NAHRO International Research and Global Committee News!

An IRGE Members Observations From Learning From the City

By Ron Clewer

Held at the University of Chicago on March 31, this day long, regional dialogue on the global urban agenda was packed with incredible presenters and information. As one of five regional convenings, co-hosted by HUD in collaboration with civic, governmental, educational, and philanthropic partners the intent is to pave the way to Habitat III, by meeting three primary goals:

1. To provide an interactive forum for scholars, practitioners, philanthropists, students, and thought leaders to share local challenges, models, and lessons learned over the last 20 years related to housing and sustainable urban development.
2. To stimulate dialogue about connections between local and global urban challenges, and uplift local practices to inform the U.S. policy agenda.
3. To strengthen connections among urban development practitioners, scholars, and funders across the Midwestern region.

In my opinion, the conference exceeded its goals – I believe connections were strengthened, dialogue was stimulated and the forum of thought leaders and housing policy makers and practitioners was certainly interactive.

My take away, aside from the motivation for continued improvement in our work and the need for increased policy alignment, didn’t come from the mayors or other leaders, it came from Tyrone Galtney in a Q&A session following discussions on grassroots engagement. His passionate plea was both riveting and accusatory. His (condensed) questions:

“Where are the professionals if we are talking about grassroots? Where are the poor? Where are the parents of the children we lost on the street? Why are they not in this room if grassroots movements are important?” And then he asked why is this taking so long, stating conditions haven’t changed substantially since he was a boy in the Robert Taylor Homes…

Tyrone Galtney in a Q&A Session Following Discussions on Grassroots Engagement. (Condensed)

Tyrone reminded me that while we all seem to want the same outcomes – improved neighborhoods where residents are safe and happy, engaged and employed our difference is time. As housing professionals, we speak in months, years and even decades. Our residents, trapped in our troubled neighborhoods, are speaking in terms of now, today or tomorrow. Perhaps the best thing we can do, next to continued real engagement with our residents and neighbors, is to determine how to interpret across that barrier of time and help people sooner. I learned. I was inspired.

It was good to see other NAHRO members, Alan Zais and David A. Northern present for these thoughtful discussions. NAHRO membership is essential in the continued advocacy, support for and implementation of a policy that aligns with a timely resolution for the conditions in our communities. If you have an opportunity to attend any of the 4 remaining convenings, your time will be well spent.

What is Habitat III? Habitat III is the third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development which will take place in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016. The UN convened the Habitat I conference in 1976 in Vancouver. Twenty years later, at the Habitat II conference in Istanbul, Turkey, world leaders adopted the Habitat Agenda as a global action plan to create adequate shelter for all. The goal of Habitat III is to provide a New Urban Agenda or roadmap for sustainable urban development for cities across the globe and HUD is engaged in these efforts.

What is the Convening? “Learning From the City” was one of five convenings co-hosted by HUD across the United States with civic, governmental, educational, & philanthropic partners. The convening has three goals:

1. To provide an open forum to scholars, practitioners, philanthropy, students, and thought leaders for the sharing of local challenges and lessons learned in the last 20 years since Habitat II;
2. To stimulate dialogue about connections between local and global challenges, and uplift local practices to inform the U.S. policy agenda. 
3. To strengthen connections among urban development practitioners, scholars, and funders across the Midwestern region.

The convening consists of panel discussions and keynote speakers focused on four themes:  Investing in People and Communities for Upward Mobility, Securing Housing Options for All, Responding to Shocks and Building Resilience, and The Role of Big Data in Shaping Regional Policy.  

The audience and participants at the convening will include scholars from the Midwest region along with policymakers, community development practitioners and advocates, & members of the philanthropic community, students, & the next generation of urban development practitioners, as well as interested members of the public.