Promoting Livable Communities: Tele-briefing on the FY11 DOT and HUD Sustainable Communities Budgets

Offline - April 15, 2010; 1:00 - 2:00 PM

This event is co-sponsored by: Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National Housing Corporation, Policy Link, Reconnecting America, and Smart Growth America

The Obama Administration is taking unprecedented steps towards integrating economic, housing, transportation, and environmental strategies within and across federal agencies. This year alone, there exist several opportunities to transform the livable communities model from a set of principles into newly funded projects and policies.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) oversees a large budget and provides billions of dollars every year to states, regions, and communities for highways, bridges, public transit, and other key infrastructure projects. As partners in the Sustainable Communities Initiative, DOT and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are working collaboratively to identify strategies that will reduce housing and transportation costs for low-income people, and place higher priority on the preservation and creation of transit-oriented affordable housing. Earlier this year, HUD announced both advanced notice of funding for regional planning initiatives and its new Office of Sustainable Communities and Housing. To date, DOT has not had an office or funding targeted specifically to support the initiative.

President Obama's FY11 budget proposal includes a request for $527 million for DOT's Livable Communities Program, which is now being debated in Congress. This funding will be allocated from three separate locations:

• $307 million in transit funding to increase the planning and project development capabilities;
• $200 million in highway funding for a competitive livability grant program; and
• $20 million to establish an Office of Livable Communities, located in the Office of the Secretary.

The President's FY11 budget proposal also includes $150 million to continue HUD's Sustainable Communities Initiative. These funds would be allocated to three different program areas:

• $100 million for Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grants;
• $40 million for Sustainable Communities Challenge Grants; and
• $10 million for technical assistance and research to support local sustainability efforts.

Please join us on Thursday, April 15th from 1pm to 2pm EST for an interactive discussion with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Transportation Policy, Beth Osborne, and Stockton Williams, HUD Senior Policy Advisor to the Office of Sustainable Communities who will discuss both agency's proposed livability initiatives included in the FY11 budget.

To join the conversation, please call (877) 746-4263 and enter the Participant Access Code: 02 59 943#.