Portland Gets Proactive on Gentrification
We've been talking about gentrification and displacement a bunch here on Rooflines recently. One of the perennial problems in dealing with displacement has always been knowing when to start. Our report […]
“Mixed” Income Housing: With Segregated Entrances?
Here's exhibit A on how not to convince skeptical housing justice advocates (or anyone else) that mixed-income housing developments represent a step forward: Make the residents of the affordable units […]
On the Cover: Transformation
So you may be wondering, what is that amazing mural on the cover of the latest issue of Shelterforce? It's called Transformation, and it was created by Chilean graffiti artist […]
Reactions to the President’s Housing Address
Yesterday, President Barack Obama gave a housing policy speech in Phoenix, Ariz., and this afternoon he answered questions submitted via social media on a live web chat with the CEO […]
Is Community Development Failing or Succeeding?
Massive change tends to lead to massive introspection. And changed circumstances tend to lead to a need for changed tools. The housing and foreclosure crisis, the ensuing financial crisis, and […]
Who Owns That Vacant Building? Scan the Art to Find Out
In a brilliant mash up of classic protest/beautifying strategies and state-of-the-art data management, artists are painting murals on abandoned Baltimore buildings . . . complete with QR codes that bring […]
An Urban School Reduces Violence . . . With Nonviolence
When students feel like they are in jail when at school and the adults around them consider them all potential criminals, how do they act? In a word, badly. Happily, […]
Many Goals, One Field
What is a CDC? Many a meeting among those in the field has descended into argument about what is inside and outside the line. It was inevitable that in designing […]
What Is Community Development?
Over the following pages, our authors explore many aspects of the community development field, and especially the role of community development corporations in it. But we know you have opinions too. To set the stage, last year we invited our readers to take a survey about how they understood the community development field and community development corporations. The survey was promoted through our weekly newsletter and social media. We got about a hundred responses.
Too Big To Jail Redux: It’s Worse Than You Suspected
Anyone who worked with homeowners seeking mortgage modifications over the past years has made or heard some joke about the supposedly “lost” documents that their clients had to resubmit over […]
Losses and Wins in Supreme Court: How Does It Affect You?
All eyes have been on the Supreme Court this week, as it handed down decisions on the Voting Rights Act, Defense of Marriage Act, and California's Proposition 8. When we […]
Texas Tenants Win Protections
Way back in 1999 we asked what happened to the tenants' movement? Well, it never quite died, and it might be making a comeback. Last week we wrote about San […]