livable communities
In January, 1999 Vice President Al Gore announced the Livability Agenda — a set of proposals in the FY2000 budget designed to provide communities with new tools to address the growth and development challenges that they confront as we enter the new century. These programs are part of a broader effort taking hold across the Federal government. Spurred by the White House with leadership from Vice President Gore, Federal agencies are taking part in the Livable Communities initiative — an effort to design programs in a manner that broadens the development choices available to communities and helps empower them to:
- Sustain prosperity and economic opportunity
- Ensure that prosperity and opportunity are available to everyone
- Enhance the quality of life
- Build a stronger sense of community
As the Nation’s housing and community development agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been a lead actor on livability and regional development for decades, working on issues, such as smart growth, at the levels of neighborhood, city, region, and state. Together with many of HUD’s core programs, new initiatives are addressing America’s changing landscape of problems and opportunities.
Our strategy is to recognize the range of good choices localities can make, to be eclectic. We are not proposing to mandate formulas for regional problem-solving or sustainable development. HUD is committed to an active, leading role in three dimensions: 1) identifying and working to remove things we do that undermine livability and effective regional action for sustainable growth and related aims; 2) identifying and expanding things we do — and adding new activities and policies — that promote sustainable, equitable growth and regions that work for all Americans; and 3) building knowledge and constituencies (deliberation), so that local choices are both informed and responsive to all those with a stake in the conversation — across lines of income, geography, race, ethnic group, or political view.
As part of our effort to provide new tools to you, the people working every day to make communities more livable, we have created this web site. We hope you find it useful in identifying some of the many resources available to support your efforts.
Helpful Links for Building Communities
Best Practices
HUD in your community
Community Topics—from Arts and Culture to Economic Development
Cities and Communities
Community Research
Discussion Groups on Community Issues
Ensuring Livable Communities are Open to All People
White House Livability initiative
Center for Community and Interfaith Partnerships
Partners for Livable Communities
HUD Program Resources for Livability
Funding information for all HUD programs
Applying for HUD funds - a guidebook
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PDF reader options for the visually impaired.
Livability resources for the future-FY2000 budget
Brownfields
HUD’s Storefront Offices
HUD Programs in the Livable Communities initiative
HUD’s offices in your community
Maps of HUD projects in your city
Maps of HUD projects in your neighborhood
Planning for Livability
Mapping Your Community--Community2020 Software
Consolidated Planning
Growing Smart
Bridging the Divide Conference
Kids and Community
Kids Next Door
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Last Updated: June 22, 1999