| Phoenix City Manager Appoints Titus Mathew as Housing Director | https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/housing/1978 | Housing | | 7/2/2021 10:00:00 PM | https://www.phoenix.gov/newssite/Lists/NewsArticle/Attachments/1978/titus_image for newsroom.jpg | | Phoenix City Manager Appoints Titus Mathew as Housing Director | <div class="ExternalClassD748A2320A194219B39B5982CAE156E7"><html>
<p>After a national search, Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher announced the selection of Titus Mathew as the new Housing Director effective immediately.<br></p>
<p>In this role, Mathew will oversee 135 full-time staff<strong>, </strong>51 contract staff and an operating budget<strong> </strong>of $118 million to provide housing programs to Phoenix residents. His team facilitates affordable housing, public housing, Section 8 vouchers and homeownership programs. Mathew and his staff also manage the city's Housing Phoenix Plan, which has a goal of creating or preserving 50,000 homes by 2030 to address the housing shortage in Phoenix. </p>
<p>Mathew has seven years of experience in the Housing Department, including experience as the Acting Housing Director. In his most recent role as a Deputy Housing Director, he was responsible for the management of the department's accounting, budgeting, Information Technology, procurement and contracts sections as well as the Section 8 program.</p>
<p>“I am humbled and honored to serve our city and look forward to continuing our mission to provide quality affordable housing and a pathway to self-sufficiency," said Titus Mathew, incoming housing director. “Phoenix has embarked on the Housing Phoenix Plan, which was approved by the Mayor and Council in 2020 and, we will continue to create and preserve 50,000 residential housing units by 2030. There has never been a greater need for affordable housing than the present and I will strive to work with the Mayor and Council to achieve the goals of the Housing Phoenix Plan." </p>
<p>During his 21-year career with the city of Phoenix, Mathew has worked for several city departments and programs including Parks and Recreation, City Manager's HOPE VI Project and the Finance Department Tax Division. Throughout his tenure, Mathew has worked on many Housing Department projects and provided leadership and support to many of the different grants and programs they offer. <br></p>
<p>He also was part of the team that redeveloped the Matthew Henson public housing site into the HOPE VI mixed-income housing project. Mathew has a demonstrated commitment to Phoenix public housing residents and the city's Housing staff.<br></p>
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| Mitigating Rising Temperatures in the Edison-Eastlake Community | https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/housing/1881 | Housing | | 5/5/2021 5:30:00 PM | https://www.phoenix.gov/newssite/Lists/NewsArticle/Attachments/1881/EEC-Rendering_heat-mitigation-story.jpg | | Mitigating Rising Temperatures in the Edison-Eastlake Community | <div class="ExternalClass7422569C234F448A80D6E1F726D249DC"><html>
<p>Cities across the globe are seeing rising summer temperatures, in part, due to the Urban Heat Island Effect. This phenomenon is largely due to urban infrastructure, including roads, buildings, and sidewalks absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night. <br></p>
<p>In 2018, the city was awarded a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to redevelop the Edison-Eastlake neighborhood just east of downtown Phoenix, which tracks some of the hottest temperatures in the city each summer – up to 10 degrees hotter than other areas of the city. This community-driven redevelopment is leading the way for what it means to be a modern, heat-ready community. </p>
<p>"It is fitting that a historic neighborhood such as Edison-Eastlake will be home to this new vision for heat-ready housing and community spaces that maintain the traditional qualities of a close-knit neighborhood," said Mayor Kate Gallego. “These new mixed-income units not only provide more modern amenities to residents, they also offer a sense of place with added resources, and promote climate action and heat mitigation in their design to enhance the well-being of our residents and our environment."<br></p>
<p>The redevelopment includes: an expansion of Edison Park and the addition of a linear park along 19th Street; the addition of shade trees and shade structures within the many green spaces in the area; an expanded shade canopy along Van Buren, 19th and 20th streets to promote walkability; and the addition of shaded bus shelters. The plan also includes the strategic placement of buildings to block sun exposure and create shade; landscape design and placement of trees to maximize sidewalk shade; the use of heat mitigating roof coatings and building materials, among others. </p>
<p>"The Edison-Eastlake community and its residents have dealt with hotter temperatures due to lack of investment for far too long," said Vice Mayor Carlos Garcia, who represents the city's District 8. “I hope this project will help lessen the impact of the warming climate for this diverse and historic neighborhood."<br></p>
<p>Residents and community stakeholders have been part of the redevelopment team from the very beginning. The Nature Conservancy identified the Edison-Eastlake Community as one of three focus areas throughout the Valley to address the impacts of rising temperatures. The project, with support from Phoenix Revitalization Corporation (PRC), engaged residents and stakeholders to create a Heat Action Plan that provides solutions to urban heat in the neighborhood. The Heat Action Plan identified some of the techniques to reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect. </p>
<p>"It was important that we brought community partners to this project to provide unique expertise and ensure that the voices of the residents were not only heard, but that they saw their ideas come to life in the design and final product," said Deanna Jonovich, acting Housing director.</p>
<p>Community member and resident leader Rosalyn Gordon said shade was of extreme importance to seniors and families, "so it was critical for me to participate in the various community meetings to help identify solutions to address the need for year-round shading in our neighborhood."<br></p>
<p>The city's Housing Department also partnered with urban heat researchers at Arizona State University to offer mitigation best-practices and to place heat sensors throughout the community, including two roof top devices, to provide pre- and post-redevelopment data to measure the true impact of the heat mitigation efforts informed by the residents and project partners. </p>
<p>"It's really about, 'show me the data," said Paul Coseo, PhD, associate professor of landscape architecture, The Design School, Arizona State University. "We believe that these design elements will cool the neighborhood, but data will tell us if they really do."<br></p>
<p>The redevelopment of the Edison-Eastlake Community is taking shape. New units are being constructed and residents now have an outdoor event space that is available for everyone to enjoy, with ramadas, a shaded, community stage and plenty of trees that are getting ready to throw some shade. </p>
<p>Soluna, the first Choice Neighborhoods mixed-income housing development in the Edison-Eastlake Community, is currently taking shape as well. When completed, Soluna will be a modern community with a variety of amenities informed by the residents, including a computer lab, energy-efficient homes and shaded community spaces. The northeast corner will serve as the gateway to the neighborhood and will incorporate public art and shade into an arts plaza. </p>
<p>The next phase of housing development, Harmony at the Park, will continue the heat-mitigation mission, with more shaded community spaces and elements to improve walkability, focusing on safety and comfort. The site will also include a linear park stretching from Villa to Polk streets. This park will provide open green space with walking paths and even more shade trees.</p>
<p>And this is just the beginning of the story. The city of Phoenix Housing Department is seeking LEED for Neighborhood Development Silver certification for the area of the neighborhood north of Van Buren Street. LEED is a framework for identifying, implementing and measuring green building and neighborhood design. </p>
<p>"This project will serve as a national model for redevelopment that incorporates health mitigation strategies and technologies at its core," said David Hondula, PhD, associate professor, School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning, Arizona State University. <br></p>
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