Part Two: The 21st Century Agenda for Cities and Suburbs
The 21st Century Agenda for Cities and Suburbs is designed to capitalize on today's favorable conditions for tapping new markets, to anchor the positive trends in central cities, and to help cities and suburbs address their remaining challenges. The agenda seeks to capitalize on what we have learned over the past 6 years to be the most effective approaches to help revitalize cities and spur meaningful city-suburb collaboration. The Agenda builds on the successful efforts of President Clinton and Vice President Gore, working with Congress, to help local leaders find solutions that work:
Public-private partnerships. The right mix of public incentives, combined with the willingness of the private sector to invest in untapped markets, is highly effective as a recipe for revitalizing distressed communities. The 21st Century Agenda for Cities and Suburbs uses targeted public incentives to encourage more partnerships among the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and to attract larger multiples of private sector investment in central city businesses and redevelopment projects.
Comprehensive approaches. In the past, well-meaning programs often took a narrow, single focus on urban problems. We have learned that the most effective initiatives tackle distress in a much more comprehensive and integrated manner, addressing economic, environmental, social, and safety problems as related problems instead of as separate issues. In recognition of this fact, the initiatives in the 21st Century Agenda span multiple Federal agencies and departments.
Local and bottom up. States and localities have been "laboratories of democracy." Today's successful revitalization initiatives operate on a smaller scale than the large Federal programs of the past. They focus on the neighborhood level and are much more local and more personal. The 21st Century Agenda continues the efforts of the past 6 years to refashion Federal programs to support and encourage the work of community-based organizations and local governments and facilitate the spread of those programs that have worked best.
Individual empowerment and financial self-sufficiency. The Administration's Empowerment Strategy is grounded in a philosophy of rewarding work and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to improve their economic situation. There is also a growing understanding that an effective anti-poverty strategy must incorporate initiatives to help people build assets and equity through homeownership, savings programs, innovative "development" accounts, and microenterprise development.
A strong and capable HUD. Urban communities benefit from a strong and reinvented HUD as their partner. The FY2000 budget underscores HUD's renewed strength -- through Secretary Andrew Cuomo's Management 2020 reinvention efforts -- in offering a comprehensive menu of integrated, flexible, decentralized Federal support. Reinvented and powered by a national workforce composed of Community Builders and the new Public Trust Officers, HUD's role is not to dictate but to act as a facilitator and ensure that cities have the resources needed to create jobs; promote affordable housing; fight crime; and create healthier, more livable communities for all citizens.
The 21st Century Agenda for Cities and Suburbs is composed of four parts:
Opening Doors to New Markets. The Administration's New Markets Initiative is designed to ensure communities can access the risk capital and technical expertise they need to take advantage of their untapped markets for labor, retail, and land. The Agenda also continues and expands a range of existing programs that are promoting successful community development and expanding economic opportunity.
Investing in America's Working Men and Women. The Agenda provides tools to ensure that central city residents have the skills needed for today's job market and the means to learn about and access jobs that may be distant from their neighborhoods.
Expanding Homeownership and Affordable Rental Housing. Homeowners can build strong neighborhoods both in cities that are beginning to do better and in those that have been left behind. Providing more assistance for rental housing is equally critical: for alleviating the distress of worst case housing needs and homelessness; for overcoming the "housing/jobs mismatch" created by metropolitan development patterns; and for providing families with the support and stability they need to become part of the new labor markets. Further the implementation of the landmark Public Housing Reform Act signed by President Clinton in 1998 will transform the provision and funding of affordable housing for low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Finally, addressing homelessness and housing for the elderly must be addressed in a comprehensive manner.
Promoting Smarter Growth and Livable Communities. To realize the billions in savings that could be generated by strengthening existing developed communities, the Agenda includes a major initiative to promote livable communities. The agenda also includes measures to ensure public safety, strengthen our schools, and preserve natural resources and historic amenities. By providing communities with strong tools to tackle these challenges, we can help enhance their attractiveness for residents, businesses, and investors.
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