Healthy communities provide housing for people of all ages and incomes. The following articles and links include information about the state of housing in Pennsylvania and examples from other states that are finding ways to accommodate all types of housing in their communities.
Sign on to Community Revitalization Briefing Paper for Candidates
Over the past year, 10,000 Friends has been part of a statewide network of organizations concerned with raising the profile of community development issues at the state level. One of the action items that came out of that effort was to develop briefing materials for candidates in the upcoming state election.
The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, along with 10,000 Friends, housing and community development organizations, funding intermediaries, and banks, developed a
briefing paper for gubernatorial and state legislative candidates that outlines issues and recommendations to reclaim blighted and abandoned property and target infrastructure investments.
This is a great opportunity to voice your support for the issues. Please consider adding your organization’s name to the briefing paper's cover letter, which will be distributed to candidates in the upcoming November election. If you would like to add your name, please visit the
Housing Alliance website for the sign-on form.
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Feather O. Houstoun, president of the William Penn Foundation, and Janet Milkman, president and CEO of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, discuss the importance of partnerships at the 2006 conference of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania. |
A Growing Trend: Center City Families, Philadelphia Inquirer, January 22, 2007
"It's a very, very positive trend," Levy said. "And the next mayor really needs to think about, in a time of tight budgets, of improving amenities for people who don't have to be here."
HUD HONORS FOUR COMMUNITIES WITH ROBERT L. WOODSON, JR. AWARD FOR
REDUCING REGULATORY BARRIERS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING
State and local efforts seen as national models for cutting red tape
The award winners, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania; Suffolk County, New York; and, San Jose, California and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, have been recognized by HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson for their efforts as national models in the effort to reducing unnecessary, outdated, and duplicative regulations that put the cost of housing out of reach of police officers, firefighters, teachers, returning veterans, and many other hardworking Americans. Please
click here for the HUD press release.
The New Urban Landscape, Philadelphia Inquirer, December 2005
Appearing in December 2005, a 3-part series in the Philadelphia Inquirer covered the issue of urban housing.
"The recent transformation of public housing in Philadelphia has been good for the people who live in the new developments, good for the surrounding neighborhoods, good for the look and feel of the city."
What is Equitable Development?
Some useful links for more information on housing.
Residential Market Analysis
Market Position Analysis of the Residential Market Potential for Compact and Sustainable Development on Five Representative Sites in Southeastern Pennsylvania, commissioned by 10,000 Friends and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), demonstrates and describes the significant market for compact and sustainable residential development in southeastern Pennsylvania. To obtain a copy of the study ($10 per copy), which includes text and summary tables, call us toll-free at 1-866 985-3201or e-mail us at
info@10000friends.org. Extensive supporting data and background tables are available at a cost of $50 per copy. An executive summary of the study is also available for $5 per copy. To read the press release on the study,
click here.
High-Density Housing Issues
Local opposition to proposed high-density housing developments is one of the greatest challenges facing efforts to promote smart growth in the United States. There is strong public support for limiting the excesses of suburban sprawl that cause such problems as environmental degradation, traffic congestion, and loss of open space. Yet, proposals for alternative housing development that could address many of these problems—such as infill development, cluster and mixed-use development, and especially high-density housing (apartments) -- often meet intense community opposition.
The ULI Land Use Policy Forum Report, prepared by The Urban Land Institute, in cooperation with the National Multi Housing Council and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), addresses the widespread problem of community and local government resistance to high-density development proposals.
Growth Management and Housing Costs
Three documents that address urban housing issues:
