In October HUD gathered nearly 300 policymakers, industry representatives, researchers, and academics to address the most pressing housing challenges at a 2-day conference on Housing Policy in the New Millennium. Sponsored by the Offices of Housing and Policy Development and Research (PD&R), the conference examined policies, program experience, data, and research to help determine how to most effectively provide an adequate supply of affordable, decent, and safe housing for all Americans. "Though we are in a time of record prosperity, we face a host of complex housing issues," noted HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo in his keynote address. "Spiraling housing costs, the impact of sprawl, predatory lending, and the future of public housing are just a few of the tough issues that need to be examined using fresh, innovative approaches." Cuomo expressed his optimism about meeting these challenges because of a strong political consensus, the Nation's continuing economic expansion, and the reinvigoration of HUD. Plenary and General Sessions During the plenary sessions, some of the Nation's leading experts offered their views on core housing policy issues, including improving affordability and increasing homeownership. In "Examining the Role of the Government in Housing Policy," moderator Susan M. Wachter, Assistant Secretary for PD&R, described the housing affordability crisis accompanying the positive effects of the economic expansion. She asked panelists to discuss the role of the Federal Government, and particularly HUD, in solving the Nation's affordable housing crisis. Panel members discussed the need to put housing policy in a broader context, elevating housing on the national policy agenda, and the importance of avoiding complacency. In "Increasing Access to Homeownership," moderator William Apgar, Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Administration Commissioner, detailed the causes for record levels of homeownership, including the homeownership rate increases among minorities. The panel discussed social implications of homeownership, the adverse effects of some financial institutions and practices on urban core communities, and patterns of discrimination. In "Building Homes in America's Cities," panelists discussed the collaboration among HUD, the National Association of Home Builders, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to build new market-rate housing in the Nation's mature cities. Participants heard about best practices in cities that are leading this effort. The panel discussed how cities can use partnerships to eliminate regulatory barriers, initiate building code reforms, and use HUD programs to stimulate development of market-rate housing. During the general session, "HUD on the Internet: Uses of Information Technology and GIS for Housing Analysis," conference participants were briefed on HUD's continuing efforts to democratize data. Building on the Community 2020 base, significant new databases will be added and the system will be moved to the Internet, making data much more flexible and accessible. In his luncheon address, Anthony Downs, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of numerous books and articles on urban affairs, presented his views on what housing policy should be in the new millennium, focusing on some of the themes that recurred during the conference. Downs said that the "dominant housing development process causes a progressive abandonment of parts of many large older cities through growth at the suburban fringe, aggravating urban decline." He emphasized the disparities between the housing available to the middle and upper income populations and to the lower income population, especially the poor, resulting in high concentrations of poverty. Breakout Sessions Concurrent breakout sessions were held in a roundtable format on the second day of the conference, with participants engaging in wide-ranging policy discussions. Participants discussed strategies for increasing the accessibility of affordable housing, such as how to in-crease the effectiveness of the voucher program. In addition, they addressed issues of public housing reform and housing production, as well as innovative programs such as HOPE VI. Roundtable participants and panelists looked at how smart growth strategies fit into efforts to promote both urban revitalization and affordable housing. Roundtable sessions examined mortgage lending, including how the Federal Government can reduce predatory lending in the United States and aid the development of primary and secondary markets in other countries. Breakout sessions and their moderators included:
A series of white papers was developed for the conference. The papers and other conference proceedings will be available through the HUD USER website at https://www.huduser.gov. To ensure notification of posting, subscribe to the HUD USER listserv.
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