The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Terwilliger Center for Housing has announced expanded categories for both of their annual housing awards programs.  Designed to highlight the efforts of leaders across the country working to expand housing opportunity, the new categories for both the Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Awards and the Robert C. Larson Housing Policy Leadership Awards will allow for a broader range of housing affordability.

Specifically, the newly expanded categories will allow for developments and public policies that create affordable and workforce opportunities for individuals and families earning up to120 percent of the area median income (AMI). The Terwilliger Center’s national advisory board, which serves as the awards jury, will place an emphasis on developments and policies that support a mix of incomes.  Additionally, in the 2014 cycle,  developments using low income housing tax credits will be eligible for the first time.

The Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing Awards, - established in 2008 and named in memory of former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp, honors developers demonstrating leadership and creativity in providing developments that expand housing opportunities.

For the 2014 Jack Kemp Awards, developments are selected based on a number of criteria, including:

• Number of affordable and workforce housing units;
• Successful market acceptance and neighborhood impact;
• Demonstrated community benefits, including supporting a mix of incomes.
• Proximity to employment centers and transportation hubs;
• Quality of the design, amenities and site planning;
• Involvement of public and private partnerships;
• Ability to leverage public, private, and nonprofit funds;
• Use of regulatory reform to reduce costs;
• Minimal use of public subsidy;
• Energy efficiency beyond code;
• Sustainable green construction and land development, as well as the demonstrated cost effectiveness of these efforts;
• Innovative building technologies and systems; and
• Replicability of the development.

The Robert C. Larson Housing Policy Leadership Awards program – created in 2011 to honor the legacy of the late Robert C. Larson, former ULI Foundation Chairman and longtime ULI trustee – recognizes exemplary state and local programs and policies that support the production, rehabilitation or preservation of affordable and workforce housing.

For the 2014 Robert C. Larson Awards, applicants are judged on a number of criteria, including:

• Impact on the supply of affordable or workforce housing;
• Comprehensiveness of the tools and programs employed by the state and/or locality;
• Use of innovative strategies and tools by the state and/or locality;
• Involvement of public/private partnerships;
• Ability to leverage private and nonprofit funds;
• Quality of the housing resulting from these efforts;
• Incorporation of sustainable green construction and land development, as well as the demonstrated cost effectiveness of these efforts;
• Extent to which the housing resulting from these efforts is located near major employment centers and/or transportation hubs; and
• Extent to which the efforts of the jurisdiction are worthy of replication.

The call for entries is now open and award submissions will be accepted until March 17, 2014. Results will be announced and the winners awarded during a ceremony at the ULI Fall Meeting, October 21-23, 2014, at the Javits Center in New York, N.Y. Online entry forms and complete information on eligibility and requirements are available at uli.org/terwilligeraward.  For more information, email [email protected].

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About the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing

The ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing was established in 2007 with a $5 million endowment to ULI from former ULI Chairman J. Ronald Terwilliger, chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Residential and chairman of the ULI Terwilliger Center. The mission of the Center is to expand housing opportunity by leveraging the private sector and other partners to create and sustain mixed-income, mixed-use urban and suburban neighborhoods that incorporate a full spectrum of housing choices including affordable and workforce housing.

About the Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines