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On April 15th, 2011, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrion, along with mayors from nine New York and Connecticut cities, the New York City Department of City Planning Commissioner Burden, four Metropolitan Planning Organizations, the Nassau County Executive and heads of two regional planning entities launched an unprecedented bi-state sustainability initiative for coordinated regional and local planning. The new group, known as “The New York – Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium,” announced plans to work together to develop livable communities and growth centers around the region’s commuter rail network that will expand economic opportunity by creating and connecting residents to jobs, foster new affordable, energy-efficient housing, provide more transportation choices, strengthen existing communities and make the region more globally competitive. The initiative will work to reduce congestion, improve the environment and create a strategy to build resilience to the effects of climate change in New York City, with applications for other parts of the region. The group will be coordinated by Regional Plan Association, a non-profit regional planning organization. 
Read the full press release.
The New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium was awarded $3.5 million in funding under the inaugural year of HUD’s Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program. For the first time in history, HUD has awarded nearly $100 million in new grants to support more livable and sustainable communities across the country. A total of 45 regional areas will receive funding through this initiative intended to build economic competitiveness by connecting housing with access to jobs, quality schools and transportation. A central goal of the Sustainable Communities program is to link strategies on a metropolitan scale that would foster creation of mixed-income housing, employment and infrastructure in locations connected by the region’s commuter rail network.
The NY-CT Sustainable Communities Consortium will advance both on-the-ground implementation strategies to create more livable, economically vibrant places, and regional strategies to integrate and enhance housing, transportation, economic and environmental plans and programs.
The NY-CT Sustainable Communities Consortium includes nine cities, two suburban Long Island counties, four metropolitan planning organizations and two regional planning entities:
- City of New York
- City of New Haven
- City of Bridgeport
- City of Norwalk
- City of Stamford
- City of Yonkers
- City of White Plains
- City of New Rochelle
- City of Mount Vernon
- Nassau County
- Suffolk County
- New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC)
- South Western Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (SWRMPO)
- Greater Bridgeport/Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (GBVMPO)
- South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG)
- Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC)
- Regional Plan Association (RPA)
The Department of City Planning, representing New York City, will undertake three studies under the Sustainable Communities initiative: a coordinated neighborhood planning study in East New York, Brooklyn; an evaluation of land use and transportation opportunities near Metro-North Stations in the Bronx; and several activities to advance citywide strategic planning efforts for building climate resilience.
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