Developing a Sustainable Communities Project Selection Tool

4th in Our Webinar Series on Transportation Performance Measures

Transportation Performance Measures Webinar Series
Categorized Under: Transportation

ICF presented a webinar focusing on the development, testing, and application of a project selection tool for use by Rhode Island state agencies and nonprofits to evaluate applications for competitive funding. The tool was developed through a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Smart Growth Implementation Assistance grant to the KeepSpace Partners, a coalition of state agencies and nonprofits.

In this webinar, ICF discussed the research conducted on existing smart growth scorecards, project selection frameworks, available funding, and appropriate project types for evaluation. ICF also outlined the process used to develop the tool with KeepSpace partners, other state agencies and nonprofits, and communities. This included discussions of alternative project selection approaches (to meet KeepSpace/smart growth/livability/sustainable communities criteria), appropriate criteria weighting, and appropriate processes to meet state and local needs for project selection and evaluation.

The tool's six categories are based on Rhode Island's KeepSpace Elements and the HUD-DOT-EPA livability principles. (The HUD-DOT-EPA Interagency Partnership for Sustainability Communities is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and EPA.) The selection criteria include adjustments for urban, suburban, and rural locations and are tied to the Statewide Land Use 2025 Plan and local plans. The criteria focus on evaluation of project-level proposals but are adaptable to evaluation of broader state investments and programs. The KeepSpace Partners are testing the tool in project selection review for competitive funding program applications and discussing appropriate agencies and processes to fully incorporate a project selection framework into state agency competitive funding decisions.

Jeff Davis of Rhode Island Department of Planning was a guest speaker.

Related Market + Service Offerings

Transportation Performance Measures - A Webinar Series from ICF International

Presenters

Harrison Rue
PrincipalICF International

Harrison Rue has expertise in sustainability and climate change, integrating transportation and land use, green building and infrastructure, and public participation. He is leading interagency outreach for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Gulf Coast Phase 2 Climate Adaptation Study and developing Livability in Transportation and Environmental Justice Guidebooks for FHWA and the Federal Transit Administration.

Mr. Rue was Vice President of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, served three terms on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Advisory Council on Environmental Policy and Technology, and served as a member of the Virginia Governor's Commission on Climate Change. He authored EPA's Growing Smarter, Living Healthier: A Guide to Smart Growth and Active Aging.
Pepper Santalucia
ManagerICF International

Antonio Santalucia has 15 years of experience in policy analysis and program support, primarily in environmental protection and transportation. He is skilled in analyzing federal policies and programs and effectively communicating the results.

For 2 years he managed ICF’s support for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership, a voluntary program for improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions of the freight sector. ICF’s support included direct management of participating companies, meeting and conference planning and logistics, assisting with awards programs and events, developing training materials, and preparing informational and educational materials. He was a policy analyst for the Congressional Budget Office and for the House Budget Committee.