Great Falls And The Silk City
PATERSON, New Jersey — It’s early February and the air temperature hovers in the low teens — never mind the windchill that could only...
Response to Darren Walker’s New Gospel of Wealth
Ford Foundation President Darren Walker recently circulated a thought-provoking piece declaring the foundation’s commitment to tackling the worldwide problem of inequality.
In the piece, Walker...
Can We Bend the Sharing Economy Toward Equity?
For all of its promises to increase prosperity and sustainability, the so-called “sharing economy” has a serious dark side.
Want a Stronger Economy? Focus More on Racial Inclusion
As housing and community development practitioners, you need little convincing that dismantling racial barriers to economic opportunity—from policing practices to exclusionary zoning—is critical to building stronger, more cohesive communities. But what about the economic cost of these persistent racial inequities? Might segregated regions not just undermine the country’s moral fabric, but also hinder its […]
Small Dollars, Big Returns
So what can you make happen with a domestic impact investment anyway?
Farming With Benefits
One of the many striking commercials that aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl was a celebration of the American farmer, although...
Maybe Money Really Can Grow On Trees
Guess what? The local food movement is actually good for your local economy! At least that seems to be...
Are You Subsidizing Big Business?
Massive corporations, not start-ups or local job creators, get the lion's share of state and local development incentives.
IOC’s Rio Pick Could Be Good News for Chicago
My friend Hank Kalet offered a prescient look last week about the potential pitfalls of Chicago being awarded the 2016 Olympic games. The following...
A Response to ‘A New Gospel of Wealth,’ Part Two
In my last blog post, I responded to Ford Foundation president Darren Walker’s essay in which he outlines a new direction for the foundation ...
The Next Boom for Worker Co-ops?
Baby boomers are the largest percentage of business owners, and they’re headed toward retirement. The worker cooperative movement wants to keep the jobs they’ve created from disappearing.
Right on Target: Reaching New Heights In DC
Vacant land gives way to residential and commercial development is a classic urban renewal storyline, but DC's Columbia Heights is getting more than just retail and residential: it’s reclaiming its history.
Using City Government to Build Community Wealth
While the two major party presidential candidates have many differences, both agree on the primacy of free enterprise. Mitt Romney...
CDCs Step In Where Banks Fear to Tread
Early in 2010, the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program released a report indicating that half of the $1.4 trillion in...
Casinos are Parasites
It is not news that communities desperate for jobs and economic development often make terrible long-term decisions, welcoming in...
The Amazon Opportunity to Revitalize Urban Communities
It's not too late for cities competing to be the next home to Amazon to raise the issue of employer-assisted workforce housing.
Putting the Impact in Impact Investing
Impact investing is a popular idea that promises to channel the power of market capitalism into serving the common...
Crossing Muddy Waters
Rose Johnson stands nervously in a crowded room in Gulfport, Mississippi, surrounded by out-of-towners. With $1,000 in her pocket, she competes in the local...
Making Light Rail Stop for Us
A promising, billion-dollar Twin Cities light rail project almost bypassed lower-income neighborhoods on its route, but thanks to a coalition of community groups, it will now make all local stops.
Interview With Tom Szaky, Founder, Terracycle
We spoke with Tom Szaky, TerraCycle's founder and CEO, about social enterprise, locating in a distressed community, and what he as an employer would want out of workforce development programs.