HUD AWARDS $5.6 MILLION TO PROMOTE SMARTER AND SUSTAINABLE PLANNING FOR JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA
Part of Obama Administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities

MIAMI - For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is awarding
$5,650,000 to support more livable and sustainable communities in six rural counties of Central Florida, and in the seven-county region of Southeast Florida. The Central Florida Regional Planning Council will be awarded $1,400,000. The South Florida Regional Planning Council will be awarded $4,250,000. The funding announced today will support initiatives intended to build economic competitiveness by connecting housing with good jobs, quality schools and transportation.

The Central Florida Regional Planning Council of Bartow, Florida, is focused on the Heartland Region of Florida consisting of the six rural counties of DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee. The effort will create a vision for the future that enables growth while preserving natural areas and protecting wildlife and agricultural production, supporting sustainable, healthy communities of all sizes, and ensuring a vibrant economic
and social life.

The South Florida Regional Planning Council of Hollywood seeks to put in place the Southeast Florida Regional Plan
for Sustainable Development and to ensure that planning and investment decisions yield a more prosperous,
inclusive, and sustainable region. The project will integrate data, tools, and models to assess the region today, understand the region's future, and track progress. A monitoring plan will focus on measuring progress toward
specific regional outcomes aligned with all six Livability Principles, plus a seventh climate change principle because
of Southeast Florida's unique vulnerability to its most severe impacts.

"Regions that embrace sustainable communities will have a built-in competitive edge in attracting jobs and private investment," said HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. "Planning our communities smarter means parents will spend less time driving and more time with their children; more families will live in safe, stable
communities near good schools and jobs; and more businesses will have access to the capital and talent they need
to grow and prosper. In awarding these grants we were committed to using insight and innovation from our stakeholders and local partners to develop a 'bottom-up' approach to changing federal policy as opposed to 'top-down.' Rather than sticking to the old Washington playbook of dictating how communities can invest their grants, HUD's application process encouraged creative, locally focused thinking."

HUD's new Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program will support a total of 45 State, local, and
tribal governments, as well as metropolitan planning organizations, in the development and execution of regional
plans that integrate affordable housing with neighboring retail and business development. Many of the grants will leverage existing infrastructure and all reward local collaboration and innovation.

These grants are part of the Obama Administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which brings EPA,
HUD, USDA and DOT together to ensure that the agencies' policies, programs, and funding consider affordable housing, transportation, and environmental protection together. This interagency collaboration gets better results
for communities and uses taxpayer money more efficiently. Coordinating federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services meets multiple economic, environmental, and community objectives with each dollar spent.

The Partnership is helping communities across the country to create more housing choices, make transportation
more efficient and reliable, reinforce existing investments, and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that
attract businesses. At a time when every dollar the federal government invests in jumpstarting the economy is critical, the President's plan ensures that all these agencies are coordinating efforts and targeting resources with precision. Reflecting this new collaboration, these grants were judged by a multidisciplinary review team, drawn
from eight federal agencies and from partners in philanthropy.

HUD's inaugural grants under this program will support metropolitan and multi-jurisdictional planning efforts that incorporate housing, land use, economic development, transportation and infrastructure. This holistic planning approach will benefit diverse areas across the U.S. including $25.6 million split evenly between regions with populations less than 500,000 and rural places (fewer than 200,000 people). HUD is reserving $2 million to help
all of these areas build the needed capacity to execute their plans.

The grants are awarded through one of two categories. One category of grants will assist regional planning for sustainable development where such plans do not currently exist. A second category of funding will support the implementation of existing sustainability plans.

Shelley Poticha, the director of HUD's new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities said, "The response to
this program is huge. We were inundated with applications from every state and two territories - from central cities
to rural areas and tribal governments. This program was designed by people from local government, and
incorporated local input at every stage."

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.