HUD USER

June, 2016
Please join the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Citiscope for After Quito: Implementation of the New Urban Agenda, a roundtable discussion in a series of special dialogues organized by the U.S. Habitat III National Committee as part of national preparations for Habitat III. The event will be held on Monday, July 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Brooke Mondale Auditorium A & B, 451 7th Street S.W., Washington, D.C. 20410.

A panel of experts will consider the policies, tools, and resources necessary for implementing, financing, and monitoring the New Urban Agenda. How can data and information about the dynamics of global urbanization be better connected to informed decision-making? How can cities overcome the barriers to raising revenue to support local sustainable development?

Framing Remarks
George W. “Mac” McCarthy, President and CEO, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Presentations
Monitoring: Alex Blei, Research Scholar, New York University
Financing: Lourdes Germán, Director, International and Institute-wide Initiatives, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Respondents
Carey L. Biron, News Editor, Citiscope
Solomon Greene, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
Amy Liu, Vice President and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution
Shelley Poticha, Director, Urban Solutions, Natural Resources Defense Council
Frank Shafroth, Director, Center for State and Local Government Leadership, George Mason University
Moderator: Armando Carbonell, Senior Fellow and Chair, Department of Planning and Urban Form, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

A light lunch will be served following the roundtable discussion.

This event is being organized in coordination with the U.S. Habitat III National Committee, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of State. The series is part of a formal and informal public dialogue leading to Habitat III, designed to exchange ideas on global urbanization, its significance for U.S. foreign and domestic policy priorities, and the strategic role of cities in solving global challenges.
Please RSVP for the event here by Thursday, July 7, 2016.

September, 2012
June, 2012 Dr. Felixberto Bustos, President of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation in the Philippines, visited HUD/Ginnie Mae for a policy exchange that focused on risk management after the financial crisis. Ginnie Mae President Ted Tozer along with Ginne Mae and FHA staff participated as well. Dr. Bustos shared the progress of early stages of the Philippines emerging mortgage market and expressed the interest in Ginnie Mae’s risk management and insurance strategies. This visit follows the 2010 exchange with Vice President Binay of the Philippines.

September, 2012
IPI also co-chaired a Roundtable in Macau, China with Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Director General Sheng Jianzhong on Housing Policy in the Transitioning Economy. Panelists included Professor Tim Riddiough or AREUEA President, Ginnie Mae Ted Tozer, Honk Kong Housing Society CEO Wong, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Director of Urban Development Professor Dai, and IFE CEO Yang. From the discussion, panelists agreed that housing and finance policies need transparency and risk sharing mechanisms; housing and urban regeneration programs can be integrated; property taxation would be important to a strong housing market; and policy should address affordable as well as investments.

September, 2012
On July 17 at the National Building Museum, the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) with its partners, HUD/IPI, UN Habitat, and the National Building Museum, with support from the Ford Foundation, hosted the third session of the summer series of dialogues in advance of the World Urban Forum (WUF) VI, UN Habitat’s biannual conference on “Rethinking Urban Planning and the Future of Cities.” Moderator Stephen Jordan of BCLC, and panelis ts Story Bellows, Office of Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter, Tyler Duvall of McKinsey & Company, George McCarthy of the Ford Foundation, and Ladan Manteghi of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business discussed potential ways to make cities more productive given the rapid pace of urbanization and current economic climate. They explored ideas including: how to prepare and cope with rapid population growth, simple and cost effective ways to develop smart infrastructure in legacy/older cities, the pros and cons of local government vs. regional government, using social media to identify areas of geographical emotional attachment, and the need leverage local start-ups and anchor institutions, like universities, to spur innovative ideas and economic development.

