A YEAR OF PROGRESS FOR

AMERICAN COMMUNITIES

Sustainable

Partnership

for

Communities
When it comes to housing, environmental, 

and transportation policy, the federal 

government must speak with one voice.

—Secretary Shaun Donovan

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

“ ”

Livability means being able to take your kids to 

school, go to work, see a doctor, drop by the grocery 

or post office, go out to dinner and a movie, and 

play with your kids at the park, all without having 

to get into your car. Livability means building the 

communities that help Americans live the lives 

they want to live—whether those communities are 

urban centers, small towns, or rural areas.

—Secretary Ray LaHood

U.S. Department of Transportation

“ ”

Well-conceived, effectively implemented 

environmental protection is good for 

economic growth.... A clean, green, healthy 

community is a better place to buy a home 

and raise a family; it’s more competitive in 

the race to attract new businesses; and it has 

the foundations it needs for prosperity.

—Administrator Lisa P. Jackson

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

“ ”
 PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES  Progress for American Communities 1

One of our country’s most pressing goals is 

to build an economy that provides good jobs 

now—and that creates a strong foundation 

for enduring prosperity. To accelerate job 

growth for this and future generations, that 

foundation must be built with expanded 

housing and transportation choices, greater 

energy independence, and better protection 

for our clean air and water. These issues are 

closely related and should not be tackled as 

separate challenges. We can achieve our economic, social, and environmental goals most 

effectively when we work on them together.

Sustainable communities are places that 

balance their economic and natural assets 

so that the diverse needs of local residents 

can be met now and in the future. Typically, 

these communities have lower costs for consumers and more value for taxpayers because 

they are more connected and efficient.

Sustainable communities provide economic 

momentum and help America compete 

more effectively for jobs. Regions all around 

the country recognize this and are enthusiastically planning for them based on their 

own local resources, landscape, culture, and 

ingenuity. The Partnership for Sustainable 

Communities, one of the Obama Administration’s signature urban policy initatives, is 

enabling these regions to accelerate those 

plans and to jump-start private investment 

and implementation.

Ultimately, this approach will make communities more prosperous by making them 

more attractive places for businesses to locate 

and for young people to remain or move to. 

Sustainable communities allow people to live 

closer to jobs and save money on personal 

transportation, usually the second largest 

household expense and sometimes the largest 

for low-income Americans. Neighborhoods 

that make it easy to walk or bike to work, 

school, stores, parks, and other destinations 

help people stay healthy by incorporating 

regular exercise into their daily routines. 

Sustainable communities also reduce air and 

water pollution and protect treasured landscapes and prime agricultural land.

People want to live in these types of places—

in fact, right now, the demand for these 

neighborhoods far outstrips the supply. And 

that demand is expected to grow—the United 

States is in the midst of a demographic shift 

that is changing the nation’s housing preferences and development patterns. The two 

largest demographic segments—millennials, 

who are entering the workforce, and baby 

boomers, who are leaving it—are most interested in walkable neighborhoods that offer 

a variety of housing choices, convenient 

transportation options, shopping, restaurants, parks, and cultural amenities.

Sustainable Communities:

 A Response to Today’s Challenges
2 Progress for American Communities  PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

On June 16, 2009, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Housing 

and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, and 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced that they 

were forming the interagency Partnership for 

Sustainable Communities. This action marked a 

fundamental shift in the way the federal government structures its transportation, housing, and 

environmental spending, policies, and programs. 

The three agencies agreed to collaborate to 

help communities become economically strong 

and environmentally sustainable. Rebuilding 

national prosperity today and for the long run 

starts with individual communities where—now 

and generations from now—all Americans can 

find good jobs, good homes, and a good life. 

Through the Partnership and guided by six Livability Principles (see below), the Department 

of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 

the Department of Transportation (DOT), and 

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

are coordinating investments and aligning policies to support communities that want to give 

A New Federal Approach

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.

1 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.

1 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.

1 Support existing communities. Target federal funding toward existing communities—

through strategies like transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling—to 

increase community revitalization and the efficiency of public works investments and 

safeguard rural landscapes.

1 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

1 Value communities and neighborhoods. Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe, and walkable neighborhoods—rural, urban, or suburban.

HUD–DOT–EPA PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

GUIDING LIVABILITY PRINCIPLES
 PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES  Progress for American Communities 3

Americans more housing choices, make transportation systems more efficient and reliable, 

reinforce existing investments, and support 

vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract 

businesses. Each agency is working to incorporate the principles into its funding programs, 

policies, and future legislative proposals.

