Partnership

for Sustainable

Communities

Five Years oF Learning From Communities

and Coordinating FederaL investments

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPORT
About the Partnership

On June 16, 2009, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, U.S. 

Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that they were forming the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Since then, 

new leaders—HUD Secretary Julián Castro, DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy—have 

affirmed their agencies’ commitment to the Partnership. Using six guiding principles (below), the three agencies continue 

to coordinate investments and align policies to support communities that want to give Americans more housing 

choices, make transportation systems more efficient and reliable, reinforce existing investments, protect the environment, 

and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses and jobs.

Partnership Guiding Principles

•	Provide	more	transportation	choices.	

•	Promote	equitable,	affordable	housing.	

•	Increase	economic	competitiveness.	

“ ”

•	Support	existing	communities.	

•	Leverage	federal	investment.	

•	Value	communities	and	neighborhoods.

The Partnership for Sustainable Communities is about achieving one goal: 

expanding opportunity for American families. HUD is proud to work with 

regions to cultivate and connect all the community assets needed to thrive, 

from	jobs	to	transportation.	Working	with	local	leaders,	I’m	certain	that	the	

investments our agencies have made will enhance the health and wealth of 

communities for decades to come.

Secretary Julián Castro

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The Partnership is helping us align our transportation investments with the 

goals of providing affordable housing and preserving the environment. 

Together with HUD and EPA, we are making fundamental changes in how 

we work together to benefit all Americans and provide new Ladders of 

Opportunity for many.

Secretary Anthony Foxx 

U.S. Department of Transportation

“ ”

“ ” Communities know better than anyone else what they need. Through the 

Partnership for Sustainable Communities, we at the federal level are 

organizing ourselves to give communities tools to address economic 

and environmental challenges in the way that works best for them.

Administrator Gina McCarthy 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction....................................................................................................................................2

Listening and Collaborating to Better Meet Communities’ Needs....................................................6

Increasing Flexibility and Removing Barriers.............................................................................6

Leveraging Federal and Local Know-how ...............................................................................10

Delivering Multiple Benefits From Single Investments..............................................................14

Looking to the Future ..................................................................................................................19

WHAT ARE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES?

Sustainable communities have a variety of housing options, with homes near workplaces, schools, parks, stores, 

and amenities. Having these daily destinations close together allows people to walk, bike, take transit, or drive 

short distances, which can save them money while reducing pollution from vehicles. In sustainable communities, 

people can live closer to jobs or have easier access to more jobs in a wider region. This diversity of travel, housing, 

and employment options helps make communities more affordable, environmentally sustainable, and economically 

resilient. Rural, suburban, and urban places can all use sustainable communities strategies to create healthy, safe, 

walkable neighborhoods.
Introduction

2 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

INTRODUCTION

Interagency collaboration through the Partnership for 

Sustainable Communities invests taxpayer money 

more efficiently and gets better results for communities. 

By sharing knowledge and coordinating investments 

in infrastructure, facilities, and services, the U.S. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development 

(HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can meet 

multiple economic, environmental, and community 

objectives with each dollar spent.

Since 2009, HUD, DOT, and EPA have collaborated 

to ensure their policies and investments better serve 

American communities. Through these efforts, more than 

1,000 communities in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., 

and Puerto Rico have received more than $4 billion in 

grants and technical assistance to help them grow and 

improve	their	quality	of	life.	

This publication summarizes some significant policy 

changes and collaborations and how they have made a 

difference in communities over the past five years. The 

Partnership’s work has driven not only HUD, DOT, and 

EPA, but also other federal agencies to make lasting 

policy changes that will use resources more effectively 

and improve how agencies work with communities for 

years to come. The publication also looks at critical issues

facing our nation in the future and how the Partnership 

can help communities take advantage of opportunities 

and overcome challenges. 

Many of our communities and housing options, built 

for a different time, are not what Americans want today. 

Research from the real estate industry shows that more 

people want to live in more convenient, walkable 

neighborhoods (Figure 1). A National Association of 

Realtors survey showed that half of Americans prefer a 

neighborhood with a variety of housing types, including 

multifamily and single-family homes; shops, restaurants, 

and amenities within walking distance; and nearby 

public transportation over a neighborhood with only 

single-family homes and few transportation options 

besides driving.1

 Walkable communities are particularly 

important to millennials,2

 who make up the largest 

percentage of the U.S. population; one research firm 

estimates that about 70 percent of them see walkability 

as “important” or “vital” when choosing a home.3

1 National Association of Realtors. “National Community Preference Survey.” 

October 2013. p. 28. www.realtor.org/sites/default/files/reports/2013/2013-

community-preference-analysis-slides.pdf.

2 Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are those born between 1981 and 1999.

3 Duggal, Melina. “Design Trends That Capture Generation Y.” Presentation of 

RCLCO research. NAHB International Builders’ Show, Jan. 12, 2011. 

50%

48% 46% 45% 42%

WHAT AMERICANS WANT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS

PREFER A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A VARIETY OF 

HOUSING OPTIONS, SHOPS, AND AMENITIES 

NEAR HOMES AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT MORE OF IN THEIR CURRENT NEIGHBORHOODS?

MORE SAFE

BIKE ROUTES

MORE HOMES

FOR PEOPLE

WITH LOWER

INCOMES

MORE PUBLIC

TRANSPORTATION

WITHIN AN EASY

WALK

MORE SHOPS AND

RESTAURANTS

WITHIN AN

EASY WALK

Figure 1: Many Americans prefer to live in more convenient, walkable neighborhoods. Source: National Association of Realtors 2013.
Introduction

Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 3 

Since 2000, Americans have seen their combined 

costs for housing and transportation grow faster 

than household income (Figure 2). This trend 

disproportionately affects households at or below median 

income. Housing and transportation costs combined 

account for nearly half of total income for medianincome households and an even greater share for 

moderate-income (between 50 to 100 percent of median 

income) households (Figure 3).4

The complex challenges in many struggling communities 

need comprehensive, integrated solutions. Safe, decent, 

and affordable housing; reliable transportation options; 

and a clean, healthy environment are fundamental 

to a person’s ability to lift him- or herself into a better 

life. These resources are rungs on the “ladders of 

opportunity” that help lower-income Americans reach 

the middle class. The Partnership’s work supports these 

ladders of opportunity in many ways. Making sure that 

low-income people have access to reliable and affordable 

transportation options lets them reach more education 

and job opportunities and gives businesses a larger pool 

of workers. Encouraging investment and revitalization in 

underserved neighborhoods can bring new, affordable 

homes while creating jobs constructing or repairing 

4 Hickey, Robert, et al. Losing Ground: The Struggle of Moderate-Income 

Households to Afford the Rising Costs of Housing and Transportation. The 

Center for Housing Policy and the Center for Neighborhood Technology. 2012. 

www.nhc.org/media/files/LosingGround_10_2012.pdf. 

HOUSING + TRANSPORTATION COSTS

HOUSEHOLD INCOME

44 %

GROWTH

25 %

GROWTH

From 2000 to 2010...

HOW MUCH OF TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME DO AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS* 

SPEND ON COMBINED HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION COSTS?

59% 48% 33%

*25 Largest Metropolitan Areas

MODERATE INCOME

Average Income: $44,566

Annual Transportation: $11,912

Annual Housing: $14,170

Combined H+T: $26,083

MEDIAN INCOME ABOVE-MEDIAN INCOME

Average Income: $107,834

Annual Transportation: $14,487

Annual Housing: $21,373

Combined H+T: $35,860

Average Income: $63,540

Annual Transportation: $13,070

Annual Housing: $17,226

Combined H+T: $30,296

Transportation Costs Housing Costs

27%

21%

13%

32%

27%

20%

buildings and infrastructure. The community-driven 

solutions that Partnership investments support can help 

address	environmental	justice	and	social	equity	issues	by	

giving everyone, including traditionally underrepresented 

groups, the chance to get involved in identifying 

environmental, economic, and social challenges; crafting 

a vision for the future; and implementing fair solutions.

