USDN's collaborative funding have supported projects that drive innovation, scaling, and adoption of urban sustainability practices.

Learn more about USDN's collaborative innovation system and grant programs.


Ensuring Equity in Energy Transformation and Innovation

Actionable resources for local governments and partners to use in advancing social equity in clean energy program design and implementation in their communities.

  • Guidebook for equitable clean energy program design
  • Inventory of best practice programs
  • Four in-depth case studies

This work outlines a path forward for municipalities and their partners to create programs that prioritize making clean energy technologies accessible and beneficial to low- and moderate-income households, communities of color, and indigenous communities.

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Building Performance Standards: A New Framework for Policies to Address Existing Buildings

City policy-makers have a valuable new resource for creating effective building performance standards (BPS) that hold both climate and equity goals as co-equal desired policy outcomes.

By setting out deadlines for building performance benchmarks over the long term, a BPS policy can drive significant change while allowing building owners the flexibility they need to achieve targets. But BPS can also perpetuate existing inequities if not carefully designed. Rent increases, rising housing costs, and unevenly distributed benefits are examples of potential unintended consequences that can be avoided by designing an inclusive process to engage and co-create solutions authentically with historically marginalized communities.

The framework captures the latest strategies and tools cities are employing to do this, cementing key learnings from a workshop and 18 months of biweekly sessions among communities in the American Cities Climate Challenge and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network.

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Urban Sustainability Bulletin

The Urban Sustainability Bulletin, formally known as the Innovation Report, highlights key updates from USDN as well as key accomplishments from our member communities to give you a sense of what is happening in the field of urban sustainability and particularly our three focus areas - GHG Reduction, Climate Resilience, and Social Equity.

Subscribe and read past editions »