The New Dawn of the Nonprofit Merger
It used to be that the idea of one nonprofit taking over another was simply anathema. Nonprofits didn’t, you know, do that to one another. Mergers and acquisitions were the territory of national banks, energy companies and pharmaceutical giants with oversized ambitions and possibly malevolent intent. Nonprofits weren’t motivated by “creating efficiencies,” particularly at the […]
How to Kill Land Speculation
People live in communities because natural and human-made resources make them productive places to live, work, and play. Because geographically based resources are gifts...
Live Blogging From NCRC 2010 Conference
Rooflines will be live blogging from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s 2010 National Conference beginning Wednesday, March 10. Join us here at Rooflines as...
Shelter Shorts—The Week in Community Development, April 6
Gentrification Is Bad For One's Health | Housing Teachers-At School | Protecting Space for Local Business | TOD Doesn't Have to Displace | Community Artists Win in Court | More . . .
Community Development of Tomorrow
Community development is when people join together to improve conditions and create change at the community level. It can...
How Did the Community Development Industry Become So Housing Centric?
The nonprofit community development industry has grown and matured over the last thirty years. During the 1970s this nascent movement was boosted by the...
10 Ways to Talk About Inclusionary Housing, Differently
We need to talk about inclusionary housing in a different way that circumvents common misperceptions and creates a new narrative for policymakers in moderate markets and more conservative political climates. Here are 10 messages to help frame your conversations.
Taking Sexual Harassment Seriously: Tips for Nonprofits
Sexual harassment is a topic that’s not often addressed in the community development field, but it should be.
Assessing Impact at Anchor Institutions
This week, The Democracy Collaborative is releasing a new paper that seeks to create a framework for measuring the...
A Nation—and Neighborhoods—of Immigrants
The story of neighborhood populations changing with waves of migrants is a classic part of the history of American cities. We are, as most...
Redlining Would Be Relegalized by CRA Reform Proposal
In an attempt to make compliance easier for banks, regulators are proposing to incentivize the very thing the Community Reinvestment Act was written to fight.
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.
The Tenacity of Dysfunction
The word resilience has different meanings in different fields. In the field of material science, it refers to the ability of a material to...
It Doesn’t Matter if Your Neighborhood Is Going to Eventually Gentrify
“We could use some gentrification here.” Let's never say this—we must refrain from debating the long-term likelihood of gentrification in distressed places.
Census 2010: Stand Up and Be Counted! (Or Not)
Why all the paranoia about the 2010 Census? If you listened to the far right, the data collected from the census could result in...
Skipping “Placed-Based” Work Leaves Cities Vulnerable to Climate Change
I remember it clearly. “The Myth of Community Development,” Nicholas Lemann’s 1994 New York Times Magazine article, cracked the...
Turns Out Innovation Is Officially Overrated
Many nonprofits and social enterprises face constant pressure to be “innovative,” whether from funders or charitable business leaders who want...
Cause of Death: Rural Life?
Every once in a while I read that the federal government has come up with some new definitions for...
Creative Placemaking: Honoring the Past While Welcoming our Futures
A discussion about honoring the history of a place while actively working to encourage its growth and foster positive change.
Giving Community Organizing A Good Name In East Hollywood
Through the combination of my insatiable curiosity and the wonders of the internet, I have stumbled upon a magic kingdom in Southern California. No,...