EPR is currently working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deliver its Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program in ten communities across the United States. This program provides quick, targeted community planning assistance on various smart growth topics, such as green and complete streets, flood resilience, linking land use and water quality, and planning for infill development. Communities request this technical assistance through a competitive application process.  

EPR has supported several of these topics in the past and is currently supporting Equitable Development and Sustainable Strategies for Rural Towns and Small Cities in partnership with the EPA Brownfields program.  

Building Blocks technical assistance is designed to move a community through a process of assessment, convening, and action planning—helping learn about a given topic and create a plan to move forward on implementation. The program helps a community identify potential challenges and realize existing opportunities to make progress. It includes a series of pre-and post-workshop conference calls, a self-assessment, and an on-site convening of stakeholders to discuss issues, next steps, and actions to advance the community’s specific goals. The convening focuses on the issues and priorities determined by the community.  

 More information about EPA’s Building Blocks program can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/building-blocks-sustainable-communities