In a briefing at the Capitol, Wednesday morning, a panel comprised of three Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Planning Grant recipients recognized the benefits the grants are having in each respective community. The HUD initiative, as well as HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, is a vital component of the interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
Northern Maine, southern Florida, and the Memphis, Tennessee region have been able, with the help of grants, to address the unique needs of their community. Briefing facilitator Joe McKinney, Executive Director of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council in Asheville, NC, highlighted the economic focus and long-term benefits of the HUD initiative: “The guiding force behind our program is how these things [land use, housing, and transportation] contribute to economic prosperity.”
Michael Eisensmith, the Director of Regional Planning for the Northern Maine Development Commission, explained how these goals and principles are being put into action in Washington County, Maine. With its Regional Planning grant, his office has been able to engage businesses over a wider geographic area and connect economic opportunities directly with job seekers. The community has recognized that implementing and maintaining sustainable practices requires a comprehensive approach. “[The grant] offered us a chance to do broad-based strategic planning,” said Eisensmith.
Memphis, Tennessee’s “Aerotropolis” program is similarly focused on facilitating job growth, but since Memphis is home to the largest cargo airport in North America, as well as multiple distribution centers for national companies, its economic goals are inextricably connected to multiple modes of transportation. Dexter Muller, Senior Vice President of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce, described their main strategy as, “The four R’s: Runway, Road, Rail, and River”.
Finally, Southeast Florida, which has been suffering from high unemployment, particularly in construction and related sectors, does have the unique asset of a body of water on either side, serving as a major hub for global trade. The HUD grant has given the Regional Planning Council the opportunity to receive input from diverse groups of state and local stakeholders on how to utilize these seaports, reduce unemployment, and strengthen the local economy.
The briefing was co-sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO). Shelley Poticha, Director of HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, remarked on the importance of Senator Menendez and other congressional supporters continuing to, “Promote the notion that we need tools and resources at the local level”. However, she also noted that, “We have to do a lot more to ensure that no community, no region, is left out of this economic engine”.