Awards of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development

2010 Large City Winner
Tacoma, WA and Tacoma Housing Authority

The city of Tacoma has incorporated sustainability throughout its comprehensive plan ensuring that sustainable policies and business practices are considered when making all departmental decisions.

Salishan, a HOPE VI project developed by the Tacoma Housing Authority, has been recognized as a best-in-class example of the successful completion of a sustainable community. On the site of a former WWII housing project, the new housing development is compact, affordable, accessible to transit, schools, jobs and bike trails and contains a community health center, community garden and a playground. The project meets recognized environmental standards and boasts green and efficient building and maintenance practices saving residents up to 30% on their energy bills.

2010 Large City Runner-up
Boston, MA and Mass Energy

The city of Boston recognized that planning, promoting and supporting sustainability was essential for its long-term viability and developed their Sparking Boston's Climate Revolution plan to address those issues.

The Renew Boston Residential Energy Efficiency Pilot Program is a partnership between Mass Energy and the city of Boston to implement the energy efficiency goals in the plan. Through the program, Mass Energy and Next Step Living provided energy assessments and efficiency upgrades including insulation, air sealing, and water saving devices and high-efficiency light bulbs for moderate income homeowners. As a result of the program, each participating homeowner saw an average of $230 in energy savings per year.

2010 Large City Honorable Mention
Philadelphia, PA

Over the last 300 years, Philadelphia has emerged with dense, walkable neighborhoods and great public transportation. Philadelphia continues to work to better serve its residents, by improving parks and open spaces, redeveloping the riverfront, making transportation systems more efficient, improving air and water quality, ensuring that its recycling and waste programs are working, and guiding the way to green building leadership.

2010 Small City Winner
Burlington, VT and Champlain Housing Trust

In response to increasing urban sprawl that posed a threat to economic and social vitality as well as the environmental health of the community, the City of Burlington, local residents and businesses came together to identify and implement a strategic road map for the future called the Legacy Project Action Plan, which represents a holistic approach to creating a sustainable community.

Burlington Cohousing East Village is directly aligned with the goals of the Burlington Legacy Project Action Plan. Completed in 2007, Burlington Cohousing East Village is Vermont's only urban cohousing community. Cohousing offers private homes with shared common spaces, including community gardens, outdoor courtyards and laundry facilities. This 32-home development exemplifies best practices in housing, natural resources and land use and development.

2009 Large City Winner
Minneapolis, MN and Aeon

Minneapolis' Plan for Sustainable Growth puts sustainability considerations into all development, and includes target indicators and annual reporting. The city, along with partners like Aeon, takes a Holistic approach to encourage projects to meet multiple goals -- affordable housing, sustainability, alternative transportation, job creation -- for a sustainable city with high quality of life for residents. The city has ambitious goals as set forth in their Plan such as:

• Reduce citywide carbon dioxide emissions by 12 percent by 2012 and by 20 percent by 2020
• Clean up 100 brownfield sites from 2004 to 2014
• End homelessness by 2016
• Increase the percentage of people who enter downtown via alternative transportation (bus, light rail, bicycle, walking, carpool) from 55 percent in 2003 to 67 percent by 2013

The City has also established 25 sustainability indicators to track its progress, each with specific, quantifiable targets and incentives or achieving those targets. The Minneapolis Sustainability Living Well Annual Report measures the progress towards meeting these targets by presenting data and describing recent activities.

2009 Small City Winner
City of North Charleston, SC and The Sustainability Institute

One of only two "garden city models" in the U.S., North Charleston was a bustling industrial city in the early 1900's with Lumber and rubber plants, a large navy base, and other businesses accelerating growth. Despite its original prosperity, North Charleston faced many challenges by the end of the 20th century. With many residents moving to suburbs, the City struggled with low occupancy and low home ownership. There were many impoverished neighborhoods and areas of high crime. In 1993, the U.S. navy announced that it would close its base.

In 1996, the same year of the naval base closure, the City adopted a Comprehensive Plan for the City of North Charleston. The many goals listed in the Comprehensive Plan include:

• Housing: Significantly reduce blight and amount of abandoned properties. Maintain the affordability of North Charleston’s housing stock.
• Natural Resources: Maintain and enhance the natural beauty of the City. Reduce stormwater runoff and non-point source pollution.
• Transportation, and Land Use & Development: Provide a safe environment for pedestrian and bicycle use and increase the amount of active and passive park space.
• Economic Development: Attract new business and industry.

With the help of public and private partnerships, the City of North Charleston is on its way again to becoming a thriving community once again.