Sustainable Communities Initiative

Sustainable communities have diverse dimensions:  scale, size, location, and time. Some cities have long standing traditions of sustainability while other communities are just beginning their sustainability journeys. The Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech examines sustainable communities through multiple academic lenses – design, law and policy, public management and leadership, planning, etc. While sustainability remains an evolving concept, it represents a holistic vision that seeks a balance among three foundational policy forces – environment, economic, and social equity – as a means to preserve our communities for future generations. Sustainable communities have diverse dimensions:  scale, size, location, and time. Some cities have long standing traditions of sustainability while other communities are just beginning their sustainability journeys. The Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech examines sustainable communities through multiple academic lenses – design, law and policy, public management and leadership, planning, etc. While sustainability remains an evolving concept, it represents a holistic vision that seeks a balance among three foundational policy forces – environment, economic, and social equity – as a means to preserve our communities for future generations. The goal of the Metropolitan Institute’s Sustainable Communities Initiative is to explore the intersection of these diverse and complex dimensions of sustainability and urban planning through applied research, teaching, community engagement, and research, as well as the documentation, development, and dissemination of model policies, plans, and practices to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.

Sustainable Communities Research Roundtable: This report is Virginia Tech’s synthesis of the ideas and insights generated at the September 2010 Sustainable Communities roundtable in Washington, DC. These discussions were intense, organic, and highly productive; the sessions were part focus group and part brainstorming of original ideas from a diverse group of researchers, experts, and agency officials. Of the more than 60 research ideas generated during the roundtable, the resulting summary of the short list represents the top three to five research topics from each issue area. The complete report is available for download - Policy Research Priorities for Sustainable Communities Final Report [pdf]

On September 1st, 2010, the Metropolitan Institute and the Virginia Tech Center for Housing Research hosted a one-day research roundtable convening a group of researchers to provide HUD and the new interagency partnership with research ideas and insights that support the development of a sustainability policy agenda. Raphael Bostic, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, and Mariia Zimmerman, Assistant Director, Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, joined us for the day, along with HUD researchers and key staff from the partnership.

While there are many facets to the concept of sustainable communities, this roundtable focused on three core areas and their intersection with housing policy and the role of HUD:

  • Accessible and Affordable Housing—strengthening the policy connections between transport and housing;
  • Green and Energy Efficient Affordable Housing—enhancing the environmental quality and energy efficiency of housing for low- and moderate income households; and
  • Cities in Transition—regenerating older, distressed communities through the lens of sustainability.

The event began a discussion to explore the current state of research covering these topics and to develop a list of important research topics and issues building on existing research and initiatives and opening new directions for future research.