September, 2012
On August 15 at the National Building Museum (NBM), the National Academy of Housing and Sustainable Communities with its partners, HUD/IPI, UN Habitat, and the NBM, with support from the Ford Foundation, hosted the fourth and final session of the summer series of dialogues in advance of the World Urban Forum (WUF) VI, UN Habitat’s biannual conference on “Rethinking Urban Planning and the Future of Cities.” The session was kicked off with an opening statement by Chase Rynd, President and Executive Director, National Building Museum followed by a keynote address by James L. Oberstar, former Minnesota Congressman and chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Congressman Obserstar spoke about the need to integrate transit, housing development, and energy policy in planning. The next portion of the event was a panel discussion lead by moderator Jeff Lubell, Executive Director, Center for Housing Policy, who was joined by panelists Walter Hook, CEO, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy; Trisha Miller, Senior Advisor, Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, HUD; Kerry Duggan, Director of Legislative, Regulatory & Urban Affairs, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Department of Energy; and Kent Watkins, Chairman, National Academy of Housing and Sustainable Communities. The panelist spoke about the need to create opportunities that benefit the entire economic spectrum, returning to a user based tax system for transportation, particularly with the gas tax, recognizing all alternatives and marrying complementary systems to solve problems in the current economic climate, and pushing development in areas that foster location efficiency.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Argilagos was hosted by the American Planning Association and World Association of Major Metropolises in Brazil recently to facilitate HUD's learning exchanges and initiatives. Speaking about the history and future of housing and urban development in the United States, Argilagos addressed Metropolis for its 10th Congress about “Cities in Transition.” She also spoke about the importance of public-private partnerships. While in Brazil, Argilagos also participated in a U.S. delegation for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) to three cities exchanging about sustainable community development practices.

HUD Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, Dr. Raphael Bostic and Director for IPI's Philanthropic Research and Initiatives, Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy recently traveled to Kassel, Germany to attend the 5th Urban Congress on Urban Development Policy. Bostic delivered a keynote addressing cities and climate change. The visit is part of a formal exchange between the countries collaboratively investigating cities in transition.

 

 

 

Secretary Donovan recently spoke on a panel at the Brookings Institution on the film Urbanized: Shaping Cities by director and producer Gary Hustwit. The movie profiles innovations and urban conditions from around the world. The Secretary noted that it is not just a film about planning, but “it's a film about the beauty of what happens in cities that can never be planned.” He went on to say that we're coming out of an era where the federal government “retreated from urban policy,” and while his department attempts to move forward through innovative programs, it is important to recognize what the federal government's role should not be to avoid the sorts of failed policies that characterized urban renewal.

IPI's Director for Philanthropic Research and Initiatives, Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy recently participated in a multi-sector partnerships panel at the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention. The panel explored partnership frameworks from the local and federal perspective, as well as from the perspective of foundation and corporate funders. IPI staff also participated in the Business and Philanthropy Subcommittee lunch with members of the Forum engaged in creating partnerships to further the Forum's work. Though the discussion surfaced that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to preventing youth violence, communities can help reduce youth violence by developing a city-wide strategy that combines prevention, intervention, treatment, and re-entry strategies. The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention is working with communities to design these strategies. You can check out more about the Forum here.

IPI co-hosted the International Housing Partnership's International Housing Symposium with the Housing Partnership Network (HPN) and the MacArthur Foundation. The International Housing Partnership (IHP) is a collaborative of more than 150 high-capacity nonprofits from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia that collectively operate nearly one million affordable homes. Secretary Donovan delivered remarks at a closing reception and discussed the importance of community development non-profits. CPD Assistant Secretary Marquez moderated a panel discussion on “Transforming the Housing Delivery System,” in which panelists from the US, UK, Canada and Australia focused on the evolving role of high capacity nonprofits in the housing and community development delivery system and spoke about the barriers, opportunities and strategies to better utilize this emerging “third sector” to drive innovation. Acting FHA Commissioner Galante delivered keynote remarks during the policy session.