Figure 2: From 2000 to 2010, combined housing and transportation 

costs rose more than household income. Source: Hickey 2012.

Figure 3: Combined housing and transportation costs make up a larger percentage of household income for lower-income households. 

Source: Hickey 2012. 
Introduction

4 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

Americans want new choices—and both the public 

and private sectors have roles in meeting this 

demand. Builders and developers need the freedom 

to provide the diversity of homes and neighborhoods 

that Americans want, and communities need more 

flexibility and support from the federal government. 

The Partnership is responding by reducing barriers 

and changing programs to make sure they support 

what communities want. For example, several agency 

programs now regularly consult each other before 

making decisions on place-based grant and technical 

assistance awards. This coordination helps to align 

federal investments in housing, transportation, and 

environmental protection to fund projects identified 

through	community-driven	planning	processes.	It	helps	

to reduce duplication across programs and deliver 

multiple benefits from single investments. Sharing 

expertise and information across the three agencies 

helps the federal government make better-informed 

decisions, use scarce resources more effectively, and 

leverage investments across agencies so that taxpayer 

dollars pay dividends for years to come.

The Partnership has demonstrated the value of 

collaboration, serving as a model for other interagency 

efforts that also aim to help communities prosper. 

Other federal partnerships, such as the Strong Cities, 

Strong	Communities	Initiative;5 the Urban Waters 

Federal Partnership;6 and America’s Great Outdoors,7 

share the Partnership’s place-based focus and close

coordination. All of these efforts are grounded in the 

belief that taxpayers benefit when federal investments 

are coordinated, and that federal efforts can be 

improved through strong stakeholder engagement.

Achieving the meaningful, lasting change that the 

Partnership strives to attain is challenging, but in

times of limited resources, it is critical to eliminate 

redundancies, make the most of our resources, and 

ensure federal investments achieve multiple benefits for 

communities. When the federal government coordinates 

its efforts and shares its know-how across agencies, 

everyone wins: households save money; communities 

can use their limited resources more efficiently and 

better compete for jobs and talent; and our land, air, 

and water are better protected and preserved.

5 The Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative coordinates federal programs 

and investments to spark economic growth in distressed areas and improve 

cooperation among community organizations, local leadership, and the 

federal government. For more information, see: HUD. “Strong Cities, Strong 

Communities Initiative (SC2).” www.huduser.org/portal/sc2/home.html. 

Accessed Jun. 4, 2014.

6 The Urban Waters Federal Partnership helps urban communities, particularly 

those that are overburdened or economically distressed, reconnect with 

their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and 

collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts. For more information, 

see: EPA. “Urban Waters Federal Partnership.” www.urbanwaters.gov. 

Accessed Jun. 4, 2014.

7 America’s Great Outdoors supports community-led, grassroots conservation 

initiatives by reworking inefficient policies and making the federal government a 

better partner with states, tribes, and local communities. For more information, 

see: U.S. Department of the Interior. “America’s Great Outdoors.” 

www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/index.cfm. Accessed Jun. 4, 2014.
Introduction

Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 5 

Examples of Competitive Grant and Technical Assistance Programs Developed and Reviewed Jointly by the 

Partnership Agencies

Program Year Lead 

Agency

Number of 

Applicants

Total Funding 

Requested

Number 

Selected

Total Funding 

Issued

TIGER Capital Grants 2009-2013 DOT 4,605 $112.6 billion 270 $3.5 billion

FTA8 Livability and 

Alternative Analysis

2010-2011 DOT 722 $4.3 billion 165 $494 million

Choice Neighborhoods 

Implementation Grants

2010-2012 HUD 84 $860 million 9 $231.6 million

Sustainable Communities 2010-2011 HUD 416 $674 million 74 $165.1 million

Regional Planning Grants

HUD Community Challenge 

/ TIGER Planning Grants

2010 HUD & DOT 766 $1.3 billion9 61 $68 million

Transportation, Community, 

and System Preservation 

Program

2011 DOT 715 $1.4 billion 65 $56.7 million

Community Challenge Grants 2011 HUD 267 $408 million 27 $28.6 million

Choice Neighborhoods 

Planning Grants

2010-2013 HUD 314 $75 million 56 $16.9 million

Brownfields Area-Wide 2010 & 2013 EPA 239 $42.9 million 43 $8 million

Planning Grants 

Building Blocks for 

Sustainable Communities

2011-2013 EPA 1,029 $15.4 million 224 $3.3 million

Smart Growth 2009-2013 EPA 542 $31.5 million 48 $1.5 million

Implementation Assistance10

Greening America’s Capitals 2010-2013 EPA 77 $6.1 million 19 $1.5 million

Partnership Brownfields 

Pilots

2012 EPA 2511 $2.5 million 5 $0.5 million

Totals 9,801 $121.7 billion 1,066 $4.6 billion

8 FTA stands for Federal Transit Administration.

9 This figure represents only funding requested from HUD.

10 The Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program began in 2005 but became a Partnership program in 2009. The figures here are only for projects conducted under 

the Partnership. The dollar figures are an estimate of Office of Sustainable Communities funding only and do not include any additional EPA or other federal funds.

11 Projects were nominated by EPA regions.
6 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

Listening and Collaborating to Better Meet Communities’ Needs

LISTENING AND COLLABORATING TO BETTER MEET COMMUNITIES’ NEEDS

By working together and listening to the needs of 

communities, states, regional entities, and tribes, the 

Partnership agencies have begun to change the way 

they work to make more efficient and meaningful 

investments. These changes will let the agencies more 

effectively help communities grow in ways that support 

residents, local economies, and regional ecosystems. 

While some of the changes described below reflect the 

actions of only one agency, they were informed by 

the close coordination across agencies made possible 

by the Partnership. The agency changes fall into three 

general categories:

•	Increasing	flexibility	and	removing	barriers.

•	Leveraging	federal	and	local	know-how.

•	Delivering	multiple	benefits	from	single	investments.	

Increasing Flexibility and Removing Barriers

To make it easier for communities to implement their 

own visions for growth, the Partnership agencies made 

programs and guidance more flexible. The agencies 

also removed barriers that could inhibit developers from 

investing in communities.

Clarifying Bicycle and Pedestrian Guidelines

In	addition	to	promoting	physical	activity,	encouraging	

walking and biking helps reduce pollution from vehicles 

and provides inexpensive transportation options that are 

particularly important for low-income people. Narrow 

interpretations of national design guidelines prevented 

communities from implementing connected bicycle and 

pedestrian networks, despite new design resources that 

demonstrated their viability and benefits. On August 20, 

2013, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 

part of DOT, signaled the agency’s support for a flexible 

approach to pedestrian and bicycle facility design in a 

memorandum12 designating specific resources that can 

inform the design of safe, comfortable pedestrian and 

bicycle facilities that fit their community context.13 The 

12 FHWA. “Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Design Flexibility.” Aug. 20, 2013. www.

fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/guidance/design_guidance/

design_flexibility.cfm. 

