Sustainable Communities

The Region Forward Coalition recently applied for a HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant to support Region Forward's implementation. The grant proposal was submitted on October 6, 2011. The proposal Equity Through Transit, is an opportunity to address some of the greatest barriers to implementing Region Forward. The proposal seeks to replicate the components that make some of our communities so resilient - a good mix of affordable housing, jobs, and services, urban form and density - in the region's transit corridors. This work is designed to advance Region Forward's vision for sustainable growth around transit, while supporting the next-generation of investments in new transit and capital improvements. These investments totaling $14 billion, will touch every jurisdiction in the region, providing a unique opportunity to align local, state, and federal resources with new transit infrastructure to create compact, healthy neighborhoods that provide access to jobs, services and opportunities to residents most in need.

Equity Through Transit is designed to have the following outcomes for the National Capital Region:

• Sustainable development supported by a new generation of transit investments
• More affordable housing around transit, and better access to jobs, housing, and services for disadvantaged residents
• A better jobs-housing balance, leading to reduced household housing and transportation costs
• Development patterns that protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, conserve water and energy resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Greater ability for vulnerable businesses and under-resourced local governments to weather economic adversity due to lower transportation costs
• Broader and deeper public involvement in regional planning, particularly among traditionally underrepresented groups
• Increased coordination among government stakeholders in regional decision-making, and better alignment of local, state, and federal investments
  

Materials

Equity Through Transit: Application Abstract
Equity Through Transit: Application Narrative
Equity Through Transit: Full Application (7.3 MB)

The National Capital Region's Preferred Sustainability Status
HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grants
FY2011 Notice of Funding Availability
Federal Livability Principles

Program Contacts

Paul DesJardin, Director Community Planning & Services - (202) 962-3293
John Mataya, Regional Planner - (202) 962-3263
Sophie Mintier - Housing Planner - (202) 962-3753