Posted by:
Steve Dubb
Backed by LISC and Enterprise, CDCs go green
The theme of the Spring 2007 issue of The Next American City is Green Building. As Gregory Maher and Judith Turlock from LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) note in one article, the “idea that sustainability is an appropriate and important goal for residents of affordable housing” is becoming mainstream.
The Next American City issue touches on a number of facets of green building, including the ironies inherent in neighborhood opposition to the erection of wind turbines, such as an anti-windmill effort on Cape Cod led by Robert Kennedy Jr. and a useful glossary and timeline of green building.
The issue’s timing is good. Yet it still only touches the surface of current developments. Those wishing to delve into the topic a bit deeper would do well to look at the Green Communities website developed by Enterprise Community Partners, a leading financial intermediary in the Community Development Corporation world.
Enterprise first launched its Green Communities effort in 2005, in conjunction with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the American Institute of Architects, the American Planning Association and other corporate, financial and philanthropic organizations. According to its Green Communities website, Enterprise aims to invest $500 million in dedicated Low Income Housing Tax Credits equity funds in qualified Green Communities housing projects nationwide over a five-year period. The Enterprise site also includes information on a number of upcoming conferences. Between now and late July, events on green building will be held in Pittsburgh, Washington (DC), San Francisco, and Minneapolis.