Catalyzing Investment in Urban Sustainability
U.S.-Brazil Joint Initiative on
Urban Sustainability

Public Outreach & Public Participation

Brownfield Area-Wide Planning (BF AWP)

This policy approach seeks to maximize brownfield cleanup and revitalization efforts at multiple sites in a local area through community involvement, planning research, technical assistance, and public-private partnerships.

Environmental Job Training

Environmental Workforce job training policies encourage hiring of local residents in the area of environmental management and remediation and response, in partnership with local training service providers.

Participatory Budgeting (PB)

PB is a process whereby citizens provide their priorities for civic improvement and have direct influence over the budget allocations of their municipalities, often focused on construction and service budget allocations.

Public Participation Tools for Community Engagement

Local and national authorities in Brazil, the United States, and other countries increasingly recognize that successful projects require meaningful involvement of all affected people, which includes reaching out specifically to minority, low-income, and indigenous populations.

Transparency Policies and Public Reporting

Transparency policies and public reporting are considered essential to responsive and participatory governing structures.

Public-Private Partnerships for Urban Sustainability

A public-private partnership is an agreement between a public agency (federal, state, or local) and a private-sector entity that uses the specific skills and assets of each sector for the delivery of a service or facility used by the general public.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

As is evident in major cities around the United States, TIF can be a valuable public finance tool for redevelopment projects.

Technical Assistance Loans

Technical assistance loans are intended to provide a range of institutions, including municipal, state, and national governments; private-sector entities, including small, medium, and large companies; financial intermediaries; and nonprofit organizations, with initial low-interest or in some cases zero-interest rate capital to finance activities that help the borrower develop the capacity to absorb high-interest rate loans and financing.

American Street

The American Street corridor is an historical industrial center in North Philadelphia.

Columbus Square

The stormwater planters at Columbus Square are the first of their kind to be installed by the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), converting a portion of Reed Street into a green street.

Crowd-Sourcing Green Entrepreneurs

Rio de Janeiro's entrepreneurial culture is helping the City build a greener economy.