HUD Launches Best Practices Tool for Sharing Ideas

Recently, HUD launched a new crowd-sourcing tool called "Innovation of the Day" aimed at highlighting best practices in housing and community development. The new online platform will collect and share innovative practices in affordable housing, community development, and urban planning from around the world. Its purpose is to seek new ideas that can be leveraged not only within HUD, but among other agencies, communities, philanthropic organizations, nonprofit agencies, and the public.

Innovation of the Day aims to discover and analyze emerging trends, issues, and solutions from the field to federal policymaking. This new platform will connect local HUD and regional offices with private, public, and nonprofit organizations so that they may collaborate and share their experiences, practices, and resources on ways to strengthen local communities.

"Innovation of the Day is a tool to form partnerships and invite new and bold ideas to stimulate uncommon solutions to our everyday problems," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "As an organization, HUD is embracing innovation that can have a profound and lasting impact in unexpected and exciting ways."

The new platform will consist of a submission form and innovations database for use by anyone, ranging from the general public to researchers. The site will feature select innovations highlighting some of best innovations HUD receives. The site will also include a dashboard to reveal trends such as geography or innovation theme.

This winter, HUD will host its first Innovation Summit to bring together policymakers, nonprofit organizations, and practitioners to facilitate the sharing of ideas and to stimulate policy development at all levels.