EPA Offering to Foster Sustainable Growth

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week its intention to allow communities to apply for technical assistance to foster sustainable growth in their area. As part of that, the EPA is offering tools that can be applied in rural, suburban, and urban areas, including;

• Smart growth and economic development to help communities get better financial results from public and private investments.
• Green street strategies for managing polluted stormwater.
• Land use strategies to protect water quality.
• Parking audits to make the best use of parking for existing and planned land uses.
• Bikeshare system planning to create alternative commuting options.
• Community design for aging populations to ensure residents can live at home as long as possible.
• Green building toolkit to overcome common barriers.
• Strategies to help small cities and rural areas develop in ways that retain unique community characteristics.

Communities desirous to participate in the program would apply for one of the specific tools and, if selected, would find themselves working alongside an EPA-supported team of experts on how to apply those tools during a two-day workshop.

The EPA will select up to 44 communities in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

If your community wants to participate, applications are being accepted between September 26 and October 26, with all the information available at an EPA website dedicated to the program.

Source: Environmental Protection Agency
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