Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities
About the Program
- Who can apply for Building Blocks?
- Does the Building Blocks program provide a grant to participating communities?
- What tools are typically offered through the program?
- Who provides the planning assistance?
- What are the Next Steps Memos, and what do they contain?
- How many communities are typically selected in each round?
- Where can I find more information about the Building Blocks program?
Requests for Planning Assistance
8. When are letters of interest due, and how do I submit one?
9. What does EPA look for in letters of interest?
10. Can I request assistance for more than one tool?
About the Program
1. Who can apply for Building Blocks?
Eligible applicants are local, county, or tribal governments, or nonprofit organizations that have the support of the local government on whose behalf they are applying. Letters of Interest must be accompanied by a short letter of support signed by a mayor, city manager, elected official, tribal leader, or other official government representative of the community.
Applicants must be located in, and project activities must be conducted within, the United States, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, or American Samoa. Regional councils of governments are encouraged to learn about the program, especially in selected communities, but the assistance is directed toward one jurisdiction.
2. Does the Building Blocks program provide a grant to participating communities?
No. Building Blocks is not a grant program. The program provides planning technical assistance to help communities develop and implement smart growth solutions in their community. Communities receive targeted facilitation and coaching from subject matter experts; connection with local, regional, state, and federal partners; and the convening of a 1.5-day in-person workshop to bring together residents and other partners.
While there is no direct funding for the community through this program, the process often leads to connection with resources to help the community implement their action plan.
3. What tools are typically offered through the program?
The program works with local communities across the US to develop smart growth solutions and strategies in ways that benefit human health and the environment.
In any given round of Building Blocks, a specific tool or selected tools will be offered to communities. Communities identify which tools, or focus areas, they would like to explore during the assistance delivery. In past rounds of planning assistance, EPA worked with communities to provide assistance focused on diverse issues such as infill development, equitable development, and green and complete streets. The process of delivering the tools typically consist of agendas, presentations, and exercises to help facilitate discussion around the focus area; a targeted self-assessment, which helps the community and EPA team delve deeper into local issues to identify the most promising areas for progress; and an action-oriented and inclusive process that leads to achievable next steps and partnerships.
Here are example of tools offered in previous rounds of Building Blocks:
- Equitable Development
- Infill Development
- Green and Complete Streets
- Sustainable Strategies for Small Cities and Rural Areas
- Flood Resilience
- Bikeshare Planning
- Green Building Toolkit
- Land Use Strategies to Protect Water Quality
- Neighborhood Planning for Healthy Aging
- Walking Audit
- Parking Audit
- Using Smart Growth to Produce Economic and Fiscal Health
- Smart Growth Zoning Codes
- Preferred Growth Areas
Once EPA has used a tool in several communities, it may be refined to create a product that any community can use with limited outside assistance. Some examples of toolkits and strategies can be found below:
- Regional Resilience Toolkit for multiple jurisdictions to coordinate on common disaster risks.
- Flood Resilience Checklist to plan for disaster resilience and prepare for flooding events.
- Attracting Infill Development in Distressed Cities with strategies to identify and overcome obstacles to downtown development.
- Parking Spaces/Community Places with strategies and case studies for successful parking management.
- Smart Growth Guidelines for Sustainable Design and Development with key principles for sustainable decisions at the location, site, and building levels.
- Creating Equitable, Healthy, and Sustainable Communities with strategies to manage neighborhood change and support local housing, culture, and economic goals.
4. Who provides the planning assistance?
The planning assistance team will be selected by EPA and will include federal staff and contractors hired by EPA through a competitive solicitation.
5. What are the Next Steps Memos, and what do they contain?
At the conclusion of the Building Blocks planning process, the community will receive their Next Steps Memo. This memo provides the community with a documented record of the Building Blocks project, which is helpful to maintain momentum for the implementation of the action plan and also to show prospective partners and funders a plan that has local involvement; regional, state, and federal support; and expert guidance.
Next Step Memos are typically 25 to 30 pages long. They typically contain:
- A narrative section detailing information the community context and what challenges or opportunities led it to apply;
- A detailed overview of the workshop;
- A detailed action plan that the community developed during the process; and
- Appendices listing additional resources, attendees, and other relevant information.
6. How many communities are typically selected in each round?
This depends on funding availability. Over the years, EPA has supported between 6 to 56 communities per round of Building Blocks assistance. For future rounds, the number of communities selected will vary.
7. Where can I find more information about the Building Blocks program?
You can visit Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities for more information on the program, previous rounds and communities served, community stories, and resources and toolkits.
Requests for Planning Assistance
8. When are letters of interest due, and how do I submit one?
Letters of interest for Building Blocks planning assistance are accepted only during open solicitation periods, either as an open or an invitational request for letters of interest. That said, EPA is currently soliciting letters of interest on an invitational basis and will provide more information regarding the due date and instructions on how to submit to interested applicants.
If you have questions or are interested in learning how to participate at this time, please contact Chip Gurkin (gurkin.charles@epa.gov). You can also subscribe to the our newsletter to get notified about future program developments.
9. What does EPA look for in letters of interest?
For each Building Blocks round, the request for letters of interest will describe the evaluation criteria in detail. Typically, interested applicants will create a two-page write-up detailing how the assistance will help the community. Evaluation criteria generally includes:
- The applicant must be eligible as described above.
- The community understands and supports the principles of smart growth.
- The applicant must select one tool and explain why assistance with that tool will lead to measurable change based on the issue identified. Applicants should be able to articulate a specific challenge that the tool will help address.
- The community must be able to demonstrate how it anticipates using the results from the EPA-led team to implement changes locally.
- The applicant must commit to include underrepresented communities throughout the process.
- Elected officials, such as mayors, county commissioners, and city council members, must support this project and be committed to its success.
10. Can I request assistance for more than one tool?
When multiple tools are offered, applicants may request assistance for multiple tools; however, each request must be submitted as a separate letter of interest (that is, one tool per letter).