HUD AND DOT AWARD $2 MILLION TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES IN NEW ORLEANS
Unprecedented joint funding to foster integrated approach to housing, jobs and transportation

FORT WORTH - In an unprecedented collaboration between two federal agencies, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today jointly awarded $2,000,000
to help stimulate a new generation of sustainable and livable communities in New Orleans, connect housing, employment and economic development with transportation and other infrastructure improvements. The joint HUD-DOT funding will support 62 local and regional partnerships seeking to create a more holistic and integrated
approach to connecting affordable housing, job opportunities and transportation corridors.

"Today two federal agencies come together to produce a win-win for local communities around the country," said
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "We're helping local and regional planners connect all the dots in their efforts to
make their communities more sustainable and livable. These grants will help communities to hit on all cylinders, producing more affordable housing near good jobs and commercial centers which will help to reduce our energy consumption and increase competitiveness."

DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said, "With the investments HUD and DOT are making today, we are strengthening neighborhoods by connecting housing with affordable and sustainable transportation choices. This is a win-win for people who live in these communities because they will have travel options to better serve them."

HUD is awarding $40 million in new Sustainable Community Challenge Grants to help support local planning designed
to integrate affordable housing, good jobs and public transportation. Meanwhile, DOT is awarding nearly $28 million
in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) II Planning Grants to implement localized
plans that ultimately lead to projects that integrate transportation, housing and economic development.

The Claiborne Corridor Plan will analyze potential infrastructure investments along the New Orleans' inter-Parish Claiborne Corridor, ensuring that multi-modal transportation options connect new and existing housing developments and jobs, healthcare and education opportunities to lessen the burden of transportation costs on low-income
families. The project will study corridor challenges and opportunities to reunite a neighborhood divided by an
elevated expressway; and create transportation choices, develop neighborhood and economic development revitalization strategies, and design strategies to address stormwater management, subsidence, multi-modal
mobility, and urban design.

The Claiborne Corridor Plan includes development of a "Complete Streets and Infrastructure" policy and design prototypes to increase accessibility, improve public safety and lower household transportation costs. A broad set
of local non-profits and neighborhood partners will be engaged to expand public involvement and develop a website and communications strategy focused on reaching rarely heard voices. Core partners in the effort include Greater
New Orleans Foundation, Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, NEWCITY Neighborhood Partnership, NewCorp Business Assistance Center, Office of Councilmember Kristin G. Palmer, District C, Office of Councilmember Stacy Head, District B, Urban Land Institute, Neighborhood Partnerships and Civic Engagement.

HUD's Sustainable Communities Challenge Grants will foster reform and reduce barriers to achieving affordable, economically vital and sustainable communities. These funds will be used by communities, large and small, to
address local challenges to integrating transportation and housing. When these activities are done in conjunction
with transportation projects, they can greatly increase the efficiency and access of local transportation while encouraging mixed-use or transit-oriented development. Such efforts may include amending or updating local master plans, zoning codes, and building codes to support private sector investment in mixed-use development, affordable housing and the re-use of older buildings. Other local efforts may include retrofitting main streets to provide safer routes for children and seniors, or preserving affordable housing and local businesses near new transit stations.

TIGER II Planning Grants will 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.

Rather than require applicants to navigate two separate grant application procedures that might be on different timelines and with different requirements, HUD and DOT joined their two new discretionary planning programs to create one point of entry to federal resources for local, innovative sustainable community planning projects.

The Community Challenge grants compliment the 45 Sustainable Communities Regional Grants announced last week
by HUD. The Challenge Grants help to support local communities seeking to integrate housing, transportation, and environmental strategies that will enhance local economic development, provide greater housing and transportation choices, and develop long-range visions for how they want their community to grow.

The new HUD-DOT program also builds on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, an innovative new interagency collaboration, launched by President Obama in June 2009, between the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Guided by six Livability Principles, 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 the resources they need to build more livable, sustainable communities.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeownership; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.