Karen Black

Strategic Equitable Approach to Housing and Building Code Enforcement in Toledo, Ohio

May 8 and the Center for Community Progress assessed the city’s approach to housing and building code enforcement and offered a series of recommendations to make the system more equitable and effective at preserving affordable privately owned housing and encouraging reuse of vacant properties. Recommendations include decreasing reliance on criminal misdemeanors to encourage owners to … Continue reading Strategic Equitable Approach to Housing and Building Code Enforcement in Toledo, Ohio

Watch Center for Community Progress webinar on prioritizing home repair

Prioritizing Repair Support for Financially Struggling Property Owners April 22, 2021 12:00 – 1:00pm ET | Watch Now Property maintenance was already a challenge for many low-income homeowners prior to today’s heightened unemployment crisis and rising construction costs. These circumstances amplify the need for communities to create, enhance, and expand necessary programming to assist vulnerable property … Continue reading Watch Center for Community Progress webinar on prioritizing home repair

What Works

At May 8 we are big fans of the What Works series of books that come out of Case Western Reserve University and share practical evidence-based guidance on community development practices that work. See our chapter on creating equitable mixed-income neighborhoods that is about to be published in their latest volume.

Anchor-Led Innovation City Case (Winter 2021)

Take a moment to read this in depth City Case co-authored by Karen Black and Bruce Katz exploring how the Cortex Innovation District evolved from a blighted 200 acre former St. Louis industrial site in 2002 to a 6,000 employee economic hub generating $2.1 billion in economic output by 2018.

Cortex Innovation District: A Model for Anchor-led, Inclusive Innovation Released

The Cortex Innovation Community, located in the Central West End of St. Louis, is ranked as one of the top five innovation districts in the world. Founded in 2002 and built within a blighted 200-acre former industrial area, the district generated $2.1 billion in economic output for the St. Louis region in 2018. In February … Continue reading Cortex Innovation District: A Model for Anchor-led, Inclusive Innovation Released