Reconnecting America Chief of Staff Allison Brooks will be participating in the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech's one-day roundtable Sept. 1 to provide HUD and the new interagency partnership with research ideas and insights that support the development of a sustainability policy agenda. Raphael Bostic, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research and Mariia Zimmerman, Assistant Director, Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities will be in attendance along with other HUD researchers and key staff from the partnership. This roundtable will focus on three core areas and their intersection with housing policy and the role of HUD: 1) Accessible and Affordable Housing; 2) Green and Energy Efficient Affordable Homes; and 3) Cities in Transition. The event will bring together approximately 50 researchers, policy experts, and leading practitioners to explore the current state of research covering these topics and to develop a list of important research topics and issues building on existing research and initiatives and opening new directions for future research.

On Aug. 9, Allison Brooks and Abigail Thorne-Lyman will be a the kickoff meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s TOD Policy review. More on MTC's current policy can be found here.