Putting the UD Back in HUD

Speech by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan to ULI today in Atlanta was captured by Kaid Benfield in his blog at NRDC.  Some excerpts:

"Let's be honest--HUD has become the Department of Subsidized Housing, and that must change.  We've got to put the "UD" (urban development) back in HUD.  At the outset, the design, location, and quality of housing have a dramatic effect on the quality of place."

"As we look at the patterns of foreclosure across the country today, it is no coincidence that most of the neighborhoods with the highest foreclosure rates are some of the least sustainable places in this nation."

"... we created new a new Office of Sustainable Housing in Communities. This office will coordinate the efforts we are undertaking with the Department of Transportation (DOT).

"The average American working family today spends close to sixty percent of its budget on housing and transportation costs. This is simply not sustainable, given the way that our metropolitan areas are expanding and developing.  Together with DOT, we will lower these costs and expand families' choices for affordable housing and transportation by better coordinating our investments at the federal level.  Specifically, HUD and DOT, in the federal fiscal 2010 budget, will encourage regions to develop integrated housing and transportation plans that help reduce traffic congestion and increase transportation mobility . . . 

Full speech is here.

  

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