White House Starts Urban Policy Outreach

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has invited political leaders, city advocates and policy experts to the White House to help his administration start writing a national policy on urban areas.

Obama planned to speak to urban leaders about his team's first steps during a daylong summit Monday. Senior members of the administration from the Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Transportation departments plan to participate.

Obama in February created a White House Office of Urban Affairs, which has mostly remained out of public sight. Now, former Bronx New York Borough President Adolfo Carrion plans to take a prominent role as the office's director.

Carrion and others plan to travel across the country to meet with urban leaders and hear their ideas in coming weeks.