New Updates on The Edge

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Message from PD&R Leadership:
Reflections from a Dialogue on Gentrification and Community Change
In April, PD&R held its most recent Quarterly Update, focused on gentrification, a form of neighborhood change. The event featured remarks by HUD Secretary Julián Castro and a panel discussion among practitioners and academics. Reflecting on the event, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research Katherine O'Regan explains the debate about gentrification's prevalence, causes, and consequences, and she presents four themes that emerged from the panel discussion.

In Practice:
Davis Park Residents Use Transportation Project Mitigation to Strengthen Their Neighborhood
The Newtown Pike Extension, a project underway in Lexington, Kentucky, is a four-lane, 1.5-mile long divided street that will connect Lexington's Main Street with the entrance to the University of Kentucky. The extension runs through a low-income, historically African-American neighborhood known as Davis Park. In response to resident concerns, the project's partners are supporting measures to mitigate the effects of years of construction activity and the loss of 50 residential and commercial buildings.

Trending:
Fostering Innovation through Pay for Success, An Interview with Yennie Tse
Innovating within the federal government takes focus, creativity, persistence, and flexibility. One example of federal innovation is HUD's use of Pay for Success (PFS), a strategy of obtaining positive social or environmental outcomes by paying for an intervention only after it produces those outcomes. Yennie Tse, Senior Advisor in HUD's Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation, discusses the structure of PFS and describes how HUD began incorporating PFS into its programs and initiatives.

Policy Update:
Smoke-Free Public Housing: Research and Implementation
On November 12, 2015, HUD Secretary Julián Castro announced a proposed rule to require all public housing properties to become smoke-free indoors. Considerable research on the dangers of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke supports the need to protect residents from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. Researchers estimate that the proposed rule will reduce healthcare costs related to secondhand smoke among nonsmoking residents and generate other cost savings for public housing agencies.