EPA Accepts Applications for Smart Growth Assistance Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting applications from communities interested in exploring barriers to smart growth and testing innovative strategies that can create healthier, more sustainable places to live, work and play.

EPA’s Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program provides technical assistance to help communities grow in ways that improve the local economy, the environment and people’s health. The program aims to help applicants develop solutions to local challenges, such as managing storm water, increasing transit-oriented development and adapting to climate change, and to share those solutions with other communities.

EPA will be accepting applications from tribal, local, regional and state governments and nonprofit organizations that have partnered with a governmental entity for their request for assistance. Applications will be accepted until March 1, 2013. EPA will provide assistance to three to four communities selected from this round of applications.

EPA is seeking applications in the following four categories:

1.    Community Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change

2.    Redevelopment for Job Creation

3.    Manufactured and Modular Homes in Sustainable Neighborhood Design

4.    Medical and Social Service Facilities

Since 2005, the SGIA program has helped an array of communities from across the country on issues such as storm water management, code revision, transit-oriented development, affordable housing, infill development, corridor planning, green building and climate change. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) became involved with the SGIA program through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. This interagency collaboration coordinates federal investments in infrastructure, facilities and services to get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently. In many cases, HUD and DOT serve on the SGIA technical assistance teams, and help identify how SGIA projects can complement and build on past and future federal investments.

Click here for more information on the SGIA program and applications.  

Source: EPA