This is the nation’s first comprehensive portal for information about healthy food access in underserved communities. Created by PolicyLink, The Food Trust, and The Reinvestment Fund with the help of May 8, the new portal has attracted thousands of visitors. The new portal connects community leaders, healthy food retailers, policymakers, and advocates to an extensive … Continue reading Healthy Food Access Portal
may8_admin
Taking Care of Business
Improving Philadelphia’s Small Business Climate Taking Care of Business recommends nine specific actions the City of Philadelphia should take to improve its business climate. Based upon interviews with over one hundred small business owners, non-profit and government leaders, the report begins by asking why small businesses are important to the City’s economic growth, who small … Continue reading Taking Care of Business
No Place Like Home
Philadelphia’s Approach to Foreclosure Preventions Policy Evaluation May 8 details how Philadelphia’s foreclosure prevention model begun in 2008 has worked, how it can be replicated in other cities, and how it can be improved to better serve at-risk homeowners. Philadelphia was one of the first jurisdictions in the country to adopt a new foreclosure prevention … Continue reading No Place Like Home
Vacant Land Management in Philadelphia
The Costs of the Current System and the Benefits of Reform Vacant land has a devastating impact on the neighborhoods and the finances of the City of Philadelphia. Of 40,000 vacant parcels in the City, 30,000 are privately controlled and 10,000 are publicly controlled. Ownership of the public parcels is split among four agencies. In … Continue reading Vacant Land Management in Philadelphia
When Investors Buy Up the Neighborhood
Preventing Investor Ownership from Causing Neighborhood Decline This report by May 8 Consulting and PolicyLink examines the issue of investor purchasing of foreclosed and distressed properties, presents a set of best practices and promising approaches being used in communities to prevent irresponsible investor ownership from leading to neighborhood decline, and makes recommendations about what stakeholders … Continue reading When Investors Buy Up the Neighborhood
Going Mod
Reducing Housing Costs in Philadelphia with Modular Construction Since 2004, May 8 has worked actively with a coalition of Philadelphia non-profit and for-profit organizations to bring down the cost of construction in Philadelphia in order to encourage investment. In the report, Going Mod, May 8 and partners attempt to conclusively determine whether modular construction can … Continue reading Going Mod
Reclaiming Foreclosed Properties for Community Benefit
May 8 helps to bring information to municipalities and states on successful foreclosure recovery strategies. Communities across the country are facing the negative impact of the foreclosure crisis as vacant properties increase and property values plummet. This PolicyLink report, Reclaiming Foreclosed Properties for Community Benefit, highlights promising practices that are already underway for localities looking to stabilize … Continue reading Reclaiming Foreclosed Properties for Community Benefit
Effectively Preserving Philadelphia’s Workforce Housing Stock
May 8 worked with leading state, regional and city housing organizations to create a strategy around preserving Philadelphia’s existing occupied housing. Eighty percent of Philadelphia’s homes are over 40 years old, 12% are in substandard condition and more homes are loss to age and deferred maintenance than to foreclosure. This white paper was the result … Continue reading Effectively Preserving Philadelphia’s Workforce Housing Stock
An Action Plan for the Central Delaware
This action plan defines a set of concrete and doable actions needed to redevelop the underutilized, post-industrial Delaware riverfront. In 2007, Penn Praxis, the clinical arm of the University of Pennsylvania, brought together over 4,000 Philadelphians to create a vision for the future of the portion of the Delaware River that extends from the industrial … Continue reading An Action Plan for the Central Delaware
Pennsylvania Community Revitalization Desktop Guide
Community Revitalization Desktop Guide was created for the State of Pennsylvania in order to provide local government officials with a comprehensive model for community revitalization. The Guide is based upon an analysis of what has worked over thirty years of city and town revitalization efforts. This Desktop Guide shares a detailed three-step process for attracting high-impact … Continue reading Pennsylvania Community Revitalization Desktop Guide