IPI Deputy Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Argilagos served as a panelist for the Social Innovation Fund's plenary session. The topic was about leveraging philanthropy and working with the federal government to maximize grantee impact. Argilagos spoke about the importance of collaboration among all partners, not only to build financial resources for impact, but as vital was sharing intellectual resources and expertise. She also discussed that it was the role of our non-profit and foundation partners to have a long-view of delivering impact, one that endures business and political cycles. The audience and respondents built on themes of working over the long term to ensure that lawmakers understood the needs of disadvantaged communities. Likewise, that non profits need to communicate the impact of their initiatives with their philanthropic and government peers. Argilagos reminded members of the SIF that IPI's purpose was to elevate successful public-private models and facilitate further collaboration where appropriate.

November 2, 2011
Housing matters. Access to secure and affordable housing impacts children's education, employment opportunities, physical and mental health, and long-term neighborhood development. This innovative day-long conference will present inter-disciplinary new research and case studies from across the U.S. that will inform both policymakers and practitioners. The program will build on the MacArthur Foundation's five-year, $25 million dollar How Housing Matters initiative, as well as on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's strategic initiative exploring housing as a platform for education, health and economic opportunity. For more information click here

October 5, 2011
On October 5, the Business Civic Leadership Center—the non-profit association of the Chamber of Commerce—held a forum about opportunities and challenges in urban development. Deputy Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Argilagos spoke on the opening plenary that also included senior representatives from Cisco and UN Habitat. The panel highlighted the need for government organizations, NGOs, the private sector, and citizens to engage together to ensure prosperous cities. There was a great deal of interest in urban innovations, from the portability of programs implemented in one locality to investment and financial models for infrastructure initiatives. Ana Marie highlighted how IPI and HUD were collaborating with federal agencies, philanthropic partners, and NGOs to scale programs and increase the impact of our investments.

IHC, IPI, and WWC held an event at the Woodrow Wilson Center on “Informal Settlements in the U.S.: Sharing Lessons Learned at Home and Abroad.” Stewart Sarkozy-Bancozy, IPI's Director of Philanthropic Research and Initiatives delivered the keynote speech describing HUD's efforts to improve informal settlements and learn from our partners abroad. In the United States today, there are people living in informal settlements without access to basic shelter, electricity, water and sanitation. For example, in Texas alone, more than 400,000 people live in the colonias and conditions similar to slums in other parts of the world. It's part of IPI's efforts to draw comparative examples from slums to disadvantaged places in the U.S. For background on the program, see http://intlhc.org/

Deputy Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Argilagos spoke at the GCYF Annual Conference. The theme of the conference was “What Counts and What Works: People, Practice and Policy” and Argilagos served as keynote speaker during the Family & Community Funders Networking Breakfast. The breakfast allowed grantmakers to network with their peers and discuss what they are doing to improve the overall health and well-being of children, youth and families. Argilagos discussed HUD's intersecting goals of housing as a platform and sustainable and in inclusive Housing & Communities and how grantmakers can participate in this work would be invaluable to our conference attendees. She announced a quarterly webinar series that will be co-hosted between IPI & GCYF. For more information, visit: http://www.gcyf.org/

October 3, 2011
Stewart Sarkozy-Bancozy, IPI Director of Philanthropic Research and Initiatives presented on behalf of ONAP at the Greener Homes National Summit. His presentation, Financing Energy Efficiency and Complementary Energy Projects, highlighted initiatives, such as Sustainable Communities and the Multifamily Energy Innovation Fund, as well as various public-private financing methods, including program-related investments, social impact bonds, and structured loan funds like the New Mexico Native Green Loan Fund. For more background, see
http://registration.firstpic.org/onapGreenNational2011/flyer.pdf

Deputy Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Argilagos participated as a speaker during a plenary discussion on “Accessing Private Resources through Foundations and Private Partnerships” at the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Community Development Action Commission conference at Howard University. The panel was an opportunity to discuss leveraging funding to conduct community economic development work. Argilagos discussed how IPI and OUP facilitate such partnerships, while bringing attention to some of the tools IPI has, such as partner.hud.gov, and Innovation of the Day, while highlighting PD&R's OUP, as well. For detailed resources, visit
https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/pdf/HBCU_vol2.pdf

