Sustainable Communities Partnerships Grantee and Application Lessons Learned (So Far) Abby...

Sustainable Communities PartnershipsGrantee and Application Lessons Learned (So Far)

Abby Thorne-LymanProject Director

August 2, 2011

Overview of Grant Recipients

199 HUD Sustainable Communities and DOT TIGER grants

72 recipients included public transportation and/or TOD in grants:

• Regional Planning Grants (26)• Community Challenge Grants (17)• Joint HUD Community Challenge/TOD TIGER II (10)• TIGER II (15 – 11 planning, 4 capital)• Feb 2010 TIGER I (4)

59 of 100 largest regions received some sort of award

www.reconnectingamerica.org

Overview of Grant Recipients

www.reconnectingamerica.org

Regions receiving multiple grants

Regional Planning AND Community Challenge Recipients

www.reconnectingamerica.org

Regions receiving multiple grantsRegional Planning AND TIGER II Recipients

www.reconnectingamerica.org

Common Themes in Winning Applications

Equity: true integration of affordable housing, grassroots engagement into planning processes

Transit Corridor and Station Area Planning: Category 2 grant recipients narrowed focus to a few corridors; Community Challenge recipients focused on a single corridor. Station area planning with replicability also a focus.

Connectivity: Complete streets, trails, last-mile connections (Challenge and TIGER II)

Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Planning: Integration of actors from multiple disciplines, formation of new partnerships key. Healthy eating, food access a focus of several recipients.

Data Sharing, Modeling: Category 1: regional data repositories, improvement of data sharing across communities, data driven comprehensive planning

www.reconnectingamerica.org

The application process: other issues identified by grantees

Collaboration involved integrating many different “cultures”Start early, meet oftenMay need a neutral party

Defining target communitiesCorridor / Multijurisdictional area of greatest needOne idea: vote for the “most competitive idea, aside from your own”

Making the most of pilot or demonstration projectsHeuristicsGame changers

www.reconnectingamerica.org

“Analysis of Federal Sustainable Communities Grants”“Tips for Crafting Strong Collaborative Applications”

www.policylink.org

“2011 Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Guide”

Abby Thorne-LymanProject DirectorReconnecting AmericaEMAIL: athorne@reconnectingamerica.orgPHONE: 510.268.8602 ext.206WEB: www.reconnectingamerica.org