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.
HousingWire reports on Enterprise's recommendations to the Federal Housing Finance Agency about housing preservation, resilience, insurance costs, and Tribal housing in its response to the Duty to Serve plans submitted by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Senior Programs Director Ray Demers talks with Shelterforce about Enterprise's Green Communities Criteria, its history and its use in affordable housing.