Justin participated in a panel discussion at the USGBC's Greenbuild conference's Green Jobs Summit on a panel titled “Social Equity in the Green Economy – Engaging Race and Social Justice in the Politics of Inclusion.” The session focuses on addressing the question of how to bring the economic and social benefits of a green economy to all. Each panelist discussed their initiatives to promote social equity and improved health within the green economy. Justin described IPI's efforts with the Sustainable and Inclusive Housing initiative, IPI's role as a portal into HUD for the philanthropic community, and efforts to lift up best practices. The Green Jobs Summit is a convening of stakeholders from the green jobs and green building sectors. The Summit's participants included trainers, funders, employers, policy-makers, to discuss the green economy. For the entire Greenbuild program, link to:
http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/Home.aspx

July 28, 2011
On July 28, IPI and the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC), the non-profit arm of the US Chamber of Commerce, hosted a one day convening for corporations and foundations in Atlanta. The event focused on the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative and Sustainability. Speakers included local foundations, sustainability practitioners, and HUD officials. This was the first such event hosted under HUD and BCLC's recently signed Memorandum of Understanding. The two parties plan to hold several such convenings in strategic locations throughout the country. The next meeting with be held in the Newark/New York area.

July 25-27, 2011
The Council on Foundations Rural Philanthropy Conference took place July 25-27. IPI helped with a panel presentation that the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities was involved in and later moderated a round table discussion on HUD's work on Sustainability in Rural Areas. The conference was very successful and HUD's message was well received. The conference provided numerous networking opportunities and gave IPI the chance to discuss a possibly upcoming rural grantee session with various funders. Blog posts about the event can be found here.

July 21, 2011
Ten Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), now serving in several HUD offices, recently defied the hottest Thursday of the year in the nation's capital to prepare the foundation of a Habitat for Humanity rehab project in Northeast Washington's Ivy City. Wielding picks, sledgehammers, cement drills, power saws, and the like, HUD's team included: Sarah Stewart, CPD; Madlyn Wohlman-Rodriguez, PD&R; Deja Love, CPD; Christina Machion-Quilaqueo, PD&R; Erica Lipschultz, OHH; Lauren McNamara, CPD; Salima Appiah-Kubi, PH; Laara Manler, CPD; Tad Wincek, OSHC; and Tino Calabia, FHEO (retired).

After a Habitat coordinator described Ivy City's history and Habitat's 30-unit goal there, the HUD team walked to a structure near Capitol Avenue and 18th St., NE, broke up the building's old cement base, drilled holes for rebar, and strengthened wood interior framing for an eventual modern three-bedroom duplex. Despite the triple-digit heat index, the team appreciated the opportunity to help develop affordable housing for two families moving to the neighborhood near Gallaudet University. The service project was the third of several events during 2011 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps.

*Taken from HUD Happenings, 8/1/11

July 20, 2011
IPI hosted a panel discussion on July 20 featuring the three winners of the Sustainable and Inclusive Housing Competition as part of a three day Learning Summit and Awards ceremony celebrating the finalists and winners at HUD and the National Building Museum. The winners each presented their innovative solutions to sustainable urban housing challenges, and then took questions from the audience. At the end of the discussion, Deputy Secretary Sims provided closing comments and again congratulated the winners on their success and challenged them to continue their important work in the future. The three diverse entries which emerged as winners of the competition were: in Argentina, “Developing Real Estate for Squatters and Tenants of the City of Buenos Aires” renovates dilapidated buildings for squatter families to rent at a rate that enables them to save money and ultimately step out of the poverty housing cycle; in Brazil, “Zero Waste, Sustainable Architecture, Renewable Energy: Unlimited Source of Renewable Materials for Sustainable Housing” developed an innovative system to transform waste into manufactured materials for housing; and the third winning entry, from the U.S., “The Green Development Zone” concentrates investments in green affordable housing, geo-thermal and solar energy, green jobs training, and urban agriculture. Click here for an archived video of the event.