The Partnership breaks down the traditional 

silos of housing, transportation, and environmental policy to consider these issues as they 

exist in the real world—inextricably connected. 

In the past, the federal government has too 

often operated as if these areas were unrelated. 

The old approach has proven to be ineffective, 

costly, complicated, and inconsistent. Not only 

does interagency collaboration get better results 

for communities—such as making it easier to 

build affordable housing that is convenient to 

a range of job opportunities and transportation choices—it also uses taxpayer money more 

efficiently. Coordinating federal investments in 

infrastructure, facilities, and services meets multiple economic, environmental, and community 

objectives with each dollar spent. For example, 

investing in public transit can lower transportation costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 

other air pollution, decrease traffic congestion, 

encourage healthy walking and bicycling, and 

spur development of new homes and amenities 

around transit stations.

Agencies throughout the federal government are 

realizing the value of this new model of collaboration. Together or individually, HUD, DOT, 

and EPA are also working with the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, 

the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and 

Human Services, the Economic Development 

Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the General Services Administration, the National Endowment for the Arts, the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other federal agencies on related issues.

Parks, open space, and recreational opportunities make communities 

more attractive and help keep residents healthy by giving them 

places like Gasworks Park in Seattle to exercise, play, or just relax.

By working together, [HUD, DOT, and EPA] can make sure that 

when it comes to development—housing, transportation, energy 

efficiency—these things aren’t mutually exclusive; they go hand in 

hand. And that means making sure that affordable housing exists in 

close proximity to jobs and transportation. That means encouraging 

shorter travel times and lower travel costs. It means safer, greener, 

more livable communities.

–President Barack Obama

“ ”
4 Progress for American Communities  PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Transportation Investment Generating 

Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grants

In February 2010, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, DOT 

announced $1.5 billion in TIGER grants 

for more than 50 innovative transportation 

projects across the country. Twenty-two of 

these projects were selected because they would 

promote livability by increasing transportation 

choice, providing better access to job opportunities, strengthening economic resiliency, and 

protecting air and water quality. As part of the 

continuing coordination under the Partnership, 

DOT used EPA and HUD’s expertise in its 

application review to select projects that would 

achieve multiple benefits. 

Now urban, suburban, and rural communities across the nation are getting ready for the 

exciting improvements TIGER grant money 

will bring. For example, TIGER will fund a new 

streetcar loop linking downtown New Orleans 

with other transit services and an Amtrak hub. 

In Revere, Massachusetts, TIGER funding will 

be used to turn acres of dilapidated parking lots 

into a bus and rail station with pedestrian access 

to the adjacent Wonderland neighborhood, site 

of America’s first public beach. Grant money 

The Partnership’s First Year: June 2009–June 2010

More Effective Federal Investments, Better Outcomes for Communities 

In its first year, the Partnership for Sustainable Communities made strides toward three goals:

W Targeting resources through grants and other programs to help states and communities create 

jobs and stronger economies by developing more sustainably.

W Removing regulatory and policy barriers at the federal level to make it easier for state and 

local governments to access federal services and resources.

W Aligning agency priorities and embedding the Livability Principles in each agency’s actions so 

that transportation, housing, and environmental protection efforts are coordinated.

Downtown Boise, Idaho, is welcoming to bicyclists, pedestrians, 

drivers, and transit users. It has many historic buildings that have 

seen new life with renovation and reuse.

TARGETING RESOURCES TO COMMUNITIES

Communities across the country are eager to build more sustainable neighborhoods. Some have 

projects ready to go but lack the funds to put shovels in the ground; others have citizens and local 

leaders who are excited about planning a sustainable future but need help taking the next step 

to translate their ideas into actual development. In response to those needs, the Partnership for 

Sustainable Communities has focused on getting resources to communities so they can turn their 

visions into reality. 
 PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES  Progress for American Communities 5

will also support Whitefish, Montana’s plan to 

improve vitality on its main street and maintain 

a pedestrian-friendly streetscape, balanced with 

the need to move significant volumes of traffic. 

