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The Center for Community Change
http://www.communitychange.org/
The Center for Community Change is committed to reducing poverty and rebuilding
low income communities. To do this, the Center helps people develop
the skills and resources they need to improve their communities
as well as change policies and institutions that adversely affect
their lives. The Center believes that poor people themselves
- through organizations they control - need to lead efforts to
eliminate poverty.
This page contains descriptions of programs
that the Center has supported.
The Center for Neighborhood Technology
http://www.cnt.org
For more than 20 years, The Center for
Neighborhood Technology has been working at the cutting edge
of sustainable development, inventing programs and strategies
that simultaneously achieve environmental goals and build strong
communities. The Center operates with the belief that urban communities
and regions throughout the country have a unique capacity to
offer a high quality of life to all of their residents, without
compromising the ability of future generations to enjoy a similar
quality of life, by building on existing resources and organizations.
Civil rights groups can read about the
Partnership for Regional Livability on this web site -
a network of Regional Resource Teams committed to creating new
ways to learn and share information both inter- and intra- regionally,
to point to a future where better decisions can be made on a
regional basis. These teams work on a wide variety of issues,
including ways in which inner-city job seekers can be matched
with jobs sprouting in suburbs and the prevention of sprawl into
the countryside An online document archive can also be accessed.
The Congress for the New Urbanism
http://www.cnu.org
The Congress for the New Urbanism views disinvestment in central cities, the spread
of placeless sprawl, increasing separation by race and income,
environmental deterioration, loss of agricultural lands and wilderness,
and the erosion of society's built heritage as one interrelated
community-building challenge.
On their web site, civil rights groups
will find an area devoted to tracking news reports on sprawl,
information about the Inner City task force of the Congress,
a bibliography of sources on sprawl issues, and papers related
to HOPE IV housing and the charter school movement as they relate
to New Urbanism. Civil rights groups can also contact the Congress
in order to request a speaker on issues of urban design, planning,
economics, real estate, and development and education.
Center
on Urban and Metropolitan Policy,
The Brookings Institution
http://www.brook.edu/es/urban/urban.htm
The Center on Urban and Metropolitan
Policy analyzes the effect of government
policies and national trends on cities and metropolitan areas.
An entire section of the website is dedicated to Smart Growth,
and several articles on governance, growth trends, policies,
and politics are listed. Other research topics include transportation,
state & regional analysis, housing, jobs & economy, and
poverty & welfare to name a few examples. The Center has
a number of publications related to each of these topics available
on their website; all of which can be very informative for research.
Titles include: Reviving Cities: Think Metropolitan and The
Death and Life of American Regional Planning.
The Citistates Group
http://www.citistates.com/
The Citistates Group is a network of journalists,
advisers, and speakers committed to equitable and sustainable
metropolitan regions. Their library lists a number of books that
are good references on urban revitalization and regionalism.
The Citistates Group also offers a list of websites that provide
useful information on regionalism and related topics such as
land use, sustainability, and governance reform.
Congress for the New Urbanism
(CNU)
http://www.cnu.org/
CNU teaches architects, planners, and developers
to include regional planning, walkable neighborhoods, and attractive
civic spaces in the creation of cities. These principles are
part of what is called "New Urbanism." Membership in
the organization includes publications, and an invitation to
their annual Congress.
The Enterprise Foundation
http://www.enterprisefoundation.org/
The Enterprise Foundation is a network
of 2,200 organizations across the United States that provides
affordable housing, access to jobs and child care, and safer
streets to low income people. They provide financial assistance
to organizations that are revitalizing local neighborhoods. Enterprise
Network members are able to take advantage of a state legislative
tracking site. This site allows members to track legislation
and regulations being proposed in their state, compare proposed
legislation in their state to proposals in other states, monitor
regulatory proposals and comment periods, and receive notices
of available funding in their state. (This site can be found
under the Policy Information link.)