July 20, 2011

On July 20 HUD, HHS, and Grantmakers in Health (GIH) co-sponsored a one day convening on Health, Housing, and Community Development. The goal of this convening was to bring federal officials, philanthropies, and local officials together to provide a forum for sharing local best practices with HUD and HHS officials. This working session showcased innovative models for creating healthy communities that are ripe for “scaling-up”, as well as identified barriers to smart, innovative local solutions that could be alleviated through aligning federal programs across HUD and HHS. Deputy Secretary Sims gave the opening address and other speakers throughout the day included HUD officials, local practitioners, and foundations that are working in the area of health, housing, and community development.

July 12, 2011
On July 12 IPI welcomed a panel of four leaders in the field of homelessness to HUD on Tuesday, July 12th as a part of IPI's monthly series of policy exchanges. Nan Roman, President & CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) discussed the common goals between IPI and NAEH, including identifying and uplifting best practices to end homelessness around the world. The four panelists were: Narelle Clay, the President of Homelessness Australia; Michael Coffey, the Chief Executive Officer of Yfoundations, also in Australia; Bruce Pearce, the President of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association; and Todd Shenk, the Special Assistant on Youth and Families to the Senior Advisor on Housing and Service in the Office of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the United States. Marge Martin, the Director of the Policy Development Division in PD&R at HUD moderated the discussion, and emphasized the need to identify gaps in knowledge and further research needs in the areas of youth homelessness. All the speakers expressed that the issues affecting youth homelessness are complex enough that they need to be considered as a special subset of the homeless population, and deserve specifically targeted services.

June 22, 2011
The White House held an event on June 22 which they co-convened with the Aspen Institute. Stewart represented HUD at the convening, which featured a panel entitled, “The State of Impact Investing,” remarks by SBA Administrator Karen Mills, and break out discussions. The Aspen Institute will be issuing a report of the event's findings later this summer

June 15-28, 2011
June 15-28 Alven Lam, Acting Director of IPI traveled to Beijing, Tianjin, and Yangzhou as part of a series of conferences related to IPI's international work on sustainable housing and communities. At Reiming University in Beijing, Dr. Lam participated in a roundtable discussion on international housing, sponsored by the International Association of China Planning (IACP). During the discussion, Dr. Lam gave a presentation on government interventions in housing finance (link to Alven Lam-IACP ppt file attached). Eugenie Birch, the Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and Education, Chair of the Graduate Group in City Planning City & Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, also participated in the roundtable.

 

Next Dr. Lam traveled to Tianjin to take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Low-Carbon Model Town Forum. The forum discussed the concept of low carbon towns, reviewed cases of successful low carbon towns, and looked towards future policy needs for planning for low carbon technologies, investment, and financing. The goal of the forum was to reach consensus among APEC member states on actions to promote the construction of low carbon towns. During the forum, Dr. Lam made a presentation on sustainable housing and communities in the U.S. (link to Lam APEC-LCMT ppt file attached). Also during the forum, APEC's Energy Working Group Lead, Phyllis Genther Yoshida, Deputy Assistant Secretary, in the U.S. Department of Energy gave a keynote speech. The forum participants also took a technical visit to Tianjin Low-Carbon Model Town facilities during their visit.

Following his participation in the APEC Forum, Dr. Lam traveled to Yangzhou for a Conference of Urban Planning and Development. The conference included sessions on climate change and low-carbon cities, green transport and urban sustainability, and green building and eco-community, to name a few.

As a follow up to these meetings, Dr. Lam and Dr. Birch coauthored an article which will soon be published in PD&R's online research magazine, The Edge.

June 21-23, 2011
Alven Lam, IPI Director of International Research, traveled to Tianjin, China to attend and speak at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's (APEC) Low Carbon Model Town Forum, taking place from June 21-23, 2011. Yujiapu Financial District of Tianjin has been designated the first “low carbon model town” by APEC, on which China plans to expand in Tianjin. In his presentation, Alven discussed the U.S.'s approach to sustainable development, including the Six Livability Principles established by the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities (HUD, DOT, EPA), case studies of HUD and DOT sustainable development grantees, and carbon reducing innovations and technologies being developed and employed in the U.S.