Joint DOT TIGER II-HUD Community 

Challenge Grants

For the first time, DOT and HUD will join 

forces to award up to $75 million—up to $35 

million in transportation planning grants from 

the second round of TIGER funds and $40 million in HUD Community Challenge Planning 

Grants to support local planning activities that 

integrate transportation, housing, and economic 

development. To make it easier for communities to apply to both programs, DOT and HUD 

accepted a single application for both opportunities and will make joint awards as well as 

individual grants in the fall of 2010. The three 

agencies collaborated on the joint proposal and 

will review applications together.

HUD Sustainable Communities Regional 

Planning Grants

In June 2010, HUD opened the application 

process for the $100-million Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program. This 

program will support metropolitan and multijurisdictional planning efforts that integrate housing, 

land use, economic and workforce development, 

transportation, and infrastructure investments. 

With strong, comprehensive, long-range regional 

plans, communities can better address the interdependent challenges of economic competitiveness and revitalization, social equity and access 

to opportunity, public health, energy efficiency, 

In September 2009, Administrator Jackson, Secretary 

LaHood, Secretary Donovan, and White House Urban 

Affairs Director Adolfo Carrión embarked on a Sustainable 

Communities Tour, visiting Chicago, Dubuque, and Denver 

to hear from leaders on the ground about ways the Partnership could help communities create more economic 

opportunities and affordable homes while protecting their 

air and water. They talked with state, regional, and local 

officials and held community forums to hear from the public. The agency leaders visited several projects that exemplify the types of places the Partnership wants to support:

1 Chicago’s Bethel Center is a new community services hub 

in a green building on a former brownfield. It is located 

next to a train station and has affordable homes nearby.

1 Dubuque, Iowa, is transforming its historic Millwork 

District into a sustainable neighborhood with a mix of uses, housing options for a range 

of income levels, transportation options, and infrastructure improvements.

1 Denver has refurbished its historic Union Station to make it a multimodal transit hub 

that has helped revitalize the surrounding area. Also in Denver, South Lincoln Park 

Homes built new affordable housing on a former brownfield near a transit station.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES TOUR

The public investment in Denver’s 

Union Station spurred private 

investment nearby.
6 Progress for American Communities  PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

environmental protection, and climate change. 

The Partnership agencies collaborated on the 

development of the proposal and will jointly 

review applications. Funding announcements will 

be made in the fall of 2010.

Funds for Urban Circulator and 

Bus & Bus Livability Projects

In July 2010, DOT awarded nearly $300 million 

under two new programs that will give Americans better transportation choices and strengthen 

communities. Six cities were selected for Urban 

Circulator grants, which will fund streetcar, bus, 

and other urban transportation projects that connect destinations and foster walkable, mixed-use 

redevelopment. For example, the award will help 

Cincinnati construct a 6-mile streetcar route that 

will connect its downtown to Over-the-Rhine, a 

low-income neighborhood, and to Uptown, the 

region’s second largest employment center. 

Bus & Bus Livability grants went to 47 projects 

in 31 states that will improve bus service and 

facilities, encouraging development around public transit and giving bus riders better access to 

jobs, health care, and education. Funded projects 

include a bike and pedestrian trail connecting 

downtown destinations to a bus and commuter 

rail hub in Orlando; a real-time bus-tracking 

system in Montrose, Colorado; and New York 

City’s 34th Street Transitway, which will add bus 

lanes and a pedestrian plaza to the busy corridor, 

easing traffic congestion, improving bus service, 

and enhancing pedestrian safety. 

State Revolving Funds for Water 

Infrastructure

The single largest category of funds that flow from 

EPA to states and ultimately local communities 

is funding for water infrastructure projects, also 

known as State Revolving Funds (SRFs). In May 

2010, EPA issued guidance to states on spending 

the 2010 appropriation of $3.3 billion for clean 

water and drinking water infrastructure. The guidance explicitly recommends that states make funding decisions that are consistent with the Livability 

Principles, and that they discourage expanding 

infrastructure to accommodate growth if there are 

available facilities in existing communities. Three 

states—Maryland, New York, and California—are 

now testing how the billions they receive in Clean 

Water SRF dollars can support their efforts to 

make communities more sustainable. 

Smart Growth Implementation Assistance 

EPA has engaged HUD and DOT in its Smart 

Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) 

program, which provides direct technical assistance to three to five communities selected each 

year through a competition. Over the last five 

years, this program has worked with urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country 

on issues such as stormwater management, code 

revision, transit-oriented development, affordable 

housing, infill development, corridor planning, 

green building, and climate change. In addition to 

helping communities directly, the SGIA program 

helps EPA, HUD, and DOT learn more about the 

challenges that communities around the country 

face as they strive to create places that provide 

transportation and housing choices while protecting environmental resources. Reports from these 

projects often provide new tools for other communities to use. In the first year of the Partnership, 

the agencies worked together on SGIA projects 

with the state of California; Louisville, Kentucky; 

Montgomery County, Maryland; and Las Cruces, 

New Mexico. The next round of selected communities will be announced in fall of 2010.