The Environmental Justice
Resource Center (EJRC)
http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/
The Environmental Justice Resource Center
(EJRC) at Clark Atlanta University
was formed in 1994 to serve as a research, policy, and information
clearinghouse on issues related to environmental justice, race
and the environment, civil rights, facility siting, land use
planning, brownfields, transportation equity, suburban sprawl,
and Smart Growth. The overall goal of the center is to assist,
support, train, and educate people of color, students, professionals,
and grassroots community leaders with the goal of facilitating
their inclusion into the mainstream of environmental decision-making.
The EJRC website provides access to many
of the informative reports and articles produced by the center.
Additionally the EJRC website reports news related to environmental
justice and provides updates on "hot topics." Finally,
the website maintains an up-to-date list of events of interest
to the civil rights and strategic research community.
The
Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities - http://www.fundersnetwork.org/
The Funders' Network for Smart Growth
and Livable Communities was designed
to be an active resource and focal point for foundations, nonprofit
organizations and other partners working together to create opportunities
by positively impacting the environmental, social, and economic
issues exacerbated by suburban sprawl and urban disinvestment.
One aspect of this group's work that could
be valuable to civil rights organizations is information dissemination.
The Network catalogues ongoing efforts nationally and in key
regions; works to improve management of and access to information;
creates synopses and syntheses of critical publications, articles,
talks; tracks developments on the ground; develops materials
for new funders; and disseminates information for the press.
The
Gamaliel Foundation
http://www.gamaliel.org
The Gamaliel Foundation is a faith based international organizing institute.
The foundation is a network of professional community organizers
and key institutional leaders working to rebuild urban areas.
The Gamaliel Network is made up of more than fifty grassroots
organizations in seventeen states. The Foundation teaches community
members how to organize effectively around issues that affect
their lives.
The Gamaliel Foundation's website can provide
civil rights groups with access to the Foundation's tools for
organizing. Additionally, groups can locate members of the Foundation's
extensive network of organizers and institutional leaders. The
Gamaliel Foundation's AMEN Network works to harness the moral
leadership of the faith community in the cause of regional equity
and smart growth.
Good Jobs First (GJF)
http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/gjf.htm
Good Jobs First is a project of the Institute
on Taxation and Economic Policy. GJF tracks best practices in
state and local job subsidies. GJF also collaborates with a number
of organizations to ensure that subsidized businesses are held
accountable for family-wage jobs. Good Jobs First offers a set
of best practices that are related to model legislation, job
quality standards, disclosure, and monitoring and enforcement.
In addition, publications on Smart Growth, sprawl, and economic
development (to name a few examples) are available on their website.
Examples include: Talking to Unions About Smart Growth; Sprawl
and Workforce Development; and Another Way Sprawl Happens: Economic
Development Subsidies in a Twin Cities Suburb.
The Grass Roots Innovative Policy Program (GRIPP)
http://www.arc.org/gripp
The Grass Roots Innovative Policy Program
(GRIPP), which is a program of
the Applied Research Center, bridges policy organizations
and technical assistance intermediaries to support the development
of community-based, progressive policies addressing welfare and
racial equity in public education. GRIPP held a conference on
these issues, as well as on the topic of race and regionalism,
in May 2000, which is described on the web site.
Civil rights groups can access publications
relating to these issues at this web site and download information
about developing policy agendas.
Industrial Areas Foundation
http://www.iafnw.com/about.asp
The IAF works to build large scale, broad
based organizations that are based in Mediating Institutions
such as church, synagogue, mosque, school, environmental, and
civic groups. Papers such as Future of Broad Based Organizing
and Reveille: Steps Into Sustainable Equity are available
on their website.
Institute for Community
Economics (ICE)
http://www.iceclt.org/
ICE works with groups across the country
to establish local community land trusts (CLT). CLT's are an
innovative approach in providing affordable housing, increasing
home ownership, and encouraging community revitalization. ICE
provides two basic services to CLT's and community organizations:
financial assistance and technical assistance. A number of technical
manuals on affordable housing and community economic development
issues are available for a small fee on their website. For instance,
The Community Land Trust Legal Manual is available on
their website.
