New Updates on The Edge - 10/08/2014

New on The Edge

Message from PD&R Leadership:
Envisioning Opportunity
PD&R Assistant Secretary Kathy O'Regan notes that in his keynote address at the Bipartisan Policy Center's 2014 Housing Summit, HUD Secretary Julian Castro boldly laid out his vision of HUD policy priorities: creating opportunity and improving life outcomes; expanding access to homeownership; preserving affordable rental housing; and using housing and neighborhoods as platforms for success. In an environment with fewer available resources, HUD is looking to build new partnerships to achieve these goals.

Trending:
What's New With SC2? An Interview With Mark Linton
In the new interview column, Mark Linton, executive director of the White House Council on the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2), sees the strong partnerships forged by SC2 as contributing to revitalization in the seven newly selected SC2 cities. According to Linton, SC2 is helping define a new Federalism, where federal programs help execute local priorities within a place-conscious framework.

In Practice:
Doria Apartments Adds to Irvine's Housing Spectrum
Ever higher housing costs threaten to exclude middle and lower income residents from Irvine, California. Believing an economically balanced community is a healthy community, Irvine has responded to the affordability crisis with a renewed commitment to build nearly 10,000 units of affordable housing. One of the first steps towards that goal is the Doria Apartments, a mixed-income housing community.

Policy Update:
Fair Housing Enforcement Organizations Use Testing To Expose Discrimination
With housing discrimination taking on more subtle forms, fair housing enforcement organizations (FHOs) rely on various testing methods to investigate violations of law. The strategies used by FHOs in Spokane, metropolitan Milwaukee, and Chicago demonstrate the need for different testing approaches to uncover discrimination.

Spotlight on PD&R Data:
U.S. Housing Market Conditions
PD&R's U.S. Housing Market Conditions (USHMC) website contains national, regional, state, metropolitan, and local data and analysis in one location. Featured USHMC charts highlight monthly and annual housing market data for the nation and by region.