13 The memo designates the American Association of State Highway 

Transportation Officials’ Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of 

Pedestrian Facilities and Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities as 

the primary national resources for pedestrian and bicycle facility design and 

also highlights the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ Urban 

Bikeway Design Guide and the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Designing 

Urban Walkable Thoroughfares. Links to all these resources can be found in the 

FHWA memo in the previous footnote.

y of EPAesourto cPhot

Figure 4: Separated, clearly marked bike lanes protect bicyclists and 

can encourage people to bike. A survey found that 80 percent of 

residents in the neighborhood around this bike lane, on 15th Street, 

NW, in Washington, D.C., thought it was a “valuable asset.” 14

memorandum also highlights buffered and colored bike 

lanes (Figure 4) as successful examples of innovative 

treatments that have been introduced, in part, through 

the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices15

experimentation process. The endorsement received 

supportive feedback from the bicycle and pedestrian 

community, as well as stakeholder groups involved 

in sustainability work. For instance, the Wisconsin 

Department of Transportation is incorporating the design 

flexibility memo in its own guidance. By clarifying its 

support for well-designed, well-connected bicycle and 

pedestrian facilities, DOT gave local transportation 

officials greater certainty and more flexibility to connect 

bicycle and pedestrian networks and craft plans that meet 

their communities’ goals. 

14 Kittelson & Associates, et al. District Department of Transportation Bicycle 

Facility Evaluation: Summary of Evaluation and Recommendations. District 

Department of Transportation. 2012.

15 FHWA. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. May 2012. http://mutcd.fhwa.

dot.gov. The manual, which FHWA has administered since 1971, is a compilation 

of national standards for all traffic control devices, including road markings, 

highway signs, and traffic signals.
Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 7 

Listening and Collaborating to Better Meet Communities’ Needs

Making it Easier to Use Hazard Mitigation Funds 

on Brownfield Sites

EPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

(FEMA) worked together to resolve a longstanding 

obstacle facing communities that wanted to redevelop their 

brownfield properties. This policy issue first came to light 

while trying to identify Partnership project opportunities in 

EPA’s Great Lakes region. FEMA’s policies had previously 

been so strict that any contamination would render a 

property that was otherwise suitable for reuse ineligible for 

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program,16 even if the 

state environmental protection agency had already cleared 

the property through its own cleanup program. EPA and 

FEMA’s different definitions of “clean” created an obstacle 

16 The program “provides grants to states and local governments to implement 

long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration.” See: 

FEMA. “Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.” www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigationgrant-program. Accessed May 29, 2014.

to site reuse and had a chilling effect for state emergency 

management agencies interested in working on brownfield 

sites, an issue these state agencies had highlighted for 

years. EPA’s involvement provided the additional support 

necessary for FEMA to change its contamination policy. 

FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance update, 

released July 12, 2013, includes a new Hazardous 

Materials policy that aligns FEMA and EPA perspectives 

on contamination.17 This FEMA policy update removes 

a longtime obstacle to brownfield communities accessing 

FEMA Hazard Mitigation grants and provides more 

resources to communities seeking to reuse former 

brownfield properties.

17 FEMA. Addendum to the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance.

2013. www.fema.gov/media-library-data/8b1146445c5833a6e5baf82cf1071a8f/

FINAL_Addendum_082813_508.pdf. 

WHAT THE PARTNERSHIP MEANS TO US

Kalima Rose, Senior Director, PolicyLink Center for Infrastructure Equity, PolicyLink

PolicyLink (www.policylink.org), a national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity, 

provides technical assistance to HUD and EPA grantees under the HUD and EPA Capacity Building for Sustainable 

Communities Program. 

We help grantees incorporate social equity outcomes into their work. Regional planning organizations are usually 

not familiar with working with communities of color. We help them work with these communities in authentic ways 

and include their preferences in plans and implementation. I think providing technical assistance on equity has been 

a really enhanced aspect of the Partnership that has added a lot of value to the grantees. 

For example, the Bay Area in California, the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and others used the funding to do research, 

public engagement, and design. They did a deep analysis of where the low-income communities are and their 

access to transit, affordable housing, middle-income jobs, and job training systems. Social equity issues were deeply 

examined. There is now a plan for implementing changes in these areas. In Eugene, Oregon, and New Orleans, 

Louisiana, they are developing transit. The bus lines don’t run at the hours many low-income shift workers need 

them to, and the grantees are working to change that. 

Having the Partnership agencies work together has been helpful. EPA, HUD, and DOT have been working together 

wherever possible to remove barriers and make access to the agencies seamless. For example, the HUD regional 

planning grant requires all grantees to do a fair housing equity assessment that includes data on both transportation 

and toxic exposure. DOT also requires civil rights assessments that differ from HUD’s requirements. HUD and DOT 

have been talking about how they can combine the two so the grantee can meet both requirements with one 

submission. Meanwhile, HUD has also discussed with EPA how its environmental expertise and data can augment 

the toxic exposure analysis. 

EPA, HUD, and DOT meet regularly and talk about what they’ve been learning from the grantees. If they hear a grantee 

wants to use both HUD and DOT funds on a project to build affordable housing and improve transit options, and HUD and 

DOT’s local hiring rules conflict, DOT and HUD have worked together on waivers to allow the project to proceed.

Regulations often feel overwhelming to many grantees. DOT, EPA, HUD, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA), which also participates in the Partnership, have sent federal workers to help the grantees figure out 

regulations. For example, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, they provided hands-on assistance to show 

the tribe how to access loan guarantees.
8 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

Listening and Collaborating to Better Meet Communities’ Needs

Broadening Criteria for Funding Transit Improvements

Public transit ridership is growing, rising 37 percent 

between 1995 and 2013, compared to a 20 percent 

increase in the U.S. population and a 23 percent rise 

in vehicle miles traveled.18 As DOT’s Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) tries to help communities meet 

this demand, it has incorporated the Partnership’s 

guiding principles into its programs. For example, FTA 

updated the New Starts program, one of DOT’s largest 

competitive grant programs, to evaluate major transit 

projects on a broad set of criteria. FTA will take into 

account	EPA’s	regional	air	quality	designations	and	the	

dollar value of the anticipated benefits to human health, 

energy	use,	air	quality	(e.g.,	changes	in	total	greenhouse	

gas emissions and other pollutants), and safety (e.g., 

reductions in accidents and fatalities). The agency will 

also credit including economic development in local 

18 Press release. “Record 10.7 Billion Trips Taken On U.S. Public Transportation 

In 2013.” American Public Transportation Association. Mar. 10, 2014. 

www.apta.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/2014/Pages/140310_Ridership.aspx.

e esy of city of Charlott ourto cPhot

Figure 5: The light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, illustrates the 

economic benefits that public transit investment can bring. Between its 

opening in 2007 and 2011, the system’s Blue Line saw development 

in the station areas that included 3,500 housing units, 218,000 square 

feet of office space, and 218,000 square feet of retail space.19

19 Charlotte Area Transit System. North Corridor Commuter Rail Project: Land Use 

and Economic Development Analysis. 2011.

WHAT THE PARTNERSHIP MEANS TO US

Megan McConville, Program Manager; Brett Schwartz, Program Manager; and Sara James, Community and 

Economic Resilience Fellow, National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation 

The NADO Research Foundation has received funding from HUD and EPA to serve as a capacity-building team 

supporting HUD and EPA grantees. The foundation has also received grants from FHWA.

As a membership organization representing the country’s regional planning and economic development 

organizations, NADO’s mission is to support economic and community development in rural and small town America. 

Our members are working to help their regions grow in ways that are sustainable and resilient by capitalizing on 

local assets and talent, investing in critical infrastructure, supporting regional economic development, and building 

vibrant communities. We have found that our member organizations who received funding through the Partnership 

agencies have been able to more effectively and efficiently leverage those resources into cross-cutting regional 

initiatives that address planning, transportation, workforce development, health services, and other key areas. 

