Hope VI
Hope VI is a project of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to incorporate concepts from New Urbanism into the design and management of public housing communities. Though it began on a trial basis in 1992, the program was formally adopted in 1998.
The program advocates low-rise development with a mix of assisted (low income) and market rate tenants to avoid concentrating poverty. Unlike large apartment towers, residents typically have their own entrances, gardens or other "defensible" spaces to create a sense of ownership. Hope VI also encourages infill development and makes greater use of Section 8 vouchers and other housing assistance to diffuse residents into communities.
The use of Hope VI funding to revitalize specific projects which were sources of blight has been praised, while the typical net loss of low-income housing units which results from the introduction of market-rate housing has been criticized.
There are currently three projects managed by the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District which have been redeveloped under the Hope VI program:
- Park Place (471 units completed in Phases I, II, & III)
- Tuxedo Terrace (290 units completed September 2009)
- Glennbrook at Oxmoor Valley (300 units, begun June 2008)
Four additional housing communities have been suggested as possibilities for redevelopment under the Hope VI program: Elyton Village, Loveman Village, Morton Simpson Homes, and Marks Village. The Loveman Village project, dubbed Westwood Green, was the first to apply for funding, in November 2010. That proposal was not accepted.
The Tuscaloosa Housing Authority has a Hope VI project underway at their McKenzie Court community and planned for their Rosedale Court community.