Arlington County, Virginia, offers a wide variety of transportation 

options, including Metrorail and Metrobus to downtown 

Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region; carsharing; and an 

extensive network of bike and pedestrian routes.
 PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES  Progress for American Communities 7

Greening America’s Capitals

This new EPA-led Partnership project will 

help up to five state capital cities per year 

develop a vision of distinctive, environmentally friendly neighborhoods that incorporate 

innovative green building and green infrastructure. EPA will fund a team of designers 

to visit each city and work with residents and 

local leaders to produce designs for a demonstration neighborhood that can catalyze or 

complement a larger planning process. HUD 

and DOT will also bring their expertise to 

these teams. Each project will involve city 

staff as well as staff from the state legislature 

and governor’s office. The cities selected in 

2010 will be announced in the fall.

HUD Adoption of Sustainability Criteria 

in Scoring Grant Applications

Secretary Donovan announced in May 2010 

that HUD will adopt the Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design for Neighborhood 

Development (LEED-ND) system to evaluate 

applications for its $3.25 billion in discretionary funding. Funded by EPA and developed by 

the U.S. Green Building Council, the Natural 

Resources Defense Council, and the Congress 

for the New Urbanism, LEED-ND is a system 

for rating and certifying neighborhoods that 

integrate housing with jobs and services, offer 

a range of transportation choices, and incorporate green building and green infrastructure. 

With this change, grant applications that 

emphasize sustainable communities can be 

awarded additional points. 

Mixed-Income, Transit-Oriented 

Development Action Guide

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 

and HUD have developed an action guide 

to help planners implement mixed-income, 

transit-oriented development. This interactive Web guide, www.mitod.org, will help 

local planners and community groups find 

effective strategies and tools to encourage 

mixed-income development around transit.

The San Joaquin Valley faces incredibly challenging environmental, human 

health, and social issues. The Partnership 

for Sustainable Communities is supporting local and regional efforts to improve 

quality of life in the valley. A focus of this 

pilot project is increasing transit for better access to jobs and services, including 

potential links to future high-speed rail 

stations. The project aims to engage local 

residents to learn what they want from 

future development, to teach them about 

the health and economic benefits of cleaning up and reusing brownfields, and to 

empower them to influence development 

decisions. HUD, DOT, and EPA will also help 

their regional partners evaluate whether 

local brownfield sites are good locations 

for green spaces, commercial development, and transit-oriented development. 

Together, the federal partners and the 

city have already initiated efforts such as 

a redevelopment project in West Fresno, 

and are considering collaborating around a 

possible Bus Rapid Transit system.

FRESNO, CALIFORNIA

 “We’re excited about the promise 

of federal agencies working in such 

a focused, concentrated way with 

the city of Fresno. We hope this 

partnership will provide us with the 

technical expertise and resources to 

focus on one of the most challenging 

neighborhoods in the city.”

—Ashley Swearengin, Mayor, Fresno, California 
8 Progress for American Communities  PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Executive Order on Federal Leadership 

in Environmental, Energy, and Economic 

Performance

President Obama’s Executive Order 13514, signed 

on October 5, 2009, aims to make federal government facilities more sustainable and to encourage 

the federal government to lead by example in 

using resources more efficiently. EO 13514 requires 

agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, 

make their buildings more energy efficient, and 

work with communities to site federal buildings in 

downtowns, near transit and affordable housing, 

and with easy access on foot or by bike. Because 

the location of federal facilities can influence communities’ development patterns for decades, the 

three Partnership agencies worked with the General Services Administration and consulted with 

the Department of Defense and the Department of 

Homeland Security to develop siting recommendations that will make future federal facilities assets to 

communities and catalysts for better development. 

Brownfields Policy Change

HUD revised its policies to make it easier to 

develop Federal Housing Administrationinsured multifamily housing on cleaned-up 

former industrial and commercial sites, known as 

brownfields, while ensuring the health and safety 

of future residents. This change makes it easier 

for communities to build homes that working 

people can afford on reused sites that are near 

key amenities, such as public transit. Redeveloping sites like these can revitalize entire neighborhoods, providing new jobs, stores, and services.

