Global Green USA

Creating Sustainable Neighborhoods

No-Cost Technical Assistance

Request for Proposals

Does your community want greener, more cohesive, and more vibrant neighborhoods?

Is there a significant project on the horizon that your community wants to make the most of?

Global Green, a national non-profit organization, and a team of national experts are offering no-cost sustainable neighborhood design technical assistance to a select number of US communities. Our assistance is based on the LEED for Neighborhood Development standard, which provides a nationally recognized method for creating neighborhoods that are walkable, bikeable, resource-efficient, and equitable. This free assistance is being provided under a grant to Global Green from the US EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program. http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/buildingblocks.htm

Benefits of LEED ND neighborhoods include lower municipal operations costs, reduced infrastructure costs, increased use of alternate transportation, improvements to public health, and environmental protection.

A basic introduction to the LEED-ND system is available here: http://www.nrdc.org/cities/smartgrowth/files/citizens_guide_LEED-ND.pdf

A guide for how LEED-ND can be used by local governments is available here: http://www.usgbc.org/ndgovguide

LEED-ND is available for free download here: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=148

Through a 3-day intensive visit and consultation, the Global Green team will evaluate a specific neighborhood. Prior to the visit the team will conduct an extensive review of existing plans, the neighborhood form, and the existing pattern of development. During the site assessment the team will identify the existing positive qualities of the neighborhood, consult with community stakeholders in meetings and a public workshop, and identify major opportunities to improve neighborhood sustainability.

At the conclusion of the visit the team will present recommendations for both physical and policy changes that may include street width reductions, ecological restoration, integrated energy and water infrastructure, creating standards for in-fill and transit-oriented development, or zoning code revisions to allow for urban agriculture or mixed-use development.

Eligibility and Selection Process

Eligible applicants are local and tribal governments. Approximately nine communities will be selected for assistance in 2012. The Global Green team plans to select communities in a variety of regions, community sizes and types, and with a diverse set of populations.

Application Deadline

To apply go to www.globalgreen.org/. All applications must be submitted online through the Global Green web portal. The deadline for applications is November 23, 2011 at 6:00 PM PST. Applications received after this deadline will not be reviewed.

Selection Criteria

Need for Assistance and Urgency (20 points) -- How will this assistance make a difference in the community's ability to apply sustainable neighborhood planning to local issues? How strong is the community's interest in and commitment to creating sustainable neighborhoods?

Presence of a Significant Upcoming Project (20 points) -- Is there a significant specific project such as affordable housing, transit system upgrades, main street improvements, that can be a catalyst for change in the selected neighborhood? How close is the project to being implemented?

Equity and Community Engagement (15 points) -- To what degree does the identified neighborhood include low-income and historically disadvantaged communities? Is there a strong neighborhood organization working in the community or neighborhood on these issues? Are they involved in the assistance application?

Involvement of Community Leaders (15 points) -- How have local government, business and community leaders demonstrated their commitment in and capacity to participate in the technical assistance effort and to implement the results of the technical assistance? The application requires a letter of commitment signed by the mayor, chair of the county commission, or comparable elected leader.

Public Involvement and Team Support (15 points) -- What is the community's capacity to assist with public engagement (particularly to low income and disadvantaged communities) and provide coordination and logistical support to the technical assistance team? Can the city appoint a local coordinator for the duration of the technical assistance effort?

Demonstration that the Project Contributes to a Larger Plan (10 points) -- How does the project contribute to the larger vision of the community that is supported by key stakeholders?

Ability to leverage other federal, state, or philanthropic funds (5 points) -- Has the community received related technical assistance from EPA, HUD, DOT, or other federal agencies in the past that could be augmented by this Building Blocks technical assistance effort? Has the city received other sources of funding that could support, leverage, or expand upon the technical assistance? Is the community concurrently applying for other assistance that could further leverage the assistance being requested here?

CLICK HERE TO APPLY!

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