It seems that just about every day a federal grant opportunity comes across my desk that calls on the applicant to demonstrate how their project enhances ‘livability.’ Many of us weren’t familiar with this term only a few years ago, but now local governments are called upon to integrate livability principles into all sorts of government functions. In order to comprehensively address these principles in grant applications, it is important to understand what the term ‘livability’ means.
The current conception of livability has its roots in the New Urbanism school of city planning, a movement that emerged in the 1980s to combat rising urban sprawl. Proponents of New Urbanism call for the creation of cohesive neighborhoods where residents can live, work, and recreate without dependence on automobiles. By supporting infill development, alternative transportation infrastructure, a mixture of commercial and residential uses, and public green space, among other design features, New Urbanists aim to create vibrant and lively urban places.
Although the concepts underlying New Urbanism have been part of many local planning processes for decades, it was not until June of 2009 that the federal government began to actively promote these concepts at the federal level through the creation of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. A multi-agency partnership led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Department of Transportation (DOT), this initiative seeks to coordinate federal investments in housing, transportation, and other activities, while also providing resources to communities to integrate their own planning efforts. Agency staff frequently collaborate to review competitive grant applications, and each agency has prioritized grant awards to communities that can demonstrate a comprehensive and integrated approach to livability.
The following six livability principles serve as the foundation for this DOT–HUD–EPA Partnership:
• Provide more transportation choices
• Promote equitable, affordable housing
• Enhance economic competitiveness
• Support existing communities
• Coordinate policies and leverage investment
• Value communities and neighborhoods
These principles are integral to the efforts of DOT, HUD, and EPA, but the Obama Administration has also made support of these unifying principles a priority for several other federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Endowment for the Arts. As a result, it is important to learn these principles and find ways to integrate them into future grant proposals.
For more information about promoting livability and smart growth in your community, visit EPA’s “Tools and Key Resources for Sustainable Communities.”
Have you received grants through this multi-agency partnership? How did you integrate the livability principles into your project? Reach me at [email protected] or 202-331-8500 if you’d like to discuss ways to make sure your federal grant applications are in line with these principles that have become so important to federal grant success.