The Partnership has provided funding and technical assistance for small towns and rural regions to envision their 

own futures rather than let outside economic forces define who they are. Partnership-supported planning processes 

allow these communities to strategically pursue public and private funding instead of chasing dollars for one-off 

projects that may not advance their long-term goals. The Partnership has also created a peer network of regional 

and local leaders from rural places around the country who are implementing innovative community and economic 

development, downtown revitalization, public engagement, project financing, and other strategies. These leaders 

are strengthening their own work and sharing models with other communities, all while raising the bar for regional 

and local planning efforts in rural areas and small towns.

The Partnership has been critical in showing that smart growth strategies are not just for big cities or suburbs. While 

these strategies are often implemented in different ways in rural areas than in cities, they are improving the quality 

of life for residents, attracting businesses and families, and protecting the working lands in rural regions by fostering 

long-term, resilient growth.
Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 9 

Listening and Collaborating to Better Meet Communities’ Needs

plans	as	part	of	a	New	Starts	application.	Importantly,	

FTA will also consider the extent to which policies 

will maintain or increase affordable housing—the 

issue that initially spurred the collaboration between 

HUD and DOT that led to creating the Partnership. 

These significant changes came from more than two 

years of public outreach and encourage communities 

to connect proposed transportation improvements 

to housing, environmental, health, and economic 

outcomes. As a result, environmentally and economically 

sustainable projects are more likely to be successful in the 

competitive award process than projects that deliver only 

a single transportation-related benefit.

Giving Developers More Flexibility to 

Create Mixed-Use Buildings 

Mixed-use development combines residential and retail 

uses so that homes are close to workplaces, stores, 

services, and community amenities. This type of land 

use creates complete neighborhoods where people 

can live, work, and play and lets people travel shorter 

distances to get to their daily activities, which makes 

walking and biking more appealing. Buildings in these 

neighborhoods often also contain a mix of uses, such 

as offices or residences above stores on the ground 

level (Figure 6). However, insurance, lending, or zoning 

restrictions can inadvertently (or explicitly) prohibit 

construction of mixed-use buildings. Partnership efforts 

led HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to 

lower one barrier to this type of construction in 2012 

when it revised the percentage of commercial space 

allowed in primarily residential buildings. FHA raised 

this percentage cap from 25 percent to 35 percent, 

which gives developers and builders more flexibility to 

determine the right mix of commercial and residential 

uses for their projects while allowing them to stay eligible 

for an FHA-insured mortgage. A builder can ask FHA 

for an exception to raise the cap to a maximum of 50 

percent. Before this rule change, developers often had 

to	request	a	regulatory	waiver	or	“build	high	to	qualify,”	

meaning they had to propose taller buildings that were 

out of scale with their settings to achieve a viable amount 

of commercial space in mixed-use buildings. With the 

change, developers can set an appropriate height and 

mix of uses based on the context in which the structure 

will be built, helping to preserve community character, 

and communities can more easily get mixed-use 

buildings that fit with their overall development goals. 

Figure 6: Increasing the percentage of a building that can have offices 

and stores will allow more mixed-use buildings to be built, such as this 

new, traditional-style development in Rockville, Maryland.

artners orti Gallas and P y of Tesourto chotP
10 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

Leveraging Federal and Local Know-how

The Partnership agencies work with all levels of 

government, from other federal agencies to municipalities, 

to share knowledge and tools. This collaboration 

helped expedite urgent recovery efforts, use federal 

facility investments to benefit communities, and engage 

communities with environmental justice concerns.

Working Together to Help Sandy Recovery Efforts20

When Superstorm Sandy hit in 2012, the planning 

efforts of two HUD Sustainable Communities Regional 

Planning grantees, Together North Jersey and the New 

York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium, 

proved vital to the region’s recovery. To respond to the 

recovery challenges and gaps in local communities’ 

capacity, Together North Jersey modified local subgrant programs to support community-driven recovery 

efforts in Hoboken, Jersey City, and Ocean County, New 

Jersey, which had been hit by storm surges of more than 

14 feet (Figure 7). The Hoboken Green Infrastructure 

Strategic Plan,

21 created in partnership with Together 

North Jersey, provides cost-effective, long-term strategies 

for place-based, sustainable stormwater management 

and flood control. This plan also addresses the concepts 

in the Rebuild by Design Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge 

strategy for Hoboken,22 which builds on EPA-funded 

technical assistance and other Partnership investments in 

the region. 

Funded through the New York-Connecticut grant, the 

New York City Department of City Planning completed 

two climate resilience studies less than a month 

before Superstorm Sandy’s landfall that helped the 

city	respond	quickly	and	strategically	to	widespread	

damage. The Urban Waterfront Adaptive Strategies 

Study23 identified strategies that can make urban coastal 

areas more resilient to hazards associated with sea level 

rise, classified the type and magnitude of costs and 

benefits associated with each strategy, and established a 

framework through which communities can evaluate the 

effectiveness and appropriateness of different approaches 

for particular coastal geographies. This study informed 

A Stronger, More Resilient New York,

24 New York City’s 

long-term rebuilding and resilience plan developed in 

response to Superstorm Sandy. Designing for Flood 

Risk25 focused on preparing buildings to withstand 

coastal flooding while ensuring they also support 

walkable	neighborhoods	and	everyday	quality	of	life.	

Had these grantees not been collaborating long before 

Superstorm Sandy made landfall, recovery would have 

looked very different. This suite of resources can benefit 

other communities across the country planning for 

extreme weather or trying to find more economically and 

environmentally sustainable ways to rebuild after a disaster. 

Figure 7: Although Superstorm Sandy caused particularly dramatic 

flooding in Hoboken, New Jersey, the low-lying city also sees its 

wastewater system overwhelmed by storms on average five times 

per month. The resilience strategy that the city developed with 

the help of Together North Jersey should help reduce that regular 

flooding, as well as help protect against more severe storms.

carrino esy of Flickr user ac ourto cPhot

SPOTLIGHT ON REBUILD 

BY DESIGN

Rebuild by Design (www.rebuildbydesign.org), 

initiated by HUD and the Presidential Hurricane 

Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, aims to connect 

innovative research and design teams with

Sandy-affected communities to help them 

rebuild in more resilient and economically 

and environmentally healthy ways.

20 For a longer version of this story, please see the case study on the Partnership’s 

website at www.sustainablecommunities.gov/studies.html. 

21 Together North Jersey. Hoboken Green Infrastructure Strategic Plan. 2013. 

http://togethernorthjersey.com/?grid-portfolio=hoboken-green-infrastructurestrategic-plan. 

22 OMA et al. “Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge: A Comprehensive Strategy for 

Hoboken.” Rebuild by Design. www.rebuildbydesign.org/project/oma-finalproposal. Accessed Jun. 30, 2014.

23 NYC Planning. Urban Waterfront Adaptive Strategies. 2013. 

www.sustainablenyct.org/news/UWAS_Draft_lowres.pdf. 

24 City of New York. A Stronger, More Resilient New York. 2013. 

www.nyc.gov/html/sirr/html/report/report.shtml. 

25 NYC Planning. Designing for Flood Risk. 2013. www.sustainablenyct.org/news/

NYCDCP_DESIGNING%20FOR%20FLOOD%20RISK_DRAFT-LOW.pdf. 
Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 11

Siting Federal Buildings to Benefit Communities 

and Workers 

The Partnership has helped the U.S. General Services 

Administration (GSA), the agency responsible for leasing 

thousands of federal buildings around the country, better 

analyze its facility siting decisions. Government buildings 

can have a tremendous impact on a community. A 

federal facility located in a walkable, central area with 

easy access to public transit, jobs, stores, and services 

allows workers and visitors to drive less, which reduces 

their emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. 

