HUD's Sustainable Communities Initiative: An Emerging Model of Place-Based Federal Policy and Collaborative Capacity Building

The U.S. government generally operates under specialized policy and program silos, making it a challenge to holistically address complex policy issues across agencies and departments. With the launch of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities (PSC) in 2009, an interagency initiative involving the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the federal government sought to promote and infuse principles and practices of sustainable community development, through new levels of federal interagency collaboration and a portfolio of planning grants and capacity-building assistance for regional and local governments. HUD's Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities served as the hub for the interagency collaboration with its signature Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI). This article chronicles the development, evolution, and legacy of the SCI by focusing on three of its signature components: (1) the Regional Planning Grant program, (2) the Community Challenge Planning grant program, and (3) the network of Capacity Building Intermediary organizations that provided technical assistance. The most enduring legacy of PSC and SCI is the ensemble, coordination, and alignment of agency leadership, engaged staff, wide distribution of grant programs, and substantial investments in capacity-building interventions. This article uncovers the insights and lessons from this innovative approach for future federal and state government agencies, sustainability organizations, local government officials, and community and philanthropic leaders.