June 9, 2011
On June 9, Dr. Alven Lam presented a comparative study of housing finance systems in the Canadian, European, and American contexts as part of PD&R's quarterly update. His presentation surveyed countries' housing finance policies, and identified best practices in order to inform the debate on the future direction of U.S. housing finance policy. He examined differences in home ownership rates between countries and presented an overview of the range of government intervention in housing finance markets in European countries, Canada, and the U.S. Lam's research culminated in three in depth case studies which exemplified the range of alternatives applicable to the U.S. policy environment.

Government Interventions in Housing Finance Markets
Presentation: Government Interventions in Housing Finance Markets

June 7, 2011

IPI hosted a plenary panel discussion at the Inter-American Conference of Mayors and Local Officials from Latin America on June 7, 2011. This year's conference theme was “Challenges to Democracy, Development and Public Services Delivery: The New Role of Local Governments in the Americas.” IPI's plenary focused on “Strengthening Sustainable and Inclusive Communities for the 21st Century: Best Practices from Across the World”. Ana Marie Argilagos, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Philanthropic Innovation served as moderator of the discussion. Other participants were Eduardo Rojas a consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank and judge from the Sustainable Urban Housing competition; Llew Wells, President of Living City Block and a practitioner that provided an entry into the Sustainable Urban Housing competition; and Jeff Soule, Director of Outreach and International Programs and a leader from the nonprofit sector that is involved in urban planning. The conference was sponsored by the Miami-Date County Government and the World Bank and was organized by the Institute for Public Management and Community Service at Florida International University. More than 600 Mayors and elected officials from Latin American took part in this event.

June 7-8, 2011
Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy traveled to Brazil to participate in the American Planning Association's (APA) conference entitled, “Planning for Sustainable Economic Development Across the Americas,” June 7-8. This is a continuation of work with APA, one of the partners on the Sustainable Urban Housing Competition, lead by HUD, which is now advancing into additional phases. Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy will spoke on the opening panel and discussed the recently completed Sustainable and Urban Housing Competition and the larger accompanying initiative. The Sustainable and Inclusive Housing Initiative stems from the Administration's work at the World Urban Forum (WUF) in March 2010 where Secretary Donovan engaged Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) country representatives and other global urban leaders in conversations concerning partnerships and cooperation with HUD on topics including sustainability and revitalization. Sarkozy-Banoczy's trip also provided the opportunity for meetings with Brazilian/Latin American foundations and non-governmental organizations, as well as bilateral meetings with several Latin American countries.

June 1, 2011
On June 1, Jim Lopez, Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary Ron Sims, represented the U.S. Government at the debate on the green economy at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The thematic debate aimed to strengthen the understanding of green economy and of what the international community can do to transition to the green economy. The debate underscored the linkages between green economy, economic development, poverty eradication, and environmental protection. The thematic debate also was intended to positively contribute to preparation for Rio + 20.

Mr. Lopez gave an intervention stating, “HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality, affordable homes for all. HUD's strategic plan emphasizes its role in building sustainable communities and in promoting energy-efficient buildings and location-efficient communities, as well as its role in facilitating disaster preparedness. In fulfilling its mission, HUD has in place a number of programs, resources, and strategies that support a path to the green economy.”

Mr. Lopez's participation was facilitated by Dr. Alven Lam of IPI, who provided expertise and advice on UN protocol and substance areas to be discussed during the debate on sustainable development. In addition to giving an intervention during the debate, Mr. Lopez also had the opportunity to attend a high-level luncheon hosted by the President of the UN General Assembly. Mr. Lopez also met with Mr. Rob Skinner of the UN Foundation and with representatives from the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, the South-North Initiative, and AIA New York.