How 'Green-Friendly' Is Your City? Your State?

Last fall, APA joined the Enterprise Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the American Institute of Architects, in launching the Green Communities Initiative. GCI is a multi-year program with an ambitious goal: to transform the way people think about and build affordable housing in America.

With the support of a dozen prominent philanthropic and financial institutions, the Green Communities Initiative will invest more than $550 million over the next five years to create 8,500 environmentally friendly affordable homes across the United States. These homes may be newly constructed or renovated, single or multifamily, for rent or ownership. The entities that produce them may be for-profit or not-for-profit. But they must all meet rigorous criteria in the areas of energy and resource efficiency; healthy materials and systems; and smart, sustainable development. Housing providers that meet the test will receive design and planning grants, loans, and equity. The initiative will also include training and technical assistance to community-based groups and homebuilders participating in the program.

While helping address the critical lack of affordable housing in the country, the Green Communities Initiative also seeks to engage public, private, and non-profit sectors in an effort to ensure that the neighborhoods surrounding these affordable homes are also "green" in a number of ways: how they handle stormwater, how they provide transportation alternatives, and so forth.

During the life of the program, APA and its partners will work to encourage elected leaders at local, state, and national levels to create a more supportive climate for these kinds of homes and neighborhoods by revising existing regulations and incentives where necessary and crafting new, innovative programs and policies.

That is why we need your help!

Because we know that the low-income housing tax credit is a major tool for attracting private investment into the affordable housing market, the Enterprise Foundation is currently gathering information on the way that every state frames its annual Qualified Allocation Plan for the credits. In some states, the QAP awards extra points to affordable housing projects that will use environmentally-friendly materials, reduce homeowner's monthly energy costs, etc. This research will enable us to celebrate states that are in the vanguard, share their techniques, and identify opportunities for advocacy.

At the same time, we would appreciate hearing from you whether your city or state has additional policies, programs, or incentives to promote green affordable housing — or green building, landscapes, and neighborhoods in general. We seek to identify states and cities that have such policies in place, as well as those that may be open to adopting them. So please take a few minutes to copy the following questions into an e-mail and send your information to gci@planning.org.

We will compile the results, share the information with our partners in this initiative and also provide it to APA's Merriam Research Library in Chicago, where our Planning Advisory Service staff will be able to make use of it in responding to PAS inquiries from across the country.

In terms of the Green Communities Initiative itself, having an overview of green-friendly state and local policies – particularly those that may be relevant to affordable housing and neighborhood development — will help inform subsequent activities, including communications, education, advocacy, and, possibly, targeted demonstration projects.

Please note that we are not asking for extensive documentation. If you can simply point us in the direction of a relevant policy or program — perhaps giving us a web address, an e-mail contact, or the name and number of an appropriate person for follow-up — that will be a great help.

1. Does your city or state have any affordable housing polices or programs that advance green, smart and sustainable development?
If so, please provide a brief description, a web citation, or any other relevant information.

2. Does your city or state have such policies or programs that are not explicitly limited to housing, but which may be applicable?
If so please provide a brief description, a web citation, or any other relevant information.

3. Have your state or local leaders — elected or appointed — identified energy and resource efficiency, healthier environments and/or smart growth and development as priorities?
If so, please provide pertinent citations or contact information.

4. Would you be interested in participating in efforts to make your city's or your state's affordable housing greener, smarter and more sustainable?
If so, please provide us with your contact information and we will keep you informed of the Green Communities Initiative and future opportunities for involvement.

Again, please copy these four questions into the body of an e-mail and send it together with your answers to gci@planning.org. Thanks for your help!

Click here for more information on APA's involvement in the Green Communities Initiative.

For more information on how you or others in your community can submit affordable housing construction and renovation projects to GCI for consideration, see: www.enterprisefoundation.org/resources/green/index.asp.