A Holistic Overview of Neighboring We know that people like you want to see the world get better. We want to play a role in ending chronic material poverty, illness, systemic racism, and even the hurts of everyday life. If you’re here, you likely also know that the...
Now that we have 3 City Shapers cohorts fully underway, we’re getting a clearer, first-hand view of what makes an effective City Shapers cohort. You can probably guess a few of them: strong partnerships, a clear geographic focus, flexibility. Relationships and...
You may recall that we have been running six Flourishing Neighborhood Index assessments in neighborhoods across the country, including in our hometown of South Atlanta! One of these neighborhoods was in Cleveland, Tennessee. It’s a community about an hour outside of...
Sense of Place is crucial to neighborhood development. It’s a framework to describe a neighborhood’s character and neighbors’ attachment to it. As you enter a school or local restaurant, you may feel attached to your surroundings. These emotional responses are...
As you know, we have been launching City Shapers cohorts across the country! We recently got back from our second gathering with the Holland City Shapers team. We caught up with Lead Trainer David Park to hear about the progress being made in this city. If YOU are...
You’ve heard us talk about the importance of focusing on Place. In particular, we’ve been explaining the concept of Sense of Place and how it can supercharge neighborhood transformation. Today, we want to talk about related but distinct concepts: rootedness and...
We are celebrating BIG! Our first ever City Shapers cohort has nearly completed the 2-year curriculum. When the City of Bowling Green first approached us, they came with one glaring challenge: the housing crisis. In those early days, we had a lot of conversations to...
Why Sense of Place Matters to Development “A place is only a place.” If you are well-versed in traveling and experiences, you may cast doubt upon author Frank Herbert’s words. They are only true if you deprive a place of its character. Places carry...
You may recall that 18 months ago, we stepped into a tremendous opportunity: we received a $1 million grant to expand the work of the Lupton Center at FCS. Specifically, these funds would empower us to launch City Shapers cohorts in 12 cities over the next few years....