New Updates on The Edge - 01/13/2015

New on The Edge

Message from PD&R Leadership:
A "Century of Cities," here and abroad
By 2050, the United Nations projects that three-fourths of the world's population will live in cities, leading some to dub this the "century of cities." Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development Lynn Ross discusses how HUD supports cities through Promise Zones, Choice Neighborhoods, and Strong Cities, Strong Communities and how the department is expanding its engagement globally with Habitat III, a U.N. conference on Housing and Sustainable Development.

In Practice:
Residential Renovations Help Revitalize Allentown's Downtown
In 2013, the nonprofit housing provider Alliance for Building Communities (ABC) initiated a program to renovate between three and five vacant houses per year in Allentown, Pennsylvania and to rent the units to low- and moderate-income households. In addition to providing needed affordable housing, ABC's renovation programs are complementing several efforts to encourage economic development and revitalize the city's downtown and waterfront district.

Trending:
Catalyzing Culture and Community through CDFIs
Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) could help local artists and artist organizations develop their capacity to sustain projects after initial funding grants have expired, according to Judilee Reed, director of the Thriving Cultures Program at the Surdna Foundation. To better understand how CDFIs can integrate arts and culture into their economic and community development work, the Surdna Foundation, in partnership with the Kresge Foundation, is providing seven CDFIs with grants that will enable them to explore ways of providing loans and direct support to artist-run creative enterprises.

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 trends in 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and 1-year adjustable-rate mortgages.

Policy Update:
Protecting Children From Unhealthy Homes and Housing Instability
Children who do not live in safe, quality housing experience high rates of physical, mental, and emotional problems, and low-income and minority children are disproportionately affected by poor-quality housing. However, several federal programs work to address home health and homelessness, and many local organizations collaborate in addressing home health hazards and the needs of youth experiencing homelessness.