Preliminary research demonstrates a lack of regulation and accountability regarding water-loss control and its associated, subsequent economic and social costs. Gaining a better understanding of how the Great Lakes states are handling this issue is critical for the long-term protection and stewardship of this important natural resource.

CNT will use data from the utility survey to help inform a forthcoming publication that highlights the cost to society of not appropriately investing in our water services. Although nationally relevant, the survey will be based on research undertaken primarily within the Great Lakes states. Following this publication, the Water program plans to work with a select number of utilities to make voluntary improvements in water-loss control.

To get your community involved in this area of work, or to find out more about it, please contact Harriet Festing, hfesting@cnt.org.

Photo by Steven Vance - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbondsv/

If the House Ways and Means Committee’s proposed transportation bill passes tomorrow as currently drafted, it stands to fundamentally alter transportation policy as we know it and roll back mass transit funding by 30 years.

This unprecedented move kicks transit funding out of the Highway Trust Fund and into the annual appropriations process, which means that every year transit will have to compete against all federal domestic spending. Meanwhile, funding for highways would go back to having all the user fee funding— as it was until the Reagan Administration, despite clear evidence over decades of transit’s contribution to congestion relief, clean air, among other benefits.

This isn’t just bean counters putting money in different pots. The Chicago region, for example, could lose nearly $1.2 billion over the next five years if the legislation passes as currently written.

The Ways and Means Committee will mark up their portions of the reauthorization bill on February 3rd at 9 am EST. Please take 2 minutes to call the committee office (202.225.3625) and voice your opposition to getting rid of transit funding. Make it known that you want the House leadership to craft a funding proposal that maintains the nation’s historic commitment to public transportation.

“By definition, families living in affordable housing are guaranteed that their housing costs will not exceed 30 percent of their income, but transportation costs can negate that affordability if housing agencies aren’t careful about location decisions,” said Kathryn Tholin, CEO of CNT. “Illinois has made gains in siting affordable housing in communities that meet fair housing goals. Our report reveals that we could do better, by choosing locations that offer greater access to employment, better transportation connectivity, and improved access to amenities.”

CNT applied our Housing and Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index to 248 multifamily properties financed by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) from 2001 to 2008 in the Chicago region. The study reveals the average transportation costs in these locations and measures the degree to which residents enjoyed access to local amenities, regional jobs, public transit, and other opportunities—all major factors in the affordability equation. Safe, Decent and Affordable pulls together key findings and recommendations that IHDA can use to help improve access to jobs, lower transportation costs, and enhance livability for its affordable housing residents.

Read more in the press release, including key findings and recommendations ››
Download Safe, Decent and Affordable ››

Finally! The long overdue transportation reauthorization bill is at last going somewhere. Three years ago, CNT and our national partners, such as Transportation for America, began working with various users and operators of our transportation systems, business leaders, and political leaders to gather information about what worked and what did not work in the last national transportation legislation.

We shared what we learned with Members of Congress, who are responsible for the re-authorization and funding of the federal transportation legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives has released its transportation bill to the public. They listened to some of what we told them, but they failed to address some crucial needs. In particular, it looks like they forgot that this is supposed to be a transportation bill that serves all users of the transportation network—transit riders, cyclists, pedestrians, car sharers—and assures that they get where they are going safely. The bill as drafted fails to do that.

On February 2rd, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will start finalizing their version of the bill. In particular, CNT and our partners believe that two amendments should be added:

• The first would restore funding for safe biking and walking
• The second would make repairing the nation’s deficient bridges a priority.

Please take a moment to contact your Member of Congress now and tell him or her to support those two amendments. Our elected leaders need to know that the public is paying attention and wants better transportation for all modes of travel.

“By definition, families living in affordable housing are guaranteed that their housing costs will not exceed 30 percent of their income, but transportation costs can negate that affordability if housing agencies aren’t careful about location decisions,” said Kathryn Tholin, CEO of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), which authored the report. “Illinois has made gains in siting affordable housing in communities that meet fair housing goals. Our report reveals that we could do better, by choosing locations that offer greater access to employment, better transportation connectivity, and improved access to amenities.”

CNT applied its Housing and Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index to 248 multifamily properties financed by the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) from 2001 to 2008 in the Chicago region. IHDA oversees the state’s affordable housing production and issues the Qualified Allocation Plan that sets the criteria for determining what housing proposals receive Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The developments analyzed in this report served both low-income families and seniors. Transportation costs as a percentage of income were compared against a household making $41,344 per year, or 80 percent of regional Area Median Income. Key findings from the report include:

• Residents of IHDA-financed developments live in neighborhoods with slightly lower typical transportation costs than those of the typical regional household.

• Almost nine out of 10 (85 percent) of IHDA-financed units studied are within a half mile of a train station or a quarter mile of a bus route; however, the level of transit service for IHDA developments dropped by 24 percent over the study period.

• The typical annual transportation cost for households in neighborhoods with bus and rail transit was $3,000 lower than the cost in communities with no access to transit.

• Suburban Cook County is not contributing a proportional share of affordable housing. The city of Chicago accounts for 45 percent of the affordable housing units studied, and the collar counties account for nearly 40 percent. Suburban Cook County, however, contributed just 15 percent of affordable units, even though it contains nearly a third of the population and jobs in the region.

• Few affordable housing developments have been funded in high employment areas, despite IHDA’s commitment to connecting housing and jobs.

“IHDA is always looking for ways to identify the best locations to provide low income residents housing in communities that meet all of their needs,” said King Harris, a member of the Illinois Housing Task Force. “CNT’s new report highlights the importance of travel costs in picking sites for new affordable housing.”

CNT recommends that IHDA make several changes to its Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) in order to improve access to jobs, lower transportation costs, and enhance livability for its affordable housing residents. The recommendations include:

• Requiring applicants to report the average transportation costs for their development’s location in the QAP and rewarding proposals that have lower transportation costs with more points.

• Improving the Desirable Amenities scoring category by targeting fewer amenities and tightening the distance restrictions.

• Refining the Live Near Work scoring category by reporting the ratio of low wage jobs to low wage workers around a proposed development and awarding more points to locations that have more jobs per worker.

• Strengthening the transit-oriented development scoring category by awarding more overall points for proximity to transit, service frequency, and residential density.

“As a developer who makes transportation options a priority in the housing my team builds, I appreciate CNT shining the light on transportation costs that are a hidden burden that most people don’t consider,” said Hipolito “Paul” Roldan, president and CEO of Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, a nonprofit housing developer that has properties in the city of Chicago and six suburban communities. “I look forward to seeing how IHDA uses this information and working with the agency to provide even better affordable housing for Illinois residents in the future.”

CONTACT:
Emily Robinson, Center for Neighborhood Technology, erobinson@cnt.org, 773-269-4043

###

Founded in 1978, CNT is a Chicago-based think-and-do tank that works nationally to advance urban sustainability by researching, inventing and testing strategies that use resources more efficiently and equitably. Its programs focus on transportation, energy, water, community development, and climate. Visit www.cnt.org for more information.

Space is limited.

Reserve your spot now at:

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Energy efficiency upgrades in multifamily buildings could save building owners and residents up to $3.4 billion nationwide, according to a report by CNT Energy and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

Engaging as Partners in Energy Efficiency: Multifamily Housing and Utilities demonstrates that energy use in multifamily buildings can be reduced substantially, and cost-effective upgrades can result in utility cost savings of 15 to 30 percent in buildings with five or more residential units. The key to unlocking the savings, the report finds, is for energy utilities and apartment building owners to work together more closely to develop effective energy efficiency policies.

Join CNT Energy and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for a webinar on February 13 at 1 p.m. CST to learn more about the report from Anne McKibbin, policy director of CNT Energy and Eric Mackres, ACEEE senior policy analyst.

Title:    Engaging as Partners in Energy Efficiency

Date:    Monday, February 13, 2012

Time:    1:00 PM – 2:00 AM CST

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements

PC-based attendees

Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees

Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

“We have billions essentially sitting untapped in our apartment buildings. We can harness that by simply setting better policies for efficiency for apartment buildings,” said Anne McKibbin, CNT Energy policy director and coauthor of the report. “Partnering with utilities is a crucial part of the process. Building owners and other housing industry players need to work with their utilities, engaging them directly and in local and state regulatory proceedings,” she said.

Energy efficiency upgrades improve the bottom line for multifamily building owners, help maintain affordable housing, decrease financial risk for lending institutions, and improve occupant comfort. However, building owners often have difficulty finding technical assistance, financing, or qualified contractors to upgrade their buildings. “Maximizing energy efficiency is a win-win for apartment residents, building owners, energy utilities and our energy infrastructure,” said Doug Bibby, President of the National Multi Housing Council. “This report offers excellent ideas that we hope spur further cooperation between multifamily owners and utilities to create a more efficient partnership.”

