Vulnerable Workers Mean Vulnerable Communities
Anti-immigrant laws and the lack of a solid path to citizenship leave immigrant workers vulnerable to exploitation—and harm the whole community.
Battling Inequity in Food Systems with Entrepreneurship
A number of leadership organizations and initiatives–from large to small–are working to bring about greater economic opportunity in the food system and improve access to healthy food, focusing specifically on communities of color.
Hawaii’s Train to the Future
The path to a walkable, livable urban future is filled with hurdles. Take, for instance, the public transit battle being...
An Important Piece of the Puzzle: A Response to “Some of Us Shall Not...
In her recent Shelterforce online review of We Shall Not Be Moved, my book about post-Katrina recovery efforts in five New Orleans neighborhoods, Lydia Pelot-Hobbs...
Sprawl’s share of US housing starts has declined dramatically, says EPA
A new report from the US Environmental Protection Agency documents a dramatic shift in the pattern of new development in the nation over the...
Not Your Granddad’s Suburb: Trump’s Racist Appeals Fall Flat In Diversified Suburbs
Trump attempted to win over the suburbs by using racist buzzwords, demonstrating his ignorance of what modern suburbia looks like.
Absence of Eviction Court Recordings Leaves Tenants Vulnerable
In a court division where a family can lose their home after a two-minute trial and only 12 percent of tenants have lawyers, Cook County's lack of eviction court transcripts—with no court reporters or digital recording equipment since 2004—has serious repercussions for tenants.
HUD & DOT Team Up To Promote Sustainable Communities
This is awesome. Here is an excerpt from yesterday’s joint press release from HUD and DOT:
“WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban...
Airbnb, Test Your Hosts for Bias
Airbnb, as with some other of its fellow peer-to-peer “disruptive” tech solutions, has come under fire from a few...
Conflict and Placemaking: Tactical Urbanism on Nicollet Mall
Earlier this year, the City of Minneapolis broke ground on a $50 million overhaul of Nicollet Mall, a 12-block centerpiece of its downtown. Like...
Could Gentrification Be Changing D.C. Schools for the Better?
While gentrification's benefits and drawbacks have been discussed at length, one aspect has been largely overlooked: its effect on neighborhood schools.
“Inequality Happens?” Hopefully Not
In a recent Rooflines post, Sarah Treuhaft holds up new, reputable data that finds that inequality is not a circumstance of economic success, after all, but that it actually has a dampening effect. Specifically, the widening gap between the poor and lower middle class (households in the bottom 40 percent of the income distribution) and […]
Attitudes Toward Exploited Cities Helped Poison Flint
Flint’s water crisis started long before corrosive river water starting running through its pipes. Though there’s no question that those who signed off on...
Hope…of Curbing Climate Change
When the Environmental Law and Policy Center was founded in Chicago 15 years ago, cell phones that could get clear reception or send images...
Let’s Interrupt History: Racial Equity in a Time of Crisis
Data on the pandemic shows once again the dramatic consequences of racial inequalities. CDFIs must focus on ensuring equity for Black-owned businesses.
Greening Indy’s Redevelopment District
About two miles from downtown Indianapolis is the city’s designated smart growth revitalization district, a distressed area with many vacant properties, including a largely...
Immigration and Community Development Corporations
How do CDCs transform—or not—along with the communities they serve?
This Is How We Should Measure Our Work (And Achieve Economic Justice)
This is Part 6 in a series about the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty. Click here for...
A Love Letter to the Next Decade of Community Development
For a long time, we’ve been too quiet about what’s working and what’s fueling us. But our field has major reasons to be proud; reasons you could miss in the cacophony of daily news.
When the Market Recovers, Smart Growth Will Claim a Larger Share
Even before the recession began, the market for residential and commercial property in the US was changing away from a model of unmitigated suburban...