Last year was the hottest year on record , and 2024 has a one-in-three chance of being even hotter. As temperatures increase and climate change worsens, extreme heat events will occur with more frequency and intensity, having an outsized impact in dense, urban areas. Urban neighborhoods face increased temperatures due to building concentrations and a lack of green space, creating a phenomenon referred to as the urban heat island effect. Neighborhoods with a high number of low-income residents of color experience more intense heat island effects. This is not by chance, but is a result of deliberate, discriminatory housing policies that have impacted people of color, pushing them into vulnerable neighborhoods prone to extreme heat exacerbated by climate change.

“The insurance crunch isn’t just a drag on our housing sector – it’s a drag on our economy and the livelihoods of millions of Americans," said Enterprise's Shaun Donovan during a keynote address at a Federal Housing Finance Agency symposium earlier this year.

Green building leader Krista Egger on the landmark $2 billion award to the Enterprise co-led coalition Power Forward Communities and how it will help drive efforts to create healthier, more sustainable homes and communities.

Every year, extreme heat kills more people in the U.S. than other natural disasters combined. This year has brought little relief so far, with temperatures soaring in all corners of the country. With support from HUD’s Community Compass Funding, Enterprise Advisors, in partnership with Arcadis, developed the Extreme Heat Quick Guide to enhance the capacity of community partners to develop strategies to address extreme heat.

Enterprise hosted the Housing Our Community event, bringing together the 2024 grant recipients of U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Housing Ecosystem Development Grants Program to share their innovative projects, exchange ideas, and discuss challenges and lessons learned.

New federal dollars have created unprecedented opportunities to retrofit multifamily homes, making them healthier, more cost efficient, and less dependent on fossil fuels. Housing and climate experts weigh in on the benefits of green retrofitting and the elements of an effective transition.