Brownfields Pilot Communities

EPA, HUD, and DOT have selected five pilot 

communities—Boston; Indianapolis; Iowa 

City, Iowa; Denver; and National City, California—where there is a convergence of multiple brownfield sites, economic distress, public 

transit, and the need for affordable housing. The 

three agencies are helping these communities 

clean up and reuse contaminated and vacant 

properties, which will provide new sustainable 

housing and transportation choices, create jobs, 

and expand economic opportunity. EPA, HUD, 

and DOT will use lessons learned from the 

pilots to identify barriers and find opportunities 

for program and policy changes that will make 

federal investments more effective in economically distressed places. 

Small towns and rural areas face major obstacles to plan and 

implement strategies that increase livability. Therefore, I’m 

very pleased to see the federal government’s new focus on 

incentive-based funding and technical assistance for rural areas.

—Julia Gouge, President, Board of Commissioners, Carroll County, Maryland

“ ”

REMOVING FEDERAL BARRIERS

For too long, federal policy has inadvertently encouraged inefficient development patterns that are 

costly to taxpayers and cause traffic congestion and pollution. Many federal regulations and policies unintentionally erected barriers to smart, sustainable development. The Partnership agencies are working with state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and other entities to 

learn about federal policies that have hampered their work. With input from these stakeholders, 

the agencies are working to remove federal regulatory and policy barriers and make it easier for 

communities to implement the type of development they want. 
 PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES  Progress for American Communities 9

In National City, for example, the three agencies 

are supporting the efforts of the local redevelopment authority and neighborhood organizations 

to revitalize a brownfield site in the Westside 

neighborhood, a low-income, heavily polluted 

area. The Partnership’s assistance will help the 

city clean up the site, link it to an adjacent light 

rail station, develop 201 units of affordable housing, improve the nearby tidal creek, and create a 

much-needed park for local families. 

Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot Initiative

In collaboration with HUD, DOT, and other 

agencies, EPA’s Brownfields Area-Wide 

Planning Pilot initiative will work with about 

20 communities to help each one create a 

shared vision for brownfields redevelopment 

that will inform cleanup decisions. The pilots 

will demonstrate how brownfield reuse can 

clean up health hazards, create new economic 

opportunities, and bring new life to disadvantaged communities. Recipients will be 

announced in fall of 2010.

The Fairmount Commuter Rail Line in Boston passes through three low-income neighborhoods—Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan. For decades, however, the rail line did not stop 

in these communities. Boston is now using investments from the Partnership to turn the 

rail line into an engine of economic development and community revitalization. The FTA is 

supporting four new stations and the renovation of two existing stations in the three neighborhoods. EPA has provided funding to clean up more than 30 brownfield sites within a halfmile of the new and renovated stations and will be providing technical assistance to a Green 

Jobs Incubator on a former brownfield. HUD’s funding provided support for a significant 

portion of the more than 2,000 new housing units that are being built along the corridor.

The corridor was selected as one of the Partnership’s 

Brownfields Pilots. This project will assist a collaborative 

of four community development corporations (CDCs) 

with two transit-oriented development planning efforts 

and an area-wide brownfield revitalization strategy for 

the corridor. The Partnership is working with the city, the 

CDCs, The Boston Foundation, and other partners to help 

avoid displacement of existing residents as the area is 

revitalized, to create job and recreational opportunities 

for residents, and to encourage development of affordable housing near transit.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

The area around Uphams Corner, a station on 

the Fairmount line in Dorchester, before the 

transit upgrade, and a rendering showing the 

planned redevelopment around the station.

Images courtesy of Goody Clancy and the Fairmount Collaborative
10 Progress for American Communities  PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Policy Statement on 

Bicycle and Pedestrian 

Accommodation Regulations 

and Recommendations

DOT has issued a new bicyclepedestrian policy that emphasizes 

the need to consider non-motorists 

in federally funded road projects, 

discourages transportation investments that jeopardize the safety 

of cyclists and pedestrians, and 

encourages investments that go 

beyond minimum requirements and 

provide facilities for bicyclists and 

pedestrians of all ages and abilities. 

The department has also proposed 

emphasizing its policy that extends 

FTA funding to pedestrian and 

bicycle improvements within a designated area around a transit stop.

Reducing Contracting Conflicts

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) worked with HUD to 

resolve a contracting conflict that 

had the potential to hold up projects. 

