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Saturday November 21, 2009

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Implementing ARRA

America’s current economic crisis is not only a national crisis. It is also a metropolitan crisis. Therefore, it is critical to monitor the progress of creative metropolitan leaders who are leveraging the myriad resources provided by the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

To that end, the Metropolitan Policy Program’s Implementing ARRA Series is tracking the implementation work of metropolitan leaders. The “Design Snapshots” below profile various creative approaches to local and regional recovery programs. The “Framing Briefs” to the right assess metro leaders’ progress and struggles, and extract from the innovators’ perspectives and experiences ideas for short- and long-term federal policy reforms.

The series will serve as a resource for best-practice exchange among regions and a source of ideas for designing the next generation of metro-friendly federal policies.

Bay Area’s Economic Recovery Workplan: Guiding State Stimulus Spending

July 2009

A Bay Area economic development nonprofit selected among hundreds of proposals to craft a single ARRA implementation strategy that creates jobs in the short-term and lays the foundation for economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term.

Bay Area’s High Speed Rail Plans: Advancing 21st Century Regional Transportation

August 2009

To accelerate the arrival of regional high speed rail, a collaboration of Bay Area leaders proposes to use ARRA funds on the track and station upgrades that are both necessary for high speed rail but also enhance the safety, capacity, and performance of existing train operations. Brookings experts examine the proposals.

California’s Green Jobs Corps: Building Green Workforce Region-wide

August 2009

California is piloting a regionally-based, public-private partnership-driven, green jobs training program for at-risk youth that leverages ARRA funds with local resources to bring together new collaborations of employers, community colleges, and workforce organizations.

Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts Modernize with New Broadband Infrastructure: Advancing Regional Connectivity

August 2009

To modernize the communications infrastructure in Southeastern Massachusetts, a regional public-private partnership is pursuing ARRA funds to install hundreds of miles of fiber optic cable and create a shared, multi-purpose regional data center.

A Chicago-Area Retrofit Strategy: Coordinating Energy Efficiency Region-Wide

July 2009

A regional nonprofit plans on using ARRA funds to boost its current retrofit and weatherization activities in the short-term while promoting greater regional cooperation and expanded services in the long-term.

Chicago’s Multi-Family Energy Retrofit Program: Expanding Retrofits With Private Financing

July 2009

The city of Chicago is using ARRA funds to introduce a new program for retrofit delivery that relies on private sector financing and energy service companies to target property owners of lower-income multi-family homes.

Chicago’s Southern Suburbs Focus on ARRA: Coordinating Inter-Suburban Recovery

July 2009

A group of 40 struggling Chicago-area suburbs are utilizing a pre-existing multi-jurisdictional neighborhood stabilization strategy as a framework for linking multiple ARRA funding flows to support community development, energy efficiency and infrastructure upgrades.

Greater Flagstaff’s Integrated ARRA Initiatives: Linking Green Recovery Goals

July 2009

Flagstaff and Coconino County, AZ are working together on ways to reduce the communities’ high utility costs by using ARRA money to jump-start a drive to retrofit targeted households’ homes while drawing on newly trained local workers.

Kansas City’s Green Impact Zone: Targeting ARRA for Neighborhood Uplift

July 2009

This comprehensive plan to address a struggling 150-block urban zone in Kansas City utilizes multiple ARRA funds and other resources to train and employ the jobless to perform various energy-efficient and green infrastructure projects in the area.

Memphis Blueprint for a City of Choice: Advancing Joint City-County Recovery

July 2009

The city of Memphis and Shelby County, TN along with local business leaders have developed a blueprint to transform the core city into a choice place for living and working by investing ARRA dollars and other funding sources into human capital, government efficiency and economic growth.

New York State’s New Green Jobs Program: Linking Financing and Job Training Statewide

October 2009

A new state program would draw on potential stimulus funds to establish a statewide revolving loan fund to accelerate mass-scale building energy efficiency audits and retrofits, and collaboratively expand opportunities for green workforce development and job placement.

Metro Philadelphia’s Energy Efficiency Strategy: Promoting Regionalism to Advance Recovery

October 2009

A new regional entity is coordinating five counties in a joint application for competitive Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants that calls for new retrofit loan financing, a technology deployment fund, technical assistance to local governments around energy efficiency plans, and energy performance measurement of public buildings.

Puget Sound’s ARRA Coordination: Facilitating Regional Stimulus Applications

July 2009

Seeking to bring together potential regional partners and coordinate requests for ARRA funding, the Puget Sound Regional Council has launched an online clearinghouse, message board and blog, as well as bi-weekly meetings, to inform area leaders about ARRA programs and process and opportunities for collaboration.

Puget Sound New Energy Solutions: Scaling Up for Regional Sustainability

July 2009

Using ARRA funds in the short-term to seed a long-term initiative, a consortium of cities, counties, and local utilities in the Puget Sound area have banded together to advance innovative sustainability solutions in that region.

Seattle’s Green Building Capital Initiative: Partnering for Citywide Retrofits

July 2009

Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment will put ARRA funds to work providing home energy efficiency audits and retrofit financing, in partnership with regional utilities and area nonprofits.

Washington D.C. Suburbs Join Together for NSP2: Combining Regional Scale and Local Flexibility

August 2009

Six suburban jurisdictions around Washington DC came together under the leadership of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to submit a joint NSP2 application that combines a region-scale loan fund with local-level flexibility in delivering homebuyer assistance and redeveloping select foreclosed properties for affordable rental housing.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Carefully Prioritizes Stimulus: Strategically Selecting ARRA Transit Projects

July 2009

To select the most high-impact, ready-to-go projects for stimulus funding, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority conducted a new, agency-wide structured process that will also serve as the framework for future capital needs decisions.

Youngstown Region Collaborates on NSP2: Taking a Multi-jurisdictional Approach to Recovery Priorities

October 2009

Nine cites have submitted one joint application for the second round of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program that draws on at least 20 different regional institutions to take a multi-pronged approach to addressing the area’s problems with foreclosed, abandoned, and vacant properties.

Implementing ARRA

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