The Racial Justice Implications of TOPA: Seizing Preservation Opportunities
A new research brief from LISC Community Research and Impact empirically examines the potential racial equity benefits of COPA (Community Opportunity to Purchase Act) and TOPA (Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act) policies and housing preservation strategies.
“A Gateway for Possibilities”: Resident Leadership and Community Ownership
In this Spotlight for the Institute for Community Power, we look at three leadership development programs designed and implemented by LISC and local partners: Training the Trainers (T4T) in Houston; the Newark Resident Leadership Academy (NRLA); and Community Connectors in Philadelphia. What follows is not a comprehensive evaluation of the programs. Instead, this is meant to serve as a jumping off point for further exploration, identifying some of the key themes and topics that emerged from interviews with participants and tracing some of the impacts the programs had both on participants and their communities.
Spotlight on Resident Voice and Community Ownership
Community development, at its core, helps residents create their own shared future. This concept of self-determination – also known as community ownership – is fundamental to LISC’s work, as we recognize that both our own investments and others from the public and private sector need to be directed by local voices. This Spotlight for the Institute for Community Power highlights contemporary efforts to advance community ownership by bringing residents together to elevate their voices and decision-making abilities. In it, we look at three programs designed and implemented by LISC and local partners: Training for Trainers (T4T) in Houston; the Newark Resident Leadership Academy (NRLA); and Community Connectors in Philadelphia.
Announcing the New Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance Website
The newly launched Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance website celebrates the power of arts and culture in strengthening communities, and offers an abundance of resources for anyone working in creative placemaking or curious about it! Explore the tools and insights initially developed by LISC and our partners, and updated by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Creative Placemaking Technical Assistance team and our many partners. Whether you’re looking to enhance engagement with residents and artists, navigate partnership dynamics, or plan cross-sector initiatives, we invite you to check out our site and join our community dedicated to community development and planning through arts, culture, and creativity!
Spotlight on Inclusive Economic Development Without Displacement
On Wall Street and downtowns around the country, declining in-person work is driving near-record office vacancies, with implications for nearby businesses, the urban tax base, and public services. But on main streets across the country, LISC is addressing some of the same technological and economic changes behind downtown vacancies, to support entrepreneurs of color facing displacement.
Three Models for Inclusive, Community-Led Economic Development Without Displacement
Community-centered economic inclusion initiatives hold important lessons for how to dismantle inequities and promote economic opportunities without displacement. LISC’s local partners in places like Everett, WA, Oakland, CA, and Charlotte, NC are fostering community-led initiatives that promote economic justice with residents and small businesses.