The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced another round of Choice Neighborhood grants in December, awarding five communities a total of $132 million in grant funding.

"U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro [recently] announced that five communities across the U.S. will receive more than a combined $132 million to redevelop severely distressed public or assisted housing and revitalize surrounding neighborhoods," according to a press releases. The Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants went to Denver, Boston, St. Louis, Camden, and Louisville.
As an example of the enthusiasm of local leaders for the Choice Neighborhood funding, Jacob Ryan reports on the response in Louisville after HUD awarded nearly $30 million to the Louisville Metro Housing Authority for the redevelopment of the West Louisville neighborhood of Russell.
"The grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will serve as a pivotal peg in the plan to spur new economic development and residential infill in the neighborhood currently beset with poverty, blight and crime," explains Ryan.
"We are ecstatic. This is a huge day not just for Russell, not just for West Louisville, but for our entire city," wrote Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer after the funding was announced.
FULL STORY: HUD Awards $132 Million to Five Communities to Revitalize Housing, Surrounding Neighborhoods

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Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research