Tapping Into the Power of Technology
One of the greatest changes affecting the community development field has been in technology, and the benefits and challenges it brings. Because my background is in community technology, or bringing basic technology access to...
CDFIs: Bridging the Poverty Gap
Each year, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday prompts people to reflect on Dr. King’s life and legacy. By achieving passage of civil rights and voting rights legislation, the actions of King and others compelled a sharp decline in the blatant discrimination and wanton violence that had permeated the nation for generations. However, today, five […]
Four Lessons Learned from Collaboration
We’ve seen a renewed interest in non-profit collaboration (see articles in Shelterforce here, here, and here) but effective and successful collaboration takes more than simply finding like-minded people to walk with you.
Working with others,...
Filling the Lending Vacuum
As credit tightens and higher and higher numbers of commercial real estate loans enter default, CDCs are stepping up to fill the financing gap in economic development deals from which conventional lenders have been retreating.
People and Places 2015: Not Your Average Community Development Conference
I go to a lot of conferences. I enjoy them, generally, as places to get to talk to all the great people doing great work in the field. But...
1975 Was a Good Year
We're not the only 36-year-old in town. Here is a small sampling of other 36th birthdays taking place this year:
A Blueprint for Responsible Homeownership
A Massachusetts loan program gives lenders skin in the game while providing tools for responsible homeownership for lower-income borrowers.
Staying Ahead of the Age Wave
Groups working with older adults, including many community developers, are crafting a range of creative interventions, from home modifications to service-enriched housing models, to allow seniors to age in place. Will it be enough?
For The Holidays: These Are a Few of My Favorite…Places
Herewith, some of my very favorite smart, livable places that are contributing positively to the environment, as I’ve written about them on my NRDC blog over the past year.
When my colleague Ian Wilker first...
The Healthy Nonprofit Ecosystem
In the halcyon days of my youth, way back in 2006, I went to New Orleans. I traveled there at the behest of the corporation that I worked for...
Done Right, Eliminating Food Deserts Result in Community Oases
While eliminating food deserts often involves resources from outside of the community, a neighborhood must maintain control of its assets and identity.
Nonprofit Funding in San Diego Under Threat
San Diego’s sunny beaches and beautiful college campuses can be deceptive. The city's soaring housing costs force university students and low-income families to sleep on couches and to depend...
The Power of a Community-Based Development Coalition
Building sustainable coalitions is an important element to strengthening community-based development organizations (CBDOs) and increasing their influence on local and state policies. To accomplish that, coalitions benefit from favorable political climates where the local...
Housing Advocate, Minnesota State Representative Karen Clark
Mention the word "housing" in the Minnesota state legislature, and you're likely to be referred to the office of Representative Karen Clark. Clark, a lifelong activist for progressive causes and a 16-year veteran of...
Q: What’s the difference between community economic development and traditional economic development ?
A: A lot! In fact, they are so different that the Democracy Collaborative, which made the chart below, has coined the term “community wealth building” to set apart the truly community-oriented practitioners of economic development.
When a Person’s Character Trumps Their Credit Score
Some CDFIs approve loans based on a person’s character instead of their credit score. But they only recommend
doing so when you know the applicant.
Shelter Shorts: The Week in Community Development, Jan. 12
Activists at the Golden Globes | Carson’s HUD Takes Some Heat | We Make an Exception on Workforce Housing | Companies Must "Do Better" in Nashville | California Makes Policy Using Opportunity Maps
Smaller Cities Are Laboratories for Change
In smaller cities it is typically much easier to engage high levels of leadership, get traction for strategies that are more visible, engage the wider community, build trust, and scale solutions more quickly than in larger areas. Here are a few examples.
Time to Delink Homeownership from Asset Building
Using homeownership as an asset-building mechanism and retirement plan might not be a great thing for our society.
Talking About Revitalization When All Anyone Wants to Talk About Is Gentrification
Strategies for turning the conversation back to places where gentrification is not only *not* present, but not impending.