Partnership

FTA announces funding available through Bus Livability Program

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The Federal Transit Administration has announced up to $150 million of funding available through the Bus Livability Program, which provides money to purchase or replace buses and to build bus-related facilities. The grants are part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communies’ livability funding. From www.grants.gov:

The Bus Livability Program makes funds available to public transportation providers to finance capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities, including programs of bus and bus-related projects for assistance to subrecipients that are public agencies, private companies engaged in public transportation, or private non-profit organizations.

The Bus Livability Program will be funded using at least $150 million in available discretionary Bus and Bus Facilities Program funds, authorized by 49 U.S.C. 5309(b) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Pub. L. 109-59, August 10, 2005. FTA may use additional Bus and Bus Facilities funding that becomes available to further support this initiative. The Notice in FR DOC # 2011-16015 includes priorities established by FTA for these discretionary funds, the criteria FTA will use to identify meritorious projects for funding, and describes how to apply.

Places where people have access to affordable housing and different forms of transportation are communities that are economically competitive, and the places where businesses thrive and people want to live. FTA’s livability grants will go a long way toward helping create those communities through jobs, lower transportation costs, and economic development.

For more information about this funding opportunity visit www.grants.gov or www.federalregister.gov.

Want to receive alerts like this straight to you inbox? Click here to join Smart Growth America’s Sustainable Communities Network.

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Now accepting proposals: FTA's Transit Climate Change Adaptation Assessment pilots

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The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is now soliciting proposals for transit climate change adaptation assessment pilots. The pilots will fund transit agencies or partnerships with transit agencies to assess the vulnerability of transit agency assets and services to climate change hazards such as heat waves and flooding. The pilots will also assess initial adaptation strategies and link these strategies to transit agency organizational structures and activities, and one of the pilots will focus on demonstrating the integration of adaptation assessment within an asset management system.

FTA contemplates making approximately four cooperative agreement awards, ranging from $50,000 to $175,000 each. Total funding available is $525,000. Eligible recipients are either 1) a public transportation provider or, 2) a university, non-profit, private, or public entity working in partnership with a public transportation provider.

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Join us Thursday: Tips for effective advocacy

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Beginning at the end of June, Members of Congress will be back at the offices in their home states meeting with constituents. This is a great opportunity to tell your representatives about your support for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

Join us on Thursday, June 23, 2011 from 2-3 PM EDT to learn tips for successful advocacy. Click here to sign up for this training.

Among the techniques discussed in this webinar will be how to schedule and hold a successful meeting with your Members of Congress, how to engage others and bring a group to the meeting, and how to effectively talk about the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and its benefits.

Sign up today for Smart Growth America’s advocacy training: click here to register.

Can’t schedule a meeting for this recess? That’s ok. You can still learn useful information from this training opportunity and schedule a meeting in your district office at any time! Contact jholmberg [at] smartgrowthamerica [dot] org or 202-207-3355 x121 with any questions.

You can learn about trainings like this before they happen: Click here to join the Sustainable Communities Network.

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Spotlight on Sustainability: Boston and Littleton, Massachusetts

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The following is a guest post from Mark Racicot, Land Use Division Manager for Boston’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)

Last year, a coalition led by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council of Boston was awarded a $4 million grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program (part of the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities). The MetroFuture Regional Plan, a groundbreaking initiative, is designed to strengthen the economy, create jobs, increase transportation options, and improve quality of life for area residents.

Residents of the Town of Littleton, Mass., have already seen the major impact this funding can have on a community. A few weeks ago, Littleton residents voted to amend the uses allowed on active farms in residential districts and protect the future of their farming economy. As one component of the larger MetroFuture plan, Littleton used Sustainable Communities funding to protect agricultural land and will use additional funds to look at wastewater treatment programs and development in the village.

Keith Bergman, Littleton Town Administrator, said, “Littleton is committed to economic development consistent with community character. We’re host to IBM’s largest software development lab in North America, but we’re also a rural community with a rich agricultural tradition, active farms, and even a town-owned orchard. We want to help our farmers keep their land in agricultural uses by expanding ancillary uses, so we’re big on green, as well as Big Blue.”

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Funding available: Choice Neighborhood Initiative Planning Grants

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Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants, details of which are now available online, will support the development of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans which will transform communities into viable, mixed-income neighborhoods by linking housing improvements with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation, and access to jobs. The program is focused on directing resources to address three core goals – housing, people and neighborhoods. To achieve these core goals, communities must develop and implement a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy, or Transformation Plan. The Transformation Plan will become the guiding document for the revitalization of the public and/or assisted housing units while simultaneously directing the transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and positive outcomes for families.

Read the full announcement at Grants.gov >>

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Call for letters of interest: Green Capitals Program seeking pilot cities

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The Office of Sustainable Communities in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Policy is seeking letters of interest from state capital cities that want to develop in ways that reflect the principles of smart growth, green building, and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Greening America’s Capitals provides state capitals with an opportunity to implement this partnership effort on the ground. EPA will provide design assistance to successful applicants; letters of interest are due on June 20, 2011.

For more information, download the full submission guidelines (PDF) or contact Chris Forinash, Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute at cforinash [at] nemw [dot] org.

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Turner Foundation Seeks Information on Local Green Infrastructure Projects

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From the EPA State and Local Climate and Energy Program:

Is your community investing in green infrastructure to improve air quality, lower summertime temperatures, or reduce energy costs? The Clean Water America Alliance (Alliance) is conducting a project for the Turner Foundation to engage utilities, cities, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector on green infrastructure policy. The resulting report will be used to help the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with its national rulemaking to establish a program to reduce stormwater discharges.

If you would like to participate in this project, complete the questionnaire at the link below to submit information on your current green infrastructure implementation efforts as well as the barriers you’ve encountered. The questionnaire is intended to seek quantitative and qualitative data on the technical, financial, legal, institutional, and cultural barriers to implementing green infrastructure practices at the local, state, and federal levels of government.

Your contribution will be compiled with others to develop a report highlighting the opportunities, barriers and recommendations. The Alliance will promote and distribute the report to participants in the water sector, conservation communities, and key policy-makers, as well as other interested parties.

Respond to the questionnaire yourself, or circulate the link below to others at your organization to complete some or all of the questions, as appropriate. The deadline for survey participation is April 15, 2011.

http://www.cleanwateramericaalliance.org/gisurvey_about.php

password: GREEN

For more information, please contact Lorraine Loken at the Alliance, (202) 533-1819, or email [email protected].

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Sustainable Communities Network webinar now available online

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Smart Growth America’s Sustainable Communities Network hosted a webinar yesterday on how state, local and national organizations can support the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities through advocacy.

Included in this webinar is an update on the current state of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities in federal budget negotiations from Devon Barnhart, Transportation Policy Advisor for Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). Also included is an overview of what individuals and organizations can do to express their support for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, including a guide for scheduling meeting with Members of Congress, how to call or email your Representatives and what documents to take to a meeting. The webinar also included a question-and-answer session with an opportunity for participants to share information as well.

Listen in: Click here to view the archived webinar
Presentation begins at the 10 minute mark

As Congress continues to negotiate both 2011 and 2012’s federal budgets, telling your Congressional representatives that you support the Partnership for Sustainable Communities is important now more than ever. Click here to send a letter to your Senators in support of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

Smart Growth America’s Sustainable Communities Network is an online community of state and local government officials, business leaders and nonprofit professionals interested in the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The Network provides opportunities to ask questions, learn best practices and share ideas with others from around the country. The Network also shares updates about federal initiaitves, upcoming events, webinars and conferences to support vibrant, sustainable communities. Interested in joining? Click here to subscribe.

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Overcoming Obstacles in Regional Planning: webinar materials now available

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Thank you to everyone who attended Smart Growth America’s first Sustainable Communities Network webinar, “Overcoming Obstacles in Regional Planning.” Last week’s event was the first in a series of informational sessions for organizations and agencies that have received grants from the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

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