It	can	also	provide	customers	for	nearby	businesses	

and spur private investment by demonstrating a public 

commitment to the neighborhood that can make private 

investors feel more confident about investing in the area. 

The Partnership worked with GSA to develop instructions 

on facility siting that accompanied Executive Order 

13514,	which	requires	the	federal	government	to	operate	

“high performance sustainable buildings in sustainable 

locations.”26 As a result of this engagement, EPA worked 

with GSA to create a tool for comparing federal facility 

sites:	the	Smart	Location	Index.	The	index	is	a	composite	

indicator that helps GSA compare the neighborhood 

locations of existing or proposed federal facilities 

based on several criteria that support the Partnership’s 

principles, including the ease of access by public transit, 

walkability, and proximity to the regional workforce. 

Evaluating facilities on these criteria helps GSA procure 

and retain buildings that improve workers’ transportation 

choices and reduce travel-related pollution. 

26 Executive Order 13514— Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and 

Economic Performance. Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 194. Oct. 8, 2009. 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2009-10-08/pdf/E9-24518.pdf. 

WHAT THE PARTNERSHIP MEANS TO US

Kathy Nothstine, Program Director, National Association of Counties 

The National Association of Counties (www.naco.org), the only national organization that represents county 

governments in the United States, has received Partnership funding under the HUD and EPA Capacity Building for 

Sustainable Communities Program.

The Partnership has helped communities of all types and sizes—regions, counties, municipalities. I think one of the 

biggest benefits of the Partnership has been in encouraging and inspiring communities to think about their longterm future and engage in community dialogue around what it is they really like about their community and what 

they value. What are their assets? Why are they there? Why do they care about this place, and what can be done to 

improve it? For instance, in the Region 5 Development Commission in Minnesota, HUD grantees heard from middleaged and elderly people about how they want their region to be a place where their kids can grow up and stay. 

I see the benefit of having HUD, DOT, and EPA working together. Although USDA is not an official partner, it was 

really cool how EPA and USDA worked together and brought in the Appalachian Regional Commission to do training 

forums and work with communities on technical assistance. It has been a good way to work with some really small, 

rural communities that would never have known about the Partnership otherwise. As one example, the small town 

of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, used some of the Partnership’s materials to engage in community dialogues on the 

future of its downtown.

Through the HUD planning grants and challenge grants, so many places across the country have embarked on 

regional planning efforts. The grantees have brought together so many different partners that might not have gotten 

together if they hadn’t had this impetus. I think communities have begun to see the value of getting the input of 

everybody at the table. They see when planning and investments are made in a vacuum and know that, without 

that input, they risk not being as successful. I think communities have seen that when they have not just buy-in, but 

also meaningful input from the beginning from different parts of the community—people who live there and work 

there—they will have a better outcome. 

One example is the New River Valley District Commission in Virginia. When they first launched their regional 

planning project, they got a lot of questions and pushback from people who were fearful about the federal 

government’s role and private property rights. They became a success story because the staff running the grant 

worked so hard to build partnerships and explain to people what their goals were and work with the community to 

work through their fears. 
12 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

As part of a larger GSA effort to trim costs and reduce 

its building footprint by consolidating offices, the 

agency	evaluated	its	leased	facility	in	Fairfax,	Virginia,	

a suburb with limited transit access about 15 miles west 

of	its	headquarters	in	Crystal	City,	an	inner-suburban	

neighborhood with several transit options (Figure 8). 

Running both facilities through the Smart Location 

Index	gave	GSA	a	side-by-side	comparison	that	showed	

that	the	headquarters	building	has	much	better	access	

to transportation options and is more centrally located 

for the workforce. The index gives GSA a powerful, 

quantitative	tool	that	allows	the	agency	to	more	easily	

identify opportunities to improve environmental 

performance and enhance community benefits. GSA 

can now bring sustainable location factors into the 

conversation alongside core business considerations.

15 miles

Fairfax Crystal City

Figure 8: The Smart Location Index shows the differences between two 

sites that might appear similar on paper. At the Crystal City location, 42 

percent of employees drive alone and 46 percent take transit, while at 

the Fairfax location, 89 percent of employees drive alone and 7 percent 

take transit. Commuters to Fairfax also have commutes that are on 

average more than 10 miles longer than those going to Crystal City, 

and they are more likely to run daytime errands using a car. All of these 

factors give the Fairfax office a higher greenhouse gas emissions rate 

per employee than the Crystal City office.

A and Google Maps y of GSesourtImage c

SPOTLIGHT ON REGIONAL ROUNDTABLES

In 2013 and 2014, the Partnership held 21 regional roundtable 

discussions around the country to share lessons learned by 

communities and to engage stakeholders to help shape future 

Partnership efforts. Federal, state, and local officials; tribal 

representatives; business leaders; nonprofit and philanthropic 

partners; community representatives; and members of the public 

came together to discuss how federal policies and programs 

could best support local efforts to build resilient, prosperous 

communities. The events strengthened relationships between 

local and federal officials, increased collaboration among federal 

agencies, and helped jumpstart local projects.

Roundtable participants emphasized:

• The value of making collaborative, interagency approaches 

the new way of doing business.

• The many benefits that a single project or investment can 

achieve.

• Support for federal agencies’ efforts to streamline and 

harmonize their requirements and regulations.

• The need to support projects designed for rural communities.

• The importance of public and private partnerships to catalyze redevelopment, create jobs, and improve 

transportation choices.

• Communities’ needs for better data sources and analytical tools.

oms River wnship of T y of Toesourto cPhot

In Toms River, New Jersey, a roundtable of local, 

state, and federal representatives discussed 

impediments to revitalizing the Toms River 

downtown and how revitalization could spur 

redevelopment elsewhere in the area. They 

emphasized that state, county, and federal agencies 

needed to work together with the township to 

remove barriers to redevelopment.
Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 13

Promoting Meaningful Engagement for Communities 

With Environmental Justice Concerns

Creating	healthy,	sustainable,	and	equitable	

communities is a federal government priority. 

Environmental justice plays a key role in an 

integrated effort that addresses housing, environment, 

transportation, and health issues together. From the 

beginning of the Partnership, EPA has worked closely 

with HUD, DOT, and the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC) to integrate environmental 

justice into the Partnership’s work and to integrate 

the Partnership’s principles into environmental justice 

efforts. The agencies developed a one-stop shopping 

guide for EPA, HUD, DOT, and CDC resources on 

sustainable communities and environmental justice.27

The guide has information and links on a variety of 

topics to help communities with environmental justice 

concerns learn about their role in addressing longstanding environmental and health challenges and 

revitalizing neighborhoods.

This guide proved helpful in Grundy County, 

Tennessee, a rural region where 28 percent of residents 

live in poverty, including 45 percent of its children 

(more than twice the national average). More than 

four out of five children in Grundy County schools are 

considered economically disadvantaged, and almost 

half live in single-parent households. Health issues 

include many of the chronic conditions associated 

with poverty, including diabetes and obesity. The 

county’s residents wanted to improve their health, 

environment, sustainability, and resilience. EPA’s 

Office of Environmental Justice convened participants 

representing local, state, regional, and federal 

government; community leaders; academic institutions; 

health care organizations; and more. This effort aligns 

with the Appalachian Regional Commission’s program 

27 EPA. “Environmental Justice Equals Healthy, Sustainable, and Equitable 

Communities.” http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/sustainability/index.html. 

Accessed Jun. 18, 2014.

