In celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released “Five Years of Learning from Communities and Coordinating Federal Investments,” a report demonstrating how the three agencies are cooperating to help communities provide more housing choices, make transportation systems more efficient and reliable, and create vibrant neighborhoods that attract business development and jobs while protecting the environment.

Since 2009, the three federal agencies have helped places around the country develop in more environmentally and economically sustainable ways. To guide its work, the Partnership developed six livability principles:

• Provide more transportation choices.
• Promote equitable, affordable housing.
• Enhance economic competitiveness.
• Support existing communities.
• Coordinate and leverage federal policies and investment.
• Value communities and neighborhoods.

Through its efforts, more than $4 billion has been awarded to 1,000 communities in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. In addition to funding, many communities have also received technical assistance to help plan economic development and leverage private and other public resources to maximize the Partnership’s investments.

The Partnership for Sustainable Communities has also fundamentally changed the way that HUD, EPA, and DOT evaluate and award competitive grants and technical assistance. The three agencies collaborate on reviewing and selecting applications for many grants and technical assistance opportunities, such as DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants, HUD’s Community Challenge Grants, and EPA’s Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grants. This collaboration ensures that federal investments maximize resources for communities.

To download the report, you can visit www.sustainablecommunities.gov.