The Application Consortium adopted the following priorities that align to the following Sustainable Communities' Livability Principle:

Support Existing Communities
Target federal funding toward existing communities—through strategies like transit-oriented, mixed-use development, and land recycling—to increase community revitalization and the efficiency of public works investments and safeguard rural landscapes.

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• Identify federal, state, and local sources of investment in among communities and create a forum to increase alignment of priorities and policies among agencies and better leverage investments to:
  • Regionally promote equitable and sustainable housing and transportation initiatives
  • Identify efficiencies and best practices to maintain and enhance existing infrastructure
• Incorporate long-term analysis in all planning that looks beyond trends and projections (such as land use and population) to develop a greater understanding of the ultimate social, environmental, and economic impact of planning decisions and create sustainable urban, suburban, and rural communities
• Inventory assets of the built environment to develop a plan for restoration
• Strongly encourage and create incentives for “fix-it first” strategies and development within the already-developed footprint  of our region to:
  • Revitalize urban cores and remove blight
  • Prioritize brownfield redevelopment
  • Address combined sewer overflow issues
  • Control outmigration
  • Minimize loss of farmland and rural landscape