Figure 9: The former Grundy County High School is being 

redeveloped into a community education center to improve residents’ 

health, education, and job prospects.

artin mily C. P y of Eesourto cPhot

in Tennessee, which supports Grundy County’s 

community-driven work to develop local solutions 

to complicated health and economic problems. One 

result of this convening was new activity, led by a 

team of community leaders, academic institutions, and 

nonprofit organizations, to turn the former Grundy 

County High School building (Figure 9) into the South 

Cumberland Learning and Development Center. This 

center will be a hub to serve the region’s residents 

through lifelong learning programs for adults and youth 

that prepare them for jobs, improve their health, and 

offer	educational	opportunities.	It	will	also	improve	

community connections through locally supported 

activities and partnerships. Connected to this effort is 

the revitalization of the Mountain Goat Trail, a former 

railroad line crossing several counties. This walking 

and biking trail offers not just recreation but a new way 

to make connections among the Cumberland Plateau 

communities and a catalyst for economic growth 

around natural areas.
14 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

Listening and Collaborating to Better Meet Communities’ Needs

Delivering Multiple Benefits From 

Single Investments

The Partnership helps communities make investments 

that not only construct buildings and infrastructure, but 

also bring environmental and economic benefits and 

engage residents in shaping their community’s future. 

Making sure that every dollar spent brings multiple 

benefits uses limited funds wisely and effectively. 

Helping Communities Create Inclusive 

and Equitable Places 

In	its	Sustainable	Communities	Regional	Planning	and	

Community Challenge grant programs, HUD created 

incentives for authentic and energetic community 

engagement and inclusive governance processes. 

Helping grant recipients reach all segments of the 

population means that the plans will offer a more 

comprehensive and holistic vision for growth and 

encourage deeper and more lasting investment in the 

plan. To apply for the grant, regional applicants had 

to put together a consortium representing diverse 

community interests to share in the project’s governance 

and decision-making. To help communities create open 

and	inclusive	planning	efforts,	HUD	required	grantees	to	

dedicate 5 to 10 percent of their HUD budgets to engage 

populations not typically involved in municipal planning. 

HUD	also	required	all	of	its	regional	grantees	to	complete	

a framework for communities to evaluate and address 

regional barriers to housing and jobs. Together, these 

efforts help set the stage for stakeholders and residents 

of all income levels to be more involved in local land use 

decision-making, even after the grant period ends.

For example, the Mid-America Regional Council in the 

Kansas City region convened a delegation of faithSPOTLIGHT ON TOOLS FOR COMMUNITIES

In partnership with DOT, HUD incorporated transportation data such as Amtrak and transit lines and stations as 

a map layer in CPD Maps (http://egis.hud.gov/cpdmaps), a web-based mapping tool that helps states and local 

governments plan the use of HUD formula block grants, including Community Development Block Grants. It helps 

communities better visualize how transit access can affect affordable housing locations and other investments. 

The city of Los Angeles, in releasing its first Transit-Oriented Consolidated Plan, noted that these tools enabled a 

more collaborative, citizen-driven process rooted in data.28 As a result, Los Angeles and other communities that use 

CPD Maps are better positioned to invest in housing and transportation that reduce costs to households and make 

neighborhoods more economically vibrant. CPD Maps also displays the boundaries of Sustainable Communities 

Regional Planning Grants, which enhances planning by showing the grantees’ locations in the context of other 

demographic and investment data.

HUD and DOT collaborated to create the Location Affordability Portal (www.locationaffordability.info) to help 

consumers, researchers, and policy-makers better understand how transportation costs affect housing affordability. 

The portal features two tools—My Transportation Costs Calculator and the Location Affordability Index—as well 

as downloadable housing and transportation cost data at the neighborhood level, covering 94 percent of the U.S. 

population. This collaboration marks the first time that robust, standardized data on housing and transportation 

costs have been available at a national scale to help families make more informed decisions about where to live and 

work and help policy-makers make more sustainable investments. 

The Sustainable Communities Hot Report (http://thedataweb.rm.census.gov/TheDataWeb_HotReport2/EPA2/EPA_

HomePage2.hrml) uses various data from the U.S. Census Bureau to give community leaders and residents a quick 

and easy way to determine how well their community is performing on indicators related to transportation, housing, 

economic development, income, and equity. Users can view charts, tables, and maps showing their community’s 

trends over time and can compare their community’s performance to peer communities.

USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass (www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_

COMPASS) is an online resource that provides quick access to information about USDA’s programs and investments 

in local foods. The tool includes a map that notes relevant Partnership investments, such as a TIGER grant for 

Detroit’s Eastern Market; an EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant in Missoula, Montana, to add space for a 

café and community kitchen; and HUD Regional Planning grantee plans that address local foods. 

28 City of Los Angeles Department of Housing and Community Development. City of Los Angeles Five-Year Transit-Oriented Consolidated Plan and 39th 

(2013-2014) Program Year Action Plan. 2013. http://cdd.lacity.org/home_report_39ConPlan.html.
Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 15

Listening and Collaborating to Better Meet Communities’ Needs

based organizations, community groups, the Urban 

League, Hispanic organizations, and others working 

on social justice and inclusion for its 2010 regional 

planning effort. This group evolved into a new nonprofit 

organization,	the	Kansas	City	Regional	Equity	Network,	

which	went	on	to	host	an	Equity	Summit	in	2013	(Figure 

10)	and	develop	an	Equity	Profile	for	the	region.	The	

organization and its work help the regional council adjust 

its policies and processes to ensure that transportation 

allocations and other funding decisions use criteria that 

help more people in the area access well-paying jobs, 

schools, and other opportunities. 

Figure 10: The Equity Summit for the Kansas City metropolitan area 

brought together local partners to help the region advance social 

equity issues. The meeting concluded with a commitment to form a 

regional equity network.

egional Council a R sy of Mid Americ eourto cPhot

WHAT THE PARTNERSHIP MEANS TO US

Dexter Muller, Senior Vice President, Community Development, Greater Memphis Chamber

The area around our airport is about 50 square miles, the size of a pretty good city and 20 percent of the city of 

Memphis. The airport is the largest economic generator in the state and the largest cargo airport in North America. 

It has a huge impact on the local economy. One in four jobs in our region is attributed to the airport in one way or 

another. But we’ve got a race car as an airport, and a Pinto as the neighborhood around it. The infrastructure and 

neighborhoods around the airport are aging. 

We were always working on problems, but we never created a vision for the area, so we weren’t going to make any 

revolutionary changes. That’s what the master plan allowed us to do. HUD provided a $1.2 million grant, plus an 

$800,000 match. The Chamber contributed $50,000 in cash and 900 volunteer hours from our staff and consultants. 

The city put in $300,000 in cash and other in-kind services. This made a community effort out of it. Had it not been 

for the HUD grant, I don’t know that we would have ever been able to come up with the money to do it. 

Since we were awarded the grant, there has been over $300 million in investment in this Airport City area and 4,000 

jobs. That didn’t all take place because of the plan, but the plan points out opportunities, and it’s already beginning 

to happen. The work we are doing creates jobs and strengthens the economy. The plan and the corporation 

show people there is opportunity. There is a lot of blight in this area, so people have to be convinced that the 

government isn’t going to step back. There has been a lot of public involvement in the master plan process. With full 

implementation of the plan, we anticipate creation of 15,000 direct jobs over the first 20 years. 

I think the federal partnership helped in numerous ways. We are an incubator for a lot of the principles that the 

administration is working on. Memphis is a small enough town where you can execute plans and make a difference, 

and it’s big enough to have relevance to the nation. Because of our geographic location and infrastructure and 

socioeconomic positioning, we are a good test case to try things and then take them to the nation if they work. 

