Policy Link Plans Sustainable Communities Webinars

On Thursday, June 24, HUD released the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program NOFA. The notice announced the availability of approximately $100 million in funding. Funding from this Program will support the development and implementation of Regional Plans for Sustainable Development (RPSD) that:

a. Identify affordable housing, transportation investment, water infrastructure,
economic development, land use planning, environmental conservation, energy
system, open space, and other infrastructure priorities for the region;
b. Clearly define a single, integrated plan for regional development that
addresses potential population growth or decline over a minimum 20-year time
frame, sets appropriate 3 to 5 year benchmark performance targets, and
delineates strategies to meet established performance goals;
c. Establish performance goals and measures that are, at a minimum, consistent with the Sustainability Partnership’s Livability Principles;
d. Utilize geo-coded data sets and other metrics in developing, implementing, monitoring, and assessing the performance goals of various reinvestment scenarios; e. Provide detailed plans, policies, and implementation strategies to be
implemented by all participating jurisdictions over time to meet planning
goals;
f. Prioritize projects that facilitate the implementation of the
regional plan and identify responsible implementing entities (public,
nonprofit, or private) and funding sources;
g. Show how the proposed plan will establish consistency with HUD, DOT, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs, and policies, such as Consolidated Plans, Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, Long Range Transportation Plans, and Asset Management
Plans, including strategies to modify existing plans, where
appropriate; and
h. Engage residents and stakeholders substantively and meaningfully in the development of the shared vision and its implementation early and throughout the process, including communities traditionally marginalized from such processes, while accommodating limited English speakers, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.

In order to help local sites prepare applications that fully address issues of equity, Policy Link is offering to webinars this week.

Wednesday, June 30, 3:00 - 5:00pm EDT
Sustainable Communities Grant Program: Making Equity in Housing, Transportation, and Jobs the Heart of Your Region’s Application
Speakers will include Maria Zimmerman, Deputy Director, HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities; Kalima Rose, Director, PolicyLink Center for Infrastructure Equity; and Vu Bang Nguyen, Land Use Coordinator, Urban Habitat. Sponsored by PolicyLink, LISC, National Housing Conference, Reconnecting America, and Smart Growth America.

Wednesday, July 7, 1:00 - 2:30pm EDT
Sustainable Communities Grant Program: Opportunities for Public Health Leadership and Healthy Community Design
Speakers will include Rajiv Bhatia, Director of Occupational and Environmental Health, San Francisco Department of Public Health; Karen Nikolai, Hennepin County (Minn.) Community Design Liaison; and Dwayne Marsh, Senior Advisor, HUD Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities. Sponsored by PolicyLink, the Convergence Partnership, and the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO).

To learn more about these webinars or to register, click here.

To see the full Sustainable Communities and Regional Planning Grant Program click here.