Ten new neighborhoods join 63 previous grant winners under the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.
Jen Kinney reports on the announcement of $8 million in funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.
"Severely distressed neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Nashville and Newport News, Virginia, are among 10 communities HUD announced Tuesday will receive a share of $8 million in grants to fund affordable housing and economic development projects," according to Kinney. "Four neighborhoods — in Dayton, Louisville, Phoenix and Shreveport — will receive additional funding to implement aspects of their plans."
Neighborhoods in Asbury Park, New Jersey; Brownsville, Texas; Sanford, Florida; and Shreveport, Louisiana round out the list of awardees. The ten new Choice Neighborhoods join 63 previous grant award winners. HUD added a new wrinkle to the Choice Neighborhoods program in November 2016, announcing the creation of "planning and action grants."
In 2015, the Urban Institute released a study into the effect of Choice Neighborhoods grants, finding a need for deeper collaboration between public housing authorities and other local officials.
FULL STORY: 10 New HUD Choice Neighborhoods to Split $8 Million

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.

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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service