The Memphis region got a sustainability grant from HUD for the Greenprint that has advanced the greenways and 

corridors as well as promoted commercial revitalization and neighborhood development. The Broad Street corridor 

area (which is in midtown north of Airport City) lay dormant without plans for revitalization. The Shelby County Office 

of Sustainability, in partnership with the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team, identified the area for planning. They took 

back the neighborhood, and they did it with very small amounts of money. Those are good grassroots urban tactics that 

have a lot of application around the country. The grant helped us put a lot of these things together.

Another component of the Greenprint planning was advanced by a DOT TIGER grant. The Main to Main project will 

connect downtown Memphis with Arkansas and also construct a bike and pedestrian way across the Harahan Bridge 

over the Mississippi River. Once it’s completed, it will cross the river into Crittenden County. 

We certainly are supporters of the Partnership, which is breaking down silos and looking at how things piece 

together between departments. These issues are important to job creation and building cities. It’s not just tree 

huggers that care about protecting the environment; businesses recognize the importance of the sustainability 

principles of environment, green initiatives, and urban revitalization.
16 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

Encouraging More Sustainable Water 

Infrastructure Investments 

Since 2010, EPA has worked through two avenues 

to incorporate the Partnership’s guiding principles 

into programs that implement provisions of the Clean 

Water Act. On a national scale, EPA has included the 

Partnership principles in guidance to states on how to 

implement State Revolving Fund (SRF) Programs—

programs established under the Clean Water Act to 

provide low-cost loans for drinking water and wastewater 

infrastructure and other projects to improve water 

quality.	As	a	result,	this	guidance	now	emphasizes	the	

importance of funding more sustainable projects, such 

as those that repair, replace, and upgrade infrastructure 

serving existing communities rather than expanding 

infrastructure to accommodate growth. 

EPA has also provided technical assistance to states 

that want to change their water infrastructure (or SRFfunded) programs to be more supportive of projects 

that	help	build	sustainable	communities.	In	Maryland,	

for example, EPA worked with state water officials to 

modify the criteria they use to determine eligibility 

and rank projects for available funding. As part of this 

assistance, Maryland modified its criteria for ranking 

projects to be more consistent with the Partnership 

principles, giving applicants to the program additional 

points for projects that benefit the needs of existing 

communities—which includes projects that serve 

brownfield sites, projects near transit stations, and 

projects in HUD-designated Community Legacy Areas. 

Frostburg, Maryland, received these extra points and 

was awarded a $1,645,000 low-interest loan to replace 

storm and sewer lines on Paul Street, three blocks from 

Frostburg State University and a short walk to Main 

Street (Figure 11). This project will help Frostburg 

revitalize its historic downtown, enabling new housing 

and economic growth along its commercial corridor.

Building Innovation Into Grant Programs 

The Partnership agencies have tried to use commonsense approaches to make several grant and 

technical assistance programs better respond to 

communities’ needs. For example, many of the 

three agencies’ programs have evolved to consider 

housing, transportation, and environmental protection 

comprehensively—mirroring how these elements are 

linked in communities—and to evaluate proposals 

based on how well they will achieve multiple benefits 

from individual investments. Using a competitive 

process,	as	DOT’s	TIGER	program	does,	rather	than	

formula funding spurs creative, comprehensive projects 

and leads to additional local and private investment. 

Grant and technical assistance programs in all 

three agencies have incorporated language to 

encourage projects that support the Partnership’s 

guiding principles, align with a local or regional 

integrated planning process, and engage community 

residents, including historically underrepresented 

and overburdened populations, in planning and 

implementation. This language helps make sure that 

investments from across the federal government—

irrespective of agency—are grounded in and reinforce 

the common concepts of sustainability, long-term 

planning, and citizen involvement. Projects that are 

Figure 11: Frostburg’s Main Street is next to residential 

neighborhoods and Frostburg State University. The new SRF 

selection criteria helped the city get funding for a project that 

will encourage growth nearby, putting new homes within walking 

distance of jobs, stores, and restaurants.

r josepha r use sy of Flickeourto cPhot
Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 17

rooted in these concepts are more likely to deliver 

multiple benefits, consider environmental and fiscal 

impacts, and reflect residents’ needs and desires. 

Programs that have used this language include:

•	In	EPA:	Brownfield	Area-Wide	Planning,	

Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup 

grants; Environmental Justice Collaborative 

Problem Solving grants; Urban Waters grants; 

Tribal General Assistance Program (GAP) 

funds;	and	the	Smart	Growth	Implementation	

Assistance, Greening America’s Capitals, and 

Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities 

technical assistance programs.

•	In	DOT:	TIGER,	Urban	Circulator,	and	Bus	&	Bus	

Facilities Livability grants.

•	In	HUD:	Sustainable	Communities	Regional	

Planning and Community Challenge grants. 

These programs have a tremendous impact across the 

country. For example, nearly 40 percent of Americans 

live in a community that has benefited from one or 

more of the HUD Sustainable Communities Regional 

Planning and Community Challenge grants. These 

two programs alone represent a $240 million federal 

investment in local planning efforts that was matched 

with $253 million in private investment and local funds. 

Over time, this investment will spur many hundreds of 

millions of dollars in new growth.

In	addition	to	using	this	language	in	the	Sustainable	

Communities Regional Planning and Community 

Challenge grants, HUD incorporates into its core 

programs sustainable planning principles that emphasize 

holistic, interdisciplinary planning processes with deep 

public involvement to help ensure that its investments 

consider not only housing, but also transportation, 

WHAT THE PARTNERSHIP MEANS TO US

Nick Tilsen, Executive Director, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation

Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization in the Thunder Valley community 

of the Porcupine District on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, received a HUD Sustainable 

Communities Regional Planning Grant.

The Lakota people have always been warriors, “fighting for our future.” Thanks to the HUD grant, we have developed 

a tribally approved regional plan for the Pine Ridge Reservation to define that future. The Oyaté Omniciye Oglala 

Lakota Planning Project created a consortium of practitioners on the Pine Ridge Reservation to take control of our 

lives and our future. “Oyate Omniciyé” in the Lakota language means circle meetings of the people. 

There is extreme poverty on the Pine Ridge Reservation. More than 40,000 people live here, and 50 percent of our 

residents are under 25 years old. The planning process allowed us to connect and convene with each other, including 

our children in the process. We created a vision for our future, staying true to our culture and language. The plan 

was adopted by the tribe in October 2012, thus becoming tribal law. 

The plan has already helped bring $8 million from DOT’s TIGER grant program. With this money, we will be able to 

pave an east-west road connecting communities. This road is also a route to bring supplies into the reservation and 

take locally made goods out; paving it will save residents time and money. 

In 2013, the South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition was created. The stakeholders include tribal 

representatives, federal and state agencies, nonprofits, our local community development financial institutions, 

lenders, housing developers, and the South Dakota governor’s office. We are educating our people on the value 

of becoming a homeowner. This is important, as Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation is now 

implementing the Model Communities Initiative in our Oglala Lakota Regional Plan. Thunder Valley has embarked 

on a historic journey to build Pine Ridges, a mixed-income, mixed-use development that will create 31 single-family 

homes, 24 rental townhomes, and 45 rental apartments. In addition, there will be a youth shelter, a community 

facility called the Empowerment Center, 30,000 square feet of retail development, a business incubator, a 

12,000-square-foot commercial greenhouse, and 30,000 square feet of light industrial space. This project shows 

what the future of rural Native American communities could look like and could be a model for sustainable 

affordable housing and poverty reduction. Phase 1 of the development is set to break ground in late 2014 or early 

2015. The best part about the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant has been that this is the Oglala 

Lakota People’s plan for our future.
Listening and Collaborating to Better Meet Communities’ Needs

18 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

economic development, the environment, and

social	equity.	In	fiscal	year	2014,	HUD	included	in

its document that governs all Notices of Funding

Availability for discretionary grant programs29

bonus points for:

•	Pursuing	community	economic	development	that

creates jobs for low-income people and/or supports

small and disadvantaged businesses.

