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On January 20, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan hosted a call which he began by reaffirming HUD’s commitment to the the Sustainable Communities Initiative. Secretary Donovan emphasized the vast impact the Regional Planning and Community Challenge grant programs have had across the country and noted the range of communities that received grants, many of which were rural areas and small towns. He outlined a few successes of Partnership grantees and concluded with a few words of encouragement to supporters of the program:

he question in my mind is not whether we’re going to continue to make progress, it’s how fast because ultimately, it’s inevitable that the smart approach to planning that you all have helped us begin to create here at the federal level is going to win out in the end. If we’re going to be economically successful as a country, there’s just simply no choice. The question is how quickly will we be able to do it, how much support can we provide, and we’re going to keep fighting at the federal level to ensure that we can be your partner and that we’re running to catch up to you as fast as we can.

So, thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your support, and let’s make sure, in a year where politics will be front and center, that we continue to focus on the things that really matter, which is building the smart, sustainable, great places that you all know that we’ve started to build across America. Thank you.

Click here for an audio recording and transcript of the call