Better coordination between apartment building owners and energy utilities could address that, according to the report’s analysis. The study finds that there is a vast, largely untapped opportunity to engage utilities in providing effective energy efficiency programs that target the multifamily sector. The study examines utilities’ involvement in energy efficiency efforts across the country and identifies strategies that the multifamily building community can use to work together for improved efficiency. “We are thrilled to explore partnerships with apartment owners as a way of better serving our customers and reaching our energy efficiency goals. This paper outlines some important next steps for collaboration,” said Duane Larson, Director, Energy Efficiency Strategy, Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

The report identifies regions where the multifamily sector could see particularly dramatic benefits from improvements in energy efficiency policy. These include Florida, Illinois, Texas, and the District of Columbia—regions that have a substantial number of multifamily buildings and energy policies that leave significant room for improvement.

“Utilities and local regulations vary dramatically from state to state and region to region, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” says Eric Mackres, ACEEE senior policy analyst. “The common thread is that partnering with the utility is crucial. This report outlines a variety of strategies that can help the multifamily housing sector to engage electric and natural gas utilities in order to expand the resources available for energy efficiency retrofits.”

This report was made possible by support from the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Living Cities.

The full report is available online at http://www.cntenergy.org/publications/.

Those interested in learning more are invited to participate in a Webinar on February 13 at 1 p.m. CST. For details, go to http://www.cntenergy.org/calendar/ or call (773) 269-4037.

CNT Energy helps reduce energy costs in households, buildings, and communities. CNT Energy is a division of the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Since 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has been a leader in promoting urban sustainability—the more effective use of existing resources and community assets to improve the health of natural systems and the wealth of people, today and in the future. CNT Energy combines rigorous research with effective solutions to help consumers and communities control energy costs and become more energy efficient. For more information, visit www.cntenergy.org.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, visit http://www.aceee.org.

“We have billions essentially sitting untapped in our apartment buildings. We can harness that by simply setting better policies for efficiency for apartment buildings,” said Anne McKibbin, CNT Energy policy director and coauthor of the report. “Partnering with utilities is a crucial part of the process. Building owners and other housing industry players need to work with their utilities, engaging them directly and in local and state regulatory proceedings,” she said.

Energy efficiency upgrades improve the bottom line for multifamily building owners, help maintain affordable housing, decrease financial risk for lending institutions, and improve occupant comfort. However, building owners often have difficulty finding technical assistance, financing, or qualified contractors to upgrade their buildings.

“Maximizing energy efficiency is a win-win for apartment residents, building owners, energy utilities and our energy infrastructure,” said Doug Bibby, President of the National Multi Housing Council. “This report offers excellent ideas that we hope spur further cooperation between multifamily owners and utilities to create a more efficient partnership.”

Better coordination between apartment building owners and energy utilities could address that, according to the report’s analysis. The study finds that there is a vast, largely untapped opportunity to engage utilities in providing effective energy efficiency programs that target the multifamily sector. The study examines utilities’ involvement in energy efficiency efforts across the country and identifies strategies that the multifamily building community can use to work together for improved efficiency.

“We are thrilled to explore partnerships with apartment owners as a way of better serving our customers and reaching our energy efficiency goals. This paper outlines some important next steps for collaboration,” said Duane Larson, Director, Energy Efficiency Strategy, Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

The report identifies regions where the multifamily sector could see particularly dramatic benefits from improvements in energy efficiency policy. These include Florida, Illinois, Texas, and the District of Columbia—regions that have a substantial number of multifamily buildings and energy policies that leave significant room for improvement.

“Utilities and local regulations vary dramatically from state to state and region to region, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” says Eric Mackres, ACEEE senior policy analyst. “The common thread is that partnering with the utility is crucial. This report outlines a variety of strategies that can help the multifamily housing sector to engage electric and natural gas utilities in order to expand the resources available for energy efficiency retrofits.”

The report was made possible by support from the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Living Cities.

Download the full report here.

Sign up for a February 13 webinar to learn more about the report’s findings here.

“We are pleased to be working with these two community organizations which are committed to improving the quality of life of their residents,” said Scott Bernstein, CNT’s president. “Each of these communities have specific challenges to address—from developing and implementing plans to address vacant land and blighted property to engaging residents in sustainability planning.”

This technical assistance is made possible by a grant to Project for Public Spaces from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Sustainable Communities under the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program. The Building Blocks program funds quick, targeted assistance to communities that face common development problems.

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