Sustainable Communities Network

“Transit Corridors for Sustainable Communities: Planning Transit to Connect the Dots” webinar materials and answers to your questions now available

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Thank you to everyone who attended Smart Growth America’s Sustainable Communities Network webinar “Transit Corridors for Sustainable Communities: Planning Transit to Connect the Dots” earlier this week. This webinar was hosted by Smart Growth America, PolicyLink, Reconnecting America, and the National Housing Conference.

Listen in: Click here to view the archived webinar

Speaking on the webinar were Dena Belzer, President of Strategic Economics and partner in the Center for Transit-Oriented Development; Crista M. Gardner, Senior Planner at Portland Metro; and David Johnson AICP, Director of Planning, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority. The webinar was moderated by Elizabeth Wampler, Program Associate at Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit-Oriented Development.

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Upcoming webinar: Applying for HUD Regional Planning Grants

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced an additional $67 million investment in stronger, more sustainable communities that connect housing to jobs while fostering local innovation and building a clean energy economy.

If you plan to apply for this year’s round of HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning grants, join us for a webinar on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 2:00 PM EDT. You will hear tips from past Partnership for Sustainable Communities grant recipients, receive advice from a firm that has written several successful applications, and learn the criteria that the Partnership uses to grade applications.

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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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Partnership for Sustainable Communities marks two years of work across the country

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On June 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined together to help communities nationwide improve access to affordable housing, increase transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment to better support local economies.

Two years later, the interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities is working to coordinate federal investments in housing, transportation, water and other infrastructure to make neighborhoods more prosperous, allow people to live closer to jobs, save households time and money, and reduce pollution. The Partnership has visited with residents and business leaders in hundreds of communities, coordinated to provide new funding opportunities and worked to reduce barriers at the federal level.

In a post on the White House blog, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson explain the strengths of coordinating between agencies.

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"Advancing Equity in Sustainable Community Planning and Implementation" webinar materials now available online

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Thank you to everyone who attended Smart Growth America’s Sustainable Communities Network webinar “Advancing Equity in Sustainable Community Planning and Implementation.” This webinar was hosted by Smart Growth America, PolicyLink, Reconnecting America, and the National Housing Conference.

Listen in: Click here to view the archived webinar

Speaking on the webinar were Bob Allen, Director of Transportation and Housing Programs at Urban Habitat; Jessie Grogan, Policy Analyst at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council of Boston, MA; and Jonathan London, Director of the Center for Regional Change and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human and Community Development at the University of California, Davis. This webinar was moderated by Kalima Rose, Director of the PolicyLink Center for Infrastructure Equity and leader of PolicyLink’s Sustainable Communities work. Download materials from the webinar at the links below:

Want to know about webinars like this one before they happen? Join the Sustainable Communities Network, an online community of state and local government officials, business leaders and non-profit 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 initiatives, upcoming events, webinars and conferences to support vibrant, sustainable communities. Click here to subscribe.

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Upcoming webinar: Advancing Equity in Sustainable Community Planning and Implementation

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Join us Tuesday, May 24th at 3:30 PM ET for the next Sustainable Communities Network webinar: “Advancing Equity in Sustainable Community Planning and Implementation.” This event is hosted by Smart Growth America, PolicyLink, Reconnecting America, and the National Housing Conference.

Speaking on the webinar will be Bob Allen, Director of Transportation and Housing Programs at Urban Habitat; Jessie Grogan, Policy Analyst at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council of Boston, MA; and Jonathan London, Director of the Center for Regional Change and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human and Community Development at the University of California, Davis. This webinar will be moderated by Kalima Rose, Director of the PolicyLink Center for Infrastructure Equity and leader of PolicyLink’s Sustainable Communities work.

What: “Advancing Equity in Sustainable Community Planning and Implementation.”
When: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 3:30 PM ET.
Where: Webinar information will be sent to registrants.
RSVP: Click here to register. Please RSVP by 5 PM ET on May 23rd.

* Please note: Audio for this webinar will be broadcast through your computer. This is a change from previous webinars in the series. *

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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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