FHWA will use Special Experimental Project No. 14 (SEP-14) to 

permit, on a case-by-case basis, the 

application of HUD contracting 

requirements on federal-aid highway 

projects. This will allow better coordination of transportation and housing expenditures because HUD and 

FHWA requirements were often in 

It is important that these federal agencies work together as these 

issues are all interconnected. From the local perspective, this 

cross-disciplinary partnership is an important, all-encompassing 

approach, which will make our lives easier by giving us access to 

more resources and streamlining the process. 

—Mark Stodola, Mayor, Little Rock, Arkansas

“ ”

Indianapolis’ Smart Growth Redevelopment District, 

chosen as one of the Partnership’s Brownfields Pilots, 

focuses the resources of EPA, HUD, and DOT on a portion of the city’s northeast side, which faces widespread 

abandonment, environmental contamination, poor 

transit accessibility, and housing needs. The Partnership team is working with the state of Indiana, the city 

government, local nonprofits, and community groups to 

coordinate federal investments in and near the Smart 

Growth Redevelopment District. These investments 

include brownfields and Superfund cleanups, a transit 

corridor, and a green housing redevelopment.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

These traditional homes in the Smart Growth 

Redevelopment District sit across the street from 

an abandoned brownfield and vacant property 

(inset). The district’s revitalization strategy 

will propose ways to bring back amenities and 

residents, strategically reuse brownfields, improve 

transit access, and spur economic development.
 PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES  Progress for American Communities 11

conflict. For example, HUD’s Section 3 Program 

requires that low-income people living in a project area be hired as a condition of funding that 

project, which conflicts with FHWA rules that 

prohibit geographic hiring preferences. FHWA’s 

action will make it easier for communities to build 

the infrastructure they need and will generate jobs 

for these communities. 

Change to Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts Program

FTA’s New Starts program funds locally planned, 

implemented, and operated rail and bus projects. 

In January 2010, DOT changed a rule that had 

required the New Starts program to consider 

cost-effectiveness above all other factors when 

selecting major transit projects to support. 

Building on this policy shift, in June 2010, FTA 

asked for public comment on how to change the 

way proposed New Starts projects are rated and 

evaluated. FTA is now reviewing the comments 

as it develops new ways to define and measure 

statutory program criteria to evaluate major transit project proposals. Changes will give meaningful consideration to a broader range of benefits 

transit can provide, including economic development, a healthier environment, and increased 

access to opportunities.

EPA’s Environmental Justice Showcase Communities 

program convenes federal agencies, state and local government entities, non-governmental organizations, and 

other stakeholders to help underserved communities 

shape their neighborhoods’ futures with comprehensive, locally appropriate solutions. As one of ten Environmental Justice Showcase Communities, Jacksonville 

is receiving assistance from the Partnership agencies to 

help address local environmental, health, and economic 

challenges. EPA, HUD, and DOT representatives participated in the Jacksonville project’s kickoff event, where 

they toured the northeastern part of the city, a disadvantaged area with several Superfund and brownfield sites and high rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma, and infant mortality. The agencies will support the local partners as they 

establish a community health center, designed with green building techniques, on a cleaned-up 

brownfield site close to parks, community gardens, and other amenities. The center will provide 

training for health care jobs in partnership with historically black colleges and universities and will 

offer educational programs on healthy living. The lessons learned through this and other Environmental Justice Showcase Communities pilots will help the Partnership better use its resources 

to help underserved communities build more sustainable neighborhoods with better access to 

opportunities; improved services and amenities; and healthier places to live, work, and play.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 

During the kickoff event in April 2010, community 

leaders talked with federal and local government 

officials and private-sector partners on one of the 

contaminated sites slated for redevelopment.
12 Progress for American Communities  PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Coordinating Policies and Funding Programs

The three agencies have been working together in 

unprecedented ways to promote sustainable communities through their policies and grant programs. 

They have jointly evaluated applications for the 

TIGER, Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot, 

Sustainable Communities Regional Planning, and 

Community Challenge Planning grants, among others. They have collaborated on regulatory and policy 

changes such as HUD’s brownfields policy change, 

DOT’s bicycle–pedestrian funding policy changes, 

and recommendations for federal facility siting.

HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and 

Communities

In February 2010, HUD launched the Office of 

Sustainable Housing and Communities to serve as 

the center point for HUD’s sustainability efforts and 

the main liaison to the Partnership. The Office of 

Sustainable Housing and Communities will support 

stronger, more sustainable communities by advancing policies that connect housing to jobs, foster local 

innovation, and support a clean energy economy. 

EPA Office of Sustainable Communities

In February 2010, EPA announced that the Office 

of Sustainable Communities would be created to 

coordinate the agency’s work on smart growth and 

green building. The office will provide technical 

assistance to urban, suburban, and rural communities in support of the Partnership and will 

work with a wide range of stakeholders to produce 

research, tools, and other resources to help communities create sustainable neighborhoods.

Regional Partnerships

The national Partnership for Sustainable Communities is being replicated by field staff in the 

three agencies’ regional offices around the country. 

Regional HUD, DOT, and EPA staff are collaborating on a variety of projects. For example, 

regional HUD, FTA, and EPA staff met with Tucson leaders to kick off the Tucson Modern Streetcar Project, a TIGER grant recipient. They toured 

the corridor and explored opportunities to connect 

the streetcar project to other local public investments, such as brownfield cleanups and housing 

and small business development along the corridor.

The smallest municipalities are connecting to federal agencies, which 

has not happened in a coordinated fashion, not just on Long Island 

but any suburban area in the nation.... This new federal partnership 

could provide the resources necessary to assist the revitalization of our 

downtowns and support needed sewer and transit infrastructure.

—Eric Alexander, Executive Director, Vision Long Island

“ ”

Seneca Falls, New York, invested in its main street to maintain its 

rural character while also creating a vibrant, thriving place that 

attracts visitors and residents. 

ALIGNING POLICIES AND BUDGETS

To make the Livability Principles a part of the way the three agencies do business and to ensure 

ongoing collaboration, HUD, DOT, and EPA have been working to align their respective programs, policies, and budgets. 
 PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES  Progress for American Communities 13

The Partnership for Sustainable Communities 

has already yielded impressive results—but 

HUD, DOT, and EPA still have a lot of work 

to do together. The agencies plan to continue 

working with other interested federal partners 

to help them better support communities that 

offer more job opportunities, better housing 

choices, reliable and convenient transportation options, and high quality of life.

For example, to better support economic 

growth and community development in rural 

areas, the Partnership is working with the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA). The 

agencies are discussing how to facilitate future 

technical assistance collaborations, how the 

Livability Principles support USDA programs 

to improve economic opportunity and quality of life in rural America, and how best to 

address rural issues in the Partnership’s work. 

This collaboration builds on work EPA has 

done with USDA’s Rural Development Program, including providing smart growth assistance to the town of Waverly, Iowa, which was 

damaged by floods and tornadoes in 2008.

The Partnership is also exploring ways to 

work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to incorporate sustainable communities practices into hazard 

mitigation planning and long-term disaster 

recovery. This potential collaboration stems 

from work between EPA and FEMA to help 

six Iowa towns that were damaged by floods 

and tornadoes in 2008 and a Memorandum 

of Understanding between these two agencies. This work is also helping to inform 

a federal task force working on a national 

strategy for climate adaptation, and it could 

be used to help local climate change adaptation planning as well.

The Partnership plans to continue examining 

and, if necessary, modifying federal policies 

and actions on transportation, housing, and 

environmental protection to complement 

each other and to better reflect the Livability 

Principles. In addition, the Partnership will 

screen these policies and actions to ensure 

they provide equal opportunities to disadvantaged communities, including rural and tribal 

areas. The Partnership will make sure our 

programs are fair and inclusive. The Partnership for Sustainable Communities recognizes 

that effective decision-making about how 

and where growth occurs depends on understanding and properly addressing the unique 

needs of different socioeconomic groups. We 

will ensure the full and fair participation in 

our activities and programs by all potentially 

affected communities.

The Road Ahead:

 The Partnership’s Plans for the Future

All photos courtesy of EPA 

unless otherwise noted.
Photos on front cover (from left to right): Boise, Idaho; Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Washington, Virginia; 

Salt Lake City, Utah; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Photos on back cover (from left to right): Starkville, Mississippi; Vermont; Millennium Park, Chicago; Stapleton, 

Denver, Colorado; Providence, Rhode Island.

http://www.epa.gov/

smartgrowth/partnership

http://www.hud.gov/sustainability http://www.dot.gov/livability

Office of Sustainable Communities (1807T)

EPA 231-K-10-002

http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth

October 2010