Sustainable Communities Partnership
HUD, DOT, and EPA Join Forces for Better, More Sustainable Communities
On June 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the creation of an unprecedented partnership. Working together, the agencies will focus on building better, more sustainable communities — providing people with more transportation and housing options, as well as lower transportation costs and greater access to affordable housing.
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson made the announcement before a Congressional committee. They testified that the agencies will be guided by six "Livability Principles" that address issues including transportation choice and affordable housing among others.
Over the past decade, a number of states have initiated similar cross-agency efforts based on a set of common principles intended to guide how communities develop. In 2002 Arizona adopted the Growing Smarter Guiding Principles, and in 2008 the State formalized its cross-agency efforts by forming a Growth Cabinet consisting of 15 state agencies. Pennsylvania instituted a set of common principles, developed by an interagency working group and known as the Keystone Principles, in 2005. New York formed a smart growth cabinet in 2007, and Virginia created a SubCabinet on Community Investment in 2008. The new Partnership at the federal level will likely create the impetus for an increasing number of states to follow suit and put more emphasis on cross-agency collaboration around transportation, housing, and environmental protection.
Source: DOT press release, June 16, 2009
Member partners:
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The Partnership was announced June 16, 2009 before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
- EPA information page
- DOT press release
- Livability Principles
- Statement of Secretary Shaun Donovan, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Hearing before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Senate, June 16, 2009
- Statement of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hearing before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Senate, June 16, 2009
- Statement of Secretary Ray LaHood, U.S. Department of Transportation, Hearing before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Senate, June 16, 2009