New Updates on The Edge - 02/10/2015

New on The Edge

Message from PD&R Leadership:
An Evidence-Based View on HUD's FY2016 Budget
The Administration's recently released FY 2016 budget would provide sufficient funds to reverse the sequestration cuts. Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research Katherine O'Regan discusses the themes and details of HUD's proposed budget, including how it would promote self-sufficiency and economic mobility and shape what is eventually enacted.

In Practice:
Putting Vacant Land to Productive Use in Boston
In 2014, Madison Park Development Corporation completed Dudley Greenville, an affordable housing development containing 43 units in two buildings. The development fills two very visible gaps along the commercial section of Dudley Street and helps support resident efforts to rejuvenate the neighborhood.

Trending:
Why Have Oil Prices Declined So Dramatically? An Interview With Sam Young
Oil prices have declined due to an increase in domestic production from hydraulic fracturing, reduced demand for oil, and horizontal drilling techniques, and a strengthening of the U.S. dollar against major currencies. Sam Young, an economist in HUD's Denver field office, in a dialogue with the Edge editor, describes how the decline in oil prices may affect production, employment, and housing markets in oil development areas.

Policy Update:
How Housing Mobility Affects Education Outcomes for Low- Income Children
Improving educational outcomes for low-income children is a topic of pressing concern for researchers, policymakers, and educators, especially in light of evidence that over time, the widening gap in test scores between children from rich and poor families and the growing divide between these groups in completed schooling hinder the socioeconomic mobility of low-income children.

Spotlight on PD&R Data:
U.S. Housing Market Conditions
PD&R's U.S. Housing Market Conditions (USHMC) website contains national, regional, state, metropolitan, and local data and analysis in one location. Featured USHMC charts highlight trends in the rental vacancy rate.