The Institute for Local
Governance and Regional Growth
http://regional-institute.buffalo.edu/institute/institute.html
The Institute for Local Governance and
Regional Growth contributes to
and supports regional planning, government efficiency, economic
development, service delivery,
and other areas crucial to the region's vitality. The Institute
also serves as a coordinator and point of contact for a number
of programs related to issues of regional study, analysis and
development.
Civil rights groups can engage with others
on the topic of regionalism at this web site's online discussion
board. Also, publications and reports on sprawl and regionalism
are available at the site.
Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights (LCCR)
http://www.civilrights.org/lccr/
LCCR is a coalition of over 185 organizations
that work to represent persons of color, women, children, labor
unions, individuals with disabilities, older Americans, major
religious groups, gays and lesbians and civil liberties and human
rights groups.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
http://www.ruralisc.org/
LISC works to build the capacity of rural
community development organizations by providing training, technical
support, financial support, and by forging alliances. LISC also
publishes Unharvested Bounty, which focuses on individuals
and community developers are working together to face challenges
of rural America. This publication can be downloaded from their
website. Links to other organizations that can offer resources
to rural community developers are also provided.
The Metropolitan Area Research Corporation
(MARC)
http://www.metroresearch.org
The Metropolitan Area Research Corporation
(MARC) is a non-profit research
and geographic information systems (GIS) firm that serves the
public interest, government, philanthropy, academia, and private
research institutions. MARC's expertise lies in presenting cutting
edge demographic research through the striking spatial display
of data. MARC's objective is to study growing social and economic
disparity and sprawl in metropolitan areas, and to assist individuals
and groups in fashioning local remedies.
The MARC website provides access to research projects and regional
maps produced by the organization. The website has press updates
on current issues and links to various organizations that do
research around issues of regional equity and sprawl.
National Congress for Community Economic Development
(NCCED)
http://www.ncced.org/
NCCED is a trade association, and is committed
to the community based development industry. They advocate for
and serve the community through public policy research, education,
publications, trainings, conferences, and technical assistance.
Advocates can take advantage of their policy link, which provides
information on current legislation, legislative alerts, a record
of key votes, and information on the legislative process and
how to communicate with legislative staff. In addition, NCCED
provides information on state and federal elected officials.
The Media Guide also offers information on local and national
newspapers, magazines, broadcasters, and radio stations. The
information is very thorough, and easy to access.
National Economic Development
& Law Center (NED&LC)
http://www.nedlc.org/
NED&LC is a legal and planning resource
center that collaborates with community organizations to build
local capacity to achieve greater development. They offer a Community
Building Program that works with residents to design and implement
their own community revitalization plan. In addition, advocates
can take advantage of their publications, which are broken down
by category. The publications are sold for a small fee. NED&LC
also provides a Pro Bono Legal Program, which has programs that
serve organizations in California.
The National League of Cities
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/
The mission is to strengthen and promote
cities as centers for opportunity, leadership, and governance.
The National League of Cities has implemented a Campaign to Promote
Racial Justice. The Campaign is meant to encourage local leaders
to engage their communities in exploring the issue of race relations.
The National League of Cities also has programs in affordable
housing, municipalities in transition, and poverty reduction
and workforce development. The website also allows advocates
to research federal legislation, and legislation by state.
The National Neighborhood
Coalition (NNC)
http://www.neighborhoodcoalition.org
The National Neighborhood Coalition
(NNC) serves as a crucial link
to Washington for neighborhood and community-based organizations
and an important networking resource for representatives of regional
and national organizations involved in community development,
housing and a wide range of other neighborhood issues. The NNC
holds monthly forums on neighborhood issues, produces a newsletter
about neighborhood issues, serves as a public policy advocate
for neighborhood organizers, and acts an educational and information
clearinghouse.
