A press release and fact sheet about the accomplishments of the Obama Administration's "Better Building Initiative" includes three new national programs designed to improve the efficiency and resilience of the built environment.
The White House put out a fact sheet and press release announcing the accomplishments of the Better Building Initiative—designed to partner the Department of Energy "with leading organizations in every state across the country to drive increased investment in energy efficiency and overcome the barriers that prevent many organizations and consumers from capturing these benefits."
According to the fact sheet, there are now more than 750 organizations engaged in the Better Buildings Initiative, with partnerships and energy savings more than tripling over than past five years.
The fact sheet also announces new partnerships and progress updates on behalf of U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and the U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, including three new programs in collaboration with all 50 states, 17 new examples of businesses, states, and cities achieving Better Building challenge goals, and additional energy savings accomplishments.
The three aforementioned programs include the Clean Energy in Low Income Communities Accelerator, the Combined Heat and Power for Resiliency Accelerator, and the Wastewater Infrastructure Accelerator.

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
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