The Honorable Julián Castro, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and former San Antonio mayor, will deliver the noon-time keynote address on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at the LBJ School of Public Affairs’ 2015 Reimagining Cities Conference.
Austin Mayor, The Honorable Steve Adler, will open this year’s Reimagining Cities Conference that will focus on forward thinking approaches to creating affordable housing and strong, sustainable neighborhoods; access to good jobs and schools, and innovative urban planning – issues that are of paramount importance not only in Austin, but across Texas and the country.
The conference’s first morning panel, “Keep Austin Housed: Closing the Affordability Gap” will be moderated by former Texas State Representative Sherri Greenberg, LBJ School Clinical Professor and Fellow of Max Sherman Chair in State and Local Government; with guests Mandy De Mayo, Executive Director, HousingWorks; Carl Richie, Chair, Board of Commissioners, Housing Authority of the City of Austin, and Paul Saldana, Member, Board of Trustees, Austin Independent School District.
The second session, “Purpose Built Communities: Changing Neighborhoods. Changing Lives.” will feature a roundtable discussion about innovative community development a la the Purpose Built Communities model in use in Fort Worth and Houston. This holistic framework is an extension of HUD’s early 1990 projects and currently several Purpose Based Communities participate in HUD’s Promise Zone program. Leaders in these Texas projects will participate in this session, moderated by former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, LBJ School’s Barbara Jordan Visiting Professor of Ethics and Political Values, and Purpose Built Communities Executive Board Chair.
