Strong Cities, Strong Communities

Greetings:

We are excited to announce the release of the 1st Annual Report of the White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2). The release of this report marks one year since President Obama established the SC2 Council in order to pilot a new model for the federal government to partner with distressed cities to help them get back on their feet.

SC2 is working to improve how the federal government supports distressed cities by increasing their capacity to create and execute locally driven economic development visions and realize more effective and efficient use of taxpayer dollars. We are partnering with seven Mayors across the country through dedicated interagency federal teams who work closely with local governments to help them navigate the federal system, build strategic partnerships, and access technical advice and expertise to develop comprehensive plans for revitalization.

Our Annual Report describes SC2’s impact in these seven pilot cities and identifies emerging innovations and policy lessons that have the potential to be applied to many other communities working to strengthen their economies. The lessons discussed in this report highlight successes and innovations in job creation and economic development, improved alignment of federal programs, stronger partnerships with philanthropy, and best practices in cultivating a highly skilled and motivated federal workforce.

Building off the successes highlighted in this first report, in the coming months SC2 will expand to additional cities, support the President’s proposal to designate “Promise Zones,” and announce the selection of an Administrator for the SC2 National Resource Network—a one-stop portal for communities seeking additional expertise to address their challenges.

We welcome your questions and reactions to this report. Please share any comments with Aden Van Noppen at: Aden.G.VanNoppen@hud.gov. Also, please feel free to disseminate this widely to your networks.

Thanks,
Mark Linton
Executive Director
White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities