Between June 20-23, 2024, the National Apartment Association (NAA) joined mayors, municipal officials and other Business Council members at the 92nd annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) in Kansas City, Mo.
In addition to networking with Mayors and municipal officials, the Annual Meeting provided an opportunity to connect with USCM staff as well. NAA began a dialog with the USCM’s new housing policy staffer, Sly Majid. The conversations will continue to provide a voice to NAA members as housing issues are discussed in formal and informal meetings throughout the year.
Key Themes
The topics and policy issues discussed included sessions on evictions, homelessness and adaptive reuse. The Princeton Eviction Lab presented information on the cost of eviction and homelessness to municipalities, as well as methods to identify at-risk communities so that mayors and city officials can more effectively target and implement federally funded support programs. Emergency Rent Assistance (ERA) and mediation programs were highlighted among the most effective tools available.
The American Institute of Architects partnered with Mayors and city officials from Nebraska, Arizona, Missouri and Chicago to share the best practices for creating vibrant cities and diverse housing options by repurposing underutilized commercial buildings. Mayors were urged to inventory the vacant commercial units in their municipalities to leverage federal programs to remediate and attract new residential development. Adaptive Reuse is a recurring topic at municipal conferences and a favorite of local leaders as cities and towns seek new ideas to increase housing options and promote economic growth.