Reports from the NNC monthly forums include
topics such as "Emerging Neighborhood Markets" and
"Smart Growth for Neighborhoods: Affordable Housing and
Regional Vision." Issue updates, informative reports, event
calendars and numerous relevant links can also be found on the
NNC website.
PolicyLink - http://www.policylink.org
PolicyLink
is a national advocacy, research, capacity building, and communications
organization that seeks to enlarge the sphere of influence that
affects policy so that those closest to the nation's challenges
are central to the search for their solutions. The pursuit of
equity must be guided by the wisdom, voice and experience of
local constituencies.
PolicyLink
advocates community based regionalism, which is defined as grassroots
efforts to achieve equity within a regional context. Civil rights
groups can find numerous publications on community based regionalism
and equity on this web site, as well as links to other equity-minded
organizations that view community problems through a regional
lens.
Smart Growth America
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com/
Smart Growth America is a coalition of a number of different advocacy
organizations that work on all government levels. They promote
the healthy development of communities through affordable housing,
the protection of farmland and open space, and the preservation
of historic and scenic resources. Smart Growth America has a
link to Smart Growth Online. The resource library on Smart Growth
Online is a searchable catalogue with reports, websites, tools,
and case studies that could be helpful to advocates.
The
Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse
http://www.sprawlwatch.org/
The Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse identifies, collects, compiles, and disseminates
information on the best land use practices in place across the
country. On the web site are monographs on sprawl-related issues,
links to publications and sites that deal with specific issues
like race and public health, and updates on state and federal
legislation. Additionally, civil rights groups can search state-by-state
for key land-use laws, as well as local organizations and media
focusing on smart growth and sprawl.
Surface
Transportation Policy Project (STPP)
http://www.transact.org/
STPP works to ensure diversified transportation
systems, and emphasizes the need for people to have access to
jobs, services, and recreational opportunities. The STPP website
provides an advocates toolbox for transportation advocates. This
toolbox includes information on effective programs, generating
media, and lessons on how to use data and information. The tools
are meant to help advocates deliver effective messages on transportation
reform and livable communities. STPP also provides links to articles
such as: Driven to Spend: The Impact of Sprawl on Transportation
Expenses; Easing the Burden: Congestion and Transportation Choice;
and Changing Direction: Federal Transportation Spending
in the 1990s.
The Urban Habitat Program
http://www.igc.apc.org/uhp
The Urban Habitat Program has played a leadership role in broadening environmental
justice's national agenda. At the metropolitan regional scale
- through actions, networking, conferences, publications, teaching,
and advocacy - UHP has assisted over a hundred organizations
working on environmental justice issues: health, food security,
recycling, energy, military base conversion, arts and culture,
education, immigration and population, parks and open space.
The UHP has begun a Sprawl & Justice
Campaign, which involves convening key regional stakeholders
and analyzing the policies that create sprawl and undermine the
health of urban communities and older, inner suburbs. UHP states
that the campaign will ensure that communities of color and poor
people are full partners in the search for solutions to sprawl,
leading the struggle for a sustainable and just metropolitan
region.
Civil rights groups can access on this
web site issues of Race, Poverty and the Environment, a quarterly
newsletter providing a voice for social and environmental justice.
The
Woodstock Institute
http://www.woodstockinst.org/
The Woodstock Institute, a Chicago nonprofit incorporated in 1973, works
locally and nationally to promote community reinvestment and
economic development in lower-income and minority communities.
Civil rights groups can download reports
on job sprawl and residential segregation in the Chicago region,
as well as papers on a wide variety of topics, such as liquorlining,
enterprise zones, and homeownership rates for people of color.
Working
for America Institute/AFL-CIO
http://www.workingforamerica.org/
The Working for America Institute is dedicated
to retaining, expanding, creating good jobs, and building stronger
communities. Among other initiatives, they support regional/sectoral
partnerships, economic development, and education. The website
has a list of funding opportunities, which advocates may be able
to take advantage of. |
