational change.” 

- Ralph A. Marrinson, Chair, South Florida 

Regional Business Alliance

38
The City of Ranson, West Virginia, a community of about 4,500 people, was faced with a 

steady decline in manufacturing, as well as increasing growth pressures from the 

Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. In the past several years, Ranson has lost more 

than 1,500 jobs due to 

a reduction of its 

manufacturing 

economy, leaving the 

community with 

contaminated, vacant 

sites and a downtown in 

physical and economic 

decline. Simultaneously, 

Jefferson County’s 

population has grown 

steadily, but with few 

strategies to guide 

investment toward 

existing structures left vacant from decades of economic decline. Joining forces with federal 

and state agencies, Ranson City and nearby city of Charles Town have developed a plan for 

revitalization. OSHC and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities has been a key player 

in moving that plan forward. The plan centers on 

transforming Fairfax Boulevard, the main thoroughfare 

between the two cities. A “green corridor” will surround 

the boulevard, providing 

a pedestrian-friendly 

connection between the 

two cities that provides 

access to regional job 

centers and community 

facilities. In April 2012, 

Ranson’s City Council 

unanimously approved 

proposals to enact a 

new zoning code and 

comprehensive plan, 

moving the community 

one step closer to 

realizing its vision for growth. With the help of the HUD 

Community Challenge Grant, the city drafted new zoning 

requirements to develop streets that would be safe and 

comfortable for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorized 

vehicles, bring buildings closer to the street, and 

accommodate a mix of uses and affordable homes.

39
Measuring Progress

To develop a common framework for measuring 

progress toward sustainability outcomes across 

the country, OSHC is working with its grantees 

on program evaluation. One innovative aspect 

of the Sustainable Communities Initiative is 

that it encourages community-driven, 

data-supported work that helps communities 

develop program goals and ways of measuring 

progress toward those goals, appropriate to 

their local context, created through a 

community engagement process. Figure 

describes how Hartford, CT’s, measures its 

progress.

To evaluate grantees’ effectiveness across all 

programs, OSHC is tracking progress toward 

high-level, interdisciplinary goals that flow from 

the Partnership for Sustainable Communities 

Livability Principles. In coordination with DOT 

and EPA, OSHC developed a set of Flagship 

Indicators, based on Core Planning Outcomes, 

which provide standardized measurements to 

evaluate the work of diverse grantees. OSHC 

has asked it 2011 grantees to utilize these 

indicators for its self-evaluations, and is 

collecting data across programs to track overall 

impact.

TRACKING LOCAL GOALS

The Knowledge Corridor Consortium (KCC), led by the Capitol Region Council of Governments of 

Hartford, CT, a 2010 Regional Planning Grant recipient, is tracking a set of indicators tied to local 

sustainability goals. Progress towards KCC’s goal “to maximize housing choice and housing 

affordability and to insure fair housing policies for all of the region's citizens,” for example, is being 

measured through indicators such as: foreclosure rate, high concentrations of poverty and 

minority segregation, and housing cost burden. By creating a robust “How Are We Doing?” 

webpage, the KCC has made it easy for the public to follow the Consortium’s progress and 

understand regional trends over time. User-friendly data is available at the broad regional level, as 

well as at the local town level. 

Tools Used by the KCC to Track Sustainability Indicators

Visit http://www.sustainableknowledgecorridor.org/site/content/how-are-we-doing to see the 

KCC’s data-tracking tools.

CONCLUSIONS 40
Sustainability Outcomes and Flagship Indicators

Sustainability Outcome

Transportation Choice

Housing Affordability

Equitable Development

Economic Resilience

Growth Through Reinvestment

Definition

Communities feature multiple safe 

and convenient options for people to 

walk, bike, or ride in order to reduce 

congestion and air pollution, lower 

transportation costs, and improve 

public health.

Communities include a variety of 

housing choices that are affordable 

for all, and reverse a long-standing 

trend of steadily increasing housing 

costs.

New growth and sustainability 

benefits extend to all community 

members, reducing costs and 

ensuring access to vital services for 

both the general population and for 

low to moderate income households.

Communities with stable, efficient, 

and diverse economies are better 

able to withstand economic shocks.

Focusing new housing and 

commercial growth in areas that 

have already been urbanized 

increases the vitality of existing 

communities and safeguards rural 

landscapes. It also makes better 

use of existing public infrastructure 

while avoiding the expense of 

expanding infrastructure to new 

areas.

Flagship Indicator

Total percentage of workers 

commuting via walking, biking, transit, 

or rideshare

Percentage of rental units and 

owner-occupied units affordable to 

households earning 80% of area 

median family income

Combined Housing and Transportation 

Affordability - Proportion of average 

household income spent on housing and 

transportation costs (calculated both for the 

project area as a whole and for areas with 

over 50% low-moderate income households)

Access to healthy food choices - Percent of 

total population that resides in a low income 

census tract and resides more than one mile 

(ten miles in rural areas) from a supermarket

Access to open space - Percent of total 

population that resides within a half-mile mile 

(one mile in rural areas) of a park or open 

space (calculated both for the project area as 

a whole and for areas with over 50% 

low-moderate income households)

Economic Diversification Index - 

Diversity of the local economy as 

compared to the diversity of the 

national economy

General local government 

debt-to-revenue ratio

Net acres of agricultural and natural 

resource land lost annually to 

development per new resident

41
In addition to the above, OSHC is tracking 

three Planning Outcomes, which are more 

qualitative and process in nature. These 

include:

• Public Engagement 

• Governance 

• Integrated Planning and Investment

In addition to the groundbreaking sustainable 

communities work, OSHC’s Sustainable 

Housing Initiative will continue to foster 

catalytic ways to reduce energy and utility bills, 

while preserving housing affordability and 

promoting green building innovation. The 

initiative is helping to transform markets by 

providing leadership and building capacity to 

support greener, more energy-efficient, and 

healthier HUD-assisted and market-rate 

housing.

Helping Communities Realize A More Prosperous Future

CONCLUSIONS

From east coast to west coast, from rural to 

urban communities, HUD’s Office of 

Sustainable Communities is fully engaged in 

improving the lives of Americans. OSHC, in 

collaboration with the Partnership for 

Sustainable Communities, is helping to create 

thriving regional economies, where business 

investments are creating new opportunities, 

and where communities are realizing their 

hopes for a prosperous future.

42

Madison, WI high school students participate in design exercise as part 

of the Capital Area Planning Commission’s Sustainability grant.
Photos on front cover (from Left to Right): 

Columbia, TN; Salt Lake City, UT; Greensboro, NC

November, 2012

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities

www.hud.gov/sustainability

sustainablecommunities@hud.gov