•	Including	transportation	options,	reducing

transportation costs, and enhancing access to

community amenities. To receive this bonus point,

HUD grant applicants must demonstrate that

grantee activities—e.g., planning, construction, or

providing services such as housing counseling—

are within easy walking distance of important

services and amenities, such as grocery stores,

social services, cultural facilities, parks, and schools,

and/or are served by conveniently located public

transportation	with	frequent	service.

•	Energy-efficiency	activities.

These bonus points have the potential to influence more

than $500 million in HUD community development and

housing funding each year.

Each of the three agencies has designated in at

least some grant programs special consideration for

applicants that have received a Partnership grant tied

to the same project area and can show that the grant

for which they are applying will further benefit the area.

HUD, for example, calls it “Preferred Sustainability

Status” and awards it to HUD Sustainable Communities

Regional Planning and Community Challenge grantees

and high-scoring applicants. This designation can

make it easier for localities and regions to get funding

to implement plans funded by previous federal grants,

allowing them to build on earlier investments. While

EPA and DOT do not use Preferred Sustainability

Status, they leverage existing federal investments and

programs through the Partnership as appropriate in

relevant grant programs.

29 HUD. “General Section to the Department's Fiscal Year 2014 NOFAs 

for Discretionary Programs.” Feb. 2014.

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=2014-gensec.pdf.
Looking to the Future

Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report 19

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The climate is changing. The economy is changing.

The American population is changing. All these changes

affect where and how we build our neighborhoods,

cities, and regions. Many of these changes—such as

new weather extremes, shifting economic bases, and

growing demand for walkable places—can present

unfamiliar challenges to communities. They need

resources, guidance, and innovative solutions to make

the most of opportunities and mitigate any harm.

The Partnership will continue to help communities find

ways to cope with the changing climate, encourage

new investment and economic growth that benefits

all residents, and support rural areas and local food

systems. Every investment, program, and policy can

be a chance to make a community more resilient and

prepared for whatever the future holds.

We are at a point where it no longer makes sense to

make these types of investments in infrastructure and

communities without considering how they will affect

and be affected by climate change. The President’s

Climate Action Plan30 and executive order on preparing

the United States for climate change31 direct federal

agencies to ensure their policies support climate-resilient

investments by states, communities, and tribes and to

develop tools and other assistance for communities.

The Partnership’s work is helping to achieve these aims

in several ways. All of the Partnership’s work to support

more affordable, less-polluting travel and housing

options also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions that

contribute to climate change.

Moreover, Partnership investments in planning

increasingly consider strategies to help communities

become more resilient to natural disasters and other

30 Executive Office of the President. The President’s Climate Action Plan. 2013.

www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/image/president27sclimateactionplan.pdf.

31 Executive Order 13653—Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate 

Change. Federal Register. Vol. 79, No. 215. Nov. 6, 2013.

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-11-06/pdf/2013-26785.pdf.

impacts of climate change. For example, EPA is working

with HUD, DOT, FEMA, and other federal agencies

on technical assistance projects that will develop new

strategies and tools communities can use to reduce

their impact on the climate as well as prepare for the

increasing extreme weather we are already seeing.

Through the Partnership, DOT and EPA will support

HUD’s efforts to award nearly $1 billion to help

communities plan and implement resilient disaster

recovery approaches. This work will help demonstrate

to all American communities how a resilience lens

can be applied to public investments and decisions,

and how new technologies and design approaches

can not only help communities rebuild better, but also

help them better withstand major environmental and

economic shocks.

HUD, DOT, and EPA will continue to help communities

make better informed and more strategic housing,

transportation, and infrastructure investments that

can provide ladders of opportunity to help residents

improve their lives. For example, HUD is finalizing

its Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, which

will ensure that affordable housing opportunities are

considered on a regional basis and therefore are closer

to regional job centers. DOT will coordinate that rule

with its own work to promote connectivity and measure

multimodal access in communities, including examining

tools to improve the planning process and metrics to

track connectivity between centers of employment,

education, services, and residences. Together, these

activities will help communities determine how their

development patterns and transportation networks

help or hinder access to affordable housing, job

opportunities, and essential services. Other efforts

will	continue	to	focus	on	equipping	communities	with

the tools they need to ensure that investments save

households money, increase access to good jobs, and

reduce	inequity	in	our	communities.
Looking to the Future

20 Partnership for Sustainable Communities Fifth Anniversary Report

In	their	various	programs	working	in	communities,

the Partnership agencies have seen rising interest in

promoting local food sources. Many communities want

to encourage locally grown food to support farmers,

make healthy food more accessible, preserve their

agricultural heritage, or spur revitalization. EPA, DOT,

and USDA, along with the Appalachian Regional

Commission and the Delta Regional Authority,

launched the Local Foods, Local Places Program in

2014 to encourage more sustainable communities

by promoting local foods. The technical assistance

program will help communities create more economic

opportunities for local farmers and businesses, make it

easier for people to get local food, and use local food

enterprises such as farmers’ markets or community

kitchens to revitalize main streets and downtowns.

This program aims to find effective strategies that

communities around the country will be able to use to

spur local businesses, help people eat healthier, and

bring new life to communities.

The Partnership is supporting implementation of a

section of the 2014 Farm Bill32 that authorizes USDA to

set aside up to 10 percent of funds from certain Rural

Development programs to support projects that help

implement a region’s strategic community and economic

development plan. This new authority is consistent with

the Partnership’s principles and will ensure that federal

investments made with this authority are aligned with

communities’ visions and plans for the future. Programs

to which this new authority applies include grants,

loans, and loan guarantees to support community

32 Agricultural Act of 2014. Section 6025. Signed Feb. 7, 2014. 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr2642enr/pdf/BILLS-113hr2642enr.pdf.

facilities such as hospitals, health clinics, schools, and

community centers; to build water and wastewater

infrastructure; to support rural business development;

and to increase economic development capacity. The

Partnership agencies will support USDA by reaching

out to communities that have regional plans that would

be eligible for funding and by seeking to leverage other

Partnership programs as USDA begins implementing this

section of the Farm Bill in the coming years.

As the Partnership demonstrates, coordinated federal

investments can and must deliver multiple benefits. The

Partnership will continue to focus on ways to increase

flexibility, align federal policies, and reduce barriers

to help all communities—large and small, urban and

rural—have a healthy and economically vibrant future.

The Partnership for Sustainable Communities’ website

has much more information, including case studies,

announcements of application periods for grants and

technical assistance, and tools and resources from the

Partnership agencies.

www.sustainablecommunities.gov
Legend As of February 2014, the Partnership agencies have received more than 9,800 applications for assistance, reques

$122 billion. The Partnership has been able to fund 1,066 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Pu

approximately $4.6 billion, representing just over 10 percent of applications.
Office of Sustainable Communities (1807T)

EPA 231-R-14-004 

www.epa.gov/smartgrowth

August 2014

www.sustainablecommunities.gov

Front Cover, Left to Right: Charlotte, NC, photo courtesy of Centralina Council of Governments; Portland, OR, photo courtesy of EPA;Thunder Valley, Pine 

Ridge Indian Reservation, SD, photo courtesy of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation; Boise, ID, photo courtesy of EPA.

Back Cover, Left to Right: Denver, CO, photo courtesy of flickr user Malcolm K.; Normal, IL, photo courtesy of Scott Shigley, Shigley Photo; Anniston, AL, 

photo courtesy of Renaissance Planning Group; Indianapolis, IN, photo courtesy of EPA.