Recognizing the incredible challenges cities face to stabilize neighborhoods struggling with foreclosures and abandonment, Living Cities convened a Neighborhood Stabilization Boot Camp in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Teams representing 12 cities and regions were joined by an array of experts and representatives of financial institutions, government agencies, philanthropy, consultants and experts. They gathered in order to develop new strategies to increase the scale and impact of their neighborhood stabilization efforts. These multidisciplinary city teams were challenged throughout the camp to articulate clear "end-game" neighborhood outcomes and broaden their strategies and tactics to influence real estate markets rather than just "aiming low" for limited site control by rehabbing a modest number of homes. They were encouraged to engage players they have traditionally ignored, avoided or even viewed as adversaries--all in support of a disciplined "road map" to ambitious results.
Frank Alexander, Professor of Law at Emory University School, gave Sunday’s keynote address over dinner and emphasized the importance of treating neighborhood stabilization as a broad goal that goes beyond fixing up a limited number of homes. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter joined the boot camp as part of his city's delegation and offered an insightful keynote to kickoff an engaging lunch discussion with HUD Assistant Secretary Mercedes Márquez. Assistant Secretary Márquez took detailed questions from attendees, and spoke candidly with participants, responding to issues ranging from the technical details of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) to the future of HUD and its community development programs. On the last night, Harvard professor and former Indianapolis Mayor Steve Goldsmith challenged participants to organize their efforts around the "public value" they would bring. He also encouraged attendees to think about the social networks necessary to drive change.
The Boot Camp Coordinator was BWB Solutions, in partnership with Enterprise Community Partners. Lead funding for the camp was provided by the Rockefeller Foundation. Participating teams included representatives from the following cities/regions: Baltimore, Cleveland/Cuyahoga County, Denver, Los Angeles, Massachusetts (Boston, Dorcester, and Chelsea), Michigan (Detroit, Calhoun County and Battle Creek), New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, South Florida.
