HUD ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF INNOVATION OF THE DAY
Three local initiatives voted as top innovators among their peers

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the three local initiatives selected as winners in HUD's Innovation of the Day Competition (www.huduser.org/portal/iod/iod_winners.html). The winning entries were chosen by their peers through an online ballot that allowed the public to vote for their favorite projects.

"Congratulations to the teams who worked so hard to develop and implement an innovative solution to help solve an important issue in their communities," said Katherine O'Regan, HUD's Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. "These initiatives exemplify how creative solutions are being successfully applied to real-world challenges in community and economic development."

The winning initiatives are:

International Sustainability Institute's Alley Network Project in Historic Seattle (www.huduser.org/portal/iod/iod_2015_3.html) - The Alley Network Project harnesses the energy and ideas of neighbors, businesses, colleagues, and community groups to transform Seattle's Pioneer Square alleys into one of the city's unrivaled assets. Alleys provide an opportunity for the historic district to boost healthy activity on its streets, feed its vibrant arts culture, draw people to local businesses, and even improve its basic infrastructure.

The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation's Community Leaders Program in West Philadelphia (www.huduser.org/portal/iod/iod_2015_2.html) - The Community Leaders program trains cohorts of residents in Philadelphia's Walnut Hill neighborhood on valuable life and professional skills while leading community service and outreach projects. At the heart of the model is continuous, neighbor-to-neighbor engagement. Community Leaders canvass the neighborhood, conducting door-to-door outreach to distribute information to residents on a wide range of resources such as social services, job and professional development opportunities, and neighborhood events, as well as to solicit residents' input on the community's development needs.

The Fairmount/Indigo Line Community Development Corporation (CDC) Collaborative in Boston (www.huduser.org/portal/iod/iod_2015_1.html) - The Fairmount/Indigo Line Community Development Corporation (CDC) Collaborative (The Collaborative) is spearheading a nationally recognized smart-growth, transit-oriented development (TOD) initiative along Boston's 9-mile Fairmount commuter rail line. The mission is to seek equity for low- and moderate-income residents in the Fairmount Corridor through affordable housing; excellent public transit; well-paying jobs; locally available goods and services; sustainability innovations; expanded open space; and safe, lively public places enriched through the arts.

HUD's Innovation of the Day (IOD) is an online tool created to collect and share innovative housing, community development, and built environment practices from around the world.  IOD crowdsources new models that stakeholders can use to identify emerging trends, promising solutions, and successful strategies that unite practitioners and policymakers, stimulate policy development, and can be replicated elsewhere. IOD submissions also allow HUD to identify emerging trends, promising solutions, and successful means of implementation.

Read more about all 26 semi-finalists in HUD's Innovation of the Day Competition (www.huduser.org/portal/iod/searchDB.html).

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.

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