Ron Sims, former undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the Obama administration, delivered the keynote address at the annual New England Smart Growth Leadership Forum December 2, 2011 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, co-sponsored with the regional offices of HUD and EPA, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. The focus of the forum was the past, present, and future of HUD’s Sustainable Communities initiative.