The Obama administration defines livable communities as "places where transportation, housing, and commercial development investments are coordinated to better serve the people living in those communities." Funding for this program includes $35 million in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery planning grants from U.S. DOT -- called "TIGER grants" -- and $40 million in Sustainable Community Challenge Grants from HUD for localized planning activities that ultimately lead to projects that integrate transportation, housing, and economic development.

"This joint effort by DOT and HUD is a giant step toward improved coordination at the state, federal, and local levels, and reinforces the Obama administration's commitment to finding better ways to make government work for people," said Vice President Joe Biden. "Together, their investments will strengthen communities by connecting housing and transportation options, increasing economic opportunities, promoting environmental sustainability, and improving their overall quality of life."

Donovan noted this is the first time HUD and DOT have worked together to develop a joint grant program. 

"For the first time, federal agencies are truly collaborating with each other to make government work better and build the kinds of communities where families can prosper," he said.    

The new program builds on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, launched by Obama in June 2009. Participating agencies are DOT, HUD, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The partnership is designed to remove the traditional federal government silos that exist between departments and strategically target the agencies' transportation, land use, environmental, housing, and community development resources to provide communities with greater opportunities to bolster sustainability programs. 

TIGER planning grants awarded by DOT may be used to plan, prepare, or design surface transportation projects that would be eligible for funding under the TIGER II Discretionary Grant Program. These projects include highways, bridges, transit, railways, ports, or bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

A variety of projects might include component parts that fall under both the DOT TIGER II Planning Grants and the HUD Sustainable Community Challenge Grants. Rather than have applicants proceed through two separate grant application procedures that might be on different timelines and with different requirements, a joint notice of funding availability is intended to create one point of entry to federal resources, according to the departments.  

Under this innovative program, DOT and HUD will make joint awards, where appropriate, as well as individual TIGER II planning grants and HUD Sustainable Community Challenge Grants. 

Preapplications are due 30 days from the publication of the Notice of Funding Availability in the Federal Register. Full applications are due Aug. 23. State and local governments -- including U.S. territories, tribal governments, transit agencies, port authorities, and others -- are eligible to apply for funding.

The notice is available at tinyurl.com/DOTHUD061810.

AASHTO recently released a policy report on transportation and livable communities. That 18-page document is available at tinyurl.com/AASHTO-livability.