Communities at Work: Addressing the Urban Challenge National Excellence Awards for the City Summit U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The National Preparatory Committee To oversee America’s preparations for the City Summit (Habitat II), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Henry G. Cisneros has named a National Preparatory Committee (NPC). Those serving on the NPC are: Henry G. Cisneros, Chair Millard Fuller William McDonough Secretary, HUD Habitat for Humanity International University of Virginia Michael Stegman, Alternate Chair Rose Garcia Robert McNulty Assistant Secretary, HUD Tierra Del Sol Housing Corporation Partners for Livable Communities The Nat’l Rural Housing Coalition James Johnson, Vice Chair Richard Nelson, Jr. Fannie Mae Christopher T. Gates Nat’l Association of Housing and Nat’l Civic League Redevelopment Officials Vince Lane, Vice Chair American Community Housing Robert Geddes, FAIA Michael O’Brien Association New York University GMAC Mortgage Corporation Moises Loza, Vice Chair Bertha Gilkey Molly Harriss Olson Housing Assistance Council Urban Women Incorporated President’s Council on Sustainable Development Aurie A. Pennick, Vice Chair Arthur Godi Leadership Council for Metropolitan Nat’l Association of Realtors Ting C. Pei Open Communities The Pei Group William Gorham Camille Cates Barnett The Urban Institute Neal R. Peirce Center for International Development Syndicated Columnist Research Triangle Institute Eugene Grigsby University of California/Los Angeles Janice Perlman Harvey Bernstein Mega-Cities Project Incorporated Civil Engineering Research Foundation Paul Grogan Local Initiatives Support Corporation Tessa Martinez Pollack Don Borut Glendale Community College Nat’l League of Cities David Hales US Agency for International William Reilly Joan Baggett Calambokidis Development Stanford University International Masonry Institute William Hansell Norman Rice Joan Brown Campbell International City/County Management Mayor of Seattle, WA Nat’l Council of Churches Association Yolanda Rivera Gale Cincotta F. Barton Harvey, III Banana Kelly Community Nat’l Training and Information Center The Enterprise Foundation Improvement Association Stephen Coyle Glenda Hood Nan Roman AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust Mayor of Orlando, FL Nat’l Alliance to End Homelessness Juanita Crabb John Kasarda David Rusk Sister Cities International University of North Carolina Urban Policy Consultant Kenan Institute of Private Enterprises Cushing Dolbeare Kurt L. Schmoke Nat’l Low-Income Housing Coalition George Knight Mayor of Baltimore, MD Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation Michael E. Doyle Randall Smith Cooperative Housing Foundation Carole Lankford Nat’l Association of Home Builders Confederate Salish & Kootenai Tribe Terrance Duvernay Marta Sotomayor Legg-Mason Wood Walter Incorporated Gregory S. Lashutka Nat’l Hispanic Council on Aging Mayor of Columbus, OH Mencer Donahue Edwards William C. Steere U.S. Network for Habitat II Warren Lasko Pfizer Corporation Mortgage Bankers Association Pablo Eisenberg of America Franklin Thomas Center for Community Change The Ford Foundation George Latimer Jane Fortson Nat’l Equity Fund Tanya Tull The Progress and Freedom Foundation Beyond Shelter David Mammen Maria Foscarinis Institute of Public Administration Chester A. Widom, FAIA Nat’l Law Center on Homelessness American Institute of Architects and Poverty Gary D. McCaleb Mayor of Abilene, TX Eddie Williams Ester Fuchs Joint Center for Political and Columbia University Economic Studies Cover photograph taken by Scot Gordon MENT O RT F A H P O E U S D I . N S . G U A N T D N E U M R P BA O N DEVEL U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20410-0001 I am honored to present Communities at Work: Addressing the Urban Challenge—a profile of 25 examples of excellence in building healthy communities from across the Nation. As part of the U.S. preparations for Habitat II: The Second Global Conference on Human Settlements, the Department of Housing and Urban Development sponsored the National Excellence Awards for The City Summit to identify and share the best of the American community-building experience. With the help of experts and practitioners from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, the competition identified 25 of the most innovative and successful efforts to promote affordable housing, economic development, education and job training, public safety, and environmental protection in cities and towns across the country. By demonstrating how local initiatives can help link residents of distressed communities to the larger economic and social mainstream, these success stories are both instructive and inspirational. While such examples are rarely replicable, they are often adaptable to reflect the particular circumstances of a community. By offering lessons about the organizational, financial, and management elements critical to success, these examples will benefit others who engage in the community-building process. As a former mayor, I recognize the importance of local initiatives in developing lasting solutions to the challenges facing our communities. This publication is just one element of the Department’s continuing effort to work in partnership with local governments, private firms, and the growing network of community-based organizations to build healthy cities and a strong Nation. Henry G. Cisneros Communities at Work: Addressing the Urban Challenge June 1996 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy Development and Research Dedication The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development joins the winners of the National Excellence Awards in dedicating this book to Mr. I. Donald Terner, President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco-based BRIDGE Housing Corporation. On April 3, 1996, Don Terner, along with 32 Americans on a trade mission to Bosnia and Croatia, perished in a plane crash near Dubrovnik. An architect, planner, and housing developer, Don Terner is an inspiration to us all. His passion and strong will led to thousands of affordable homes for working men and women. Since joining BRIDGE in 1982, he has helped develop more than 6,000 units of affordable housing and 250,000 square feet of community-oriented commercial space throughout California. His visionary approach to mobilizing private investment for affordable housing is reflected in the World/BRIDGE initiative, highlighted in this book. iv Acknowledgments This report was prepared by Aspen Systems Corporation and the Mega-Cities Project, Inc., through funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Our thanks to the 175 organizations that submitted programs for consideration by the selection panel and to the experts who reviewed them. This report would not have been possible without the dedicated reviewers from the following organizations: AFL–CIO Housing Investment Trust American Institute of Architects The Barnard-Columbia Center for Urban Policy Center for Economic Priorities Center for Sustainable Cities Program City College of New York Architectural Center Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture Community Trust Council for Economic Priorities CUNY Graduate Center, Department of Sociology The Enterprise Foundation GMAC Mortgage Corporation Hunter College, Department of Urban Planning Institute of Public Administration International City Managers Association Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities Mellon Foundation National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials National Association of Realtors National Council of Churches National League of Cities National Low-Income Housing Coalition Pfizer, Inc. Picardi and Company Project for Public Spaces Rutgers Department of Urban Planning Sister Cities International Social Policy U.S. Agency for International Development University of Washington, Center for Sustainable Communities Village of Rye Brook Administration Wellington Sanders Associates World Environment Center v Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................. 1 National Excellence Awards Winners The Almena Idea ..................................................................... 9 Impact Seven, Inc. Almena, Wisconsin Bricklayers and Laborers Nonprofit Housing ........................ 13 Bricklayers and Laborers Nonprofit Housing Corporation Boston, Massachusetts Campus Circle Comprehensive Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative .................................. 17 Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin Center in the Square ............................................................. 21 Roanoke, Virginia Community Lending Through Community Home Buyer’s Program ...................................... 25 Federal National Mortgage Association Washington, D.C. A Continuum of Program-Enriched Housing ......................... 29 Northeast Denver Housing Center, Inc. Denver, Colorado Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center ...................... 33 Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center LDC Brooklyn, New York Habitat for Humanity ............................................................. 37 Habitat for Humanity International Americus, Georgia Homeless Families Program ................................................. 41 Beyond Shelter Los Angeles, California Housing Assistance Council.................................................. 45 Washington, D.C. Housing