Baltimore Continues To Revitalize Inner Harbor With Residential Park
The revitalization of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor began in fits and starts as early as the late 1950s by Mayor Thomas J. D’Alesandro, Jr. Though technically a ‘harbor,’ the specific area known as the Inner Harbor was always too shallow for ocean-bound vessels, oven those built in the early nineteenth century. The Inner Harbor thus served as a rump of warehouses and cheap housing for laborers who had to travel a couple of miles east to get to the docks holding the big cargo ships. Almost as soon as the last medium-sized ships stopped coming into the eastern/inner harbor in the late 1950s, work went into finding other uses for the space. The first round of improvements mostly consisted of tearing things down and creating open spaces that could be used when necessary, but hardly grounds (no pun intended) for economic vitality. Rebuilding came in the 1980s, with a focus on tourism and attractions (the National Aquarium, Harbor Place Hotels, a myriad of restaurants, and the Maryland Science Center. Most of this rebuilding was along the eastern rim of the shallow harbor, but housing took a bit longer to enjoy a similar renaissance.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Greening, Local/Maryland, News and Current Affairs, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Possible New Role For Pollution Credits: Lowering Runoff Into The Chesapeake Bay
The idea for a carbon tax to create a carbon credit market seems politically a dead letter in the current economic crisis, but the idea that credits could be traded for those who are able to achieve stated limits on pollution still might have some influence. A micro-economy has been suggested for the Chesapeake Bay region, with pollutant run-off being the currency that might be traded. The Foundation Center gives us access to a report on how such an exchange might be developed, how it might improve conditions in the bay, and perhaps how it could be used successfully to deal with other pollutants.
Popularity: unranked | Category Climate Change, Greening, Local/Maryland, Politics, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore Finding Ways To Urban Renewal That Do Not Adversely Dislocate
In so many ways Baltimore spent much of the second half of the twentieth century as a city that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory: A vibrant industrial and trading city with a notable financial sector as well (in the decade after World War II), a city of some 2 million people who enjoyed the second most extensive trolley-car network in the US, a city with a pennant-winning baseball team (Yes, it was that long ago…). But by the late 1960s, the city was riven with racial violence, ‘white flight,’ and the secretly organized dismantling of much of its public transport for the sake of union jobs in a GM plant (now greatly reduced and outside the city). Needless, to say, the Orioles remain comfortably buried in the cellar of the AL East. Fortunately, he most recent efforts to revitalize the city, with the overwhelming input of Johns Hopkins University (disclaimer: the blogger is a graduate of said institution), are drawing support, ever-growing funds, and even praise — all of which deserve our attention.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Grants and Funding, Local/Maryland, News and Current Affairs, Politics, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Perspectives: Bernell Grier, CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City
Bernell Grier, CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC
The board of directors of the Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City recently appointed interim chief executive officer Bernell Grier as the CEO of the organization. Ms. Grier has built up an impressive resume as a banker having over her career serving as EVP, Retail Community Banking; SVP Middle Marketing Lending; Community Development Director; and credit program co-manager – all before moving full time to NHS of NYC. As COO, Bernell helped steer the NHS offices in New York City’s five boroughs through the rough waters of the collapsing housing market, and has continued to work to expand NHS’s base of donors and projects. We had the pleasure of talking with her on a bright June morning in midtown Manhattan before her full docket of business got under way.
Bernell’s career trajectory is a wonderful example of how preparation and consideration can meet serendipity, as she has moved between the corporate and nonprofit worlds with ease, a smile, and a strong sense of calling to community. Her first job as a teenager living in Harlem, New York, was as a Community Outreach Coordinator with “Neighborhood Board No. One.” She began with a plan to teach mathematics in the very public school system that gave her the good start she enjoyed, so she went to City College of New York for teacher accreditation in education and math. The need for a summer job took her to Chase Bank Manhattan, where her people-skills were already evident enough that she was offered a spot in management training. One is tempted here to say “And the rest is history.” But ‘the rest’ is where it gets interesting.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit, Revitalization, interview | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
NeighborWorks Week Draws To Successful Close
The NeighborWorks Week (June 5-12) that just finished (and that we promoted a couple of weeks ago) focused on educating homeowners to the danger signs of mortgage-assistance scams and predatory loan practices. According to the NeighborWorks website, “NeighborWorks America and local NeighborWorks organizations held more than 320 community revitalization and 150 loan modification scam awareness events nationwide.” Not surprisingly, one of the bigger shows of force was in New York City, where the issue was put up in lights. Literally.
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Harvard Study Argues for Jobs, Then Houses – Which Is The Cart?
Can unemployed afford one of these?
The financial crisis that began in earnest in 2007 and came to a head in 2008 has driven up unemployment to the highest point it has been since the Great Depression. Even with this statistic, though, we might want to appreciate how much has changed and how different the scale is (admittedly, cold comfort for the unemployed): For much of the 1930s unemployment was above 15%, and at its worst unemployment was north of 20%. The worst unemployment figures for the ‘Great Recession’ just got past 10% in the winter months of 2009. No one makes light of even 7% unemployment, and as we have recently commented upon, the recent uptick in employment this past spring is not likely to last the next month.
The smart money has been to argue that the bursting of the housing bubble brought about unemployment, and thus a rise the housing market will stimulate job growth and lead toward economic upswing. But a recent study from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies strengthens the arguments of those who say the collapse of the housing market might have pulled us down, but it can not pull us up. Who could buy a new home, thus stimulate the market in question, if they are unemployed from the millions of jobs lost in other sectors of the economy?
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore’s ‘Parks And People’ Plans Organizing Efforts for Block Projects
We wanted to remind you of an informative and important meeting sponsored by Baltimore‘s Parks and People Foundation this May 13th. We tweeted the event a day or so ago, but it is worth a posting here as well. The Parks and People Foundation has been hosting a series of meetings and workshops entitled ‘Community Greens Workshop Series’ meant to get folks engaged at the local and neighborhood level to restore and upkeep green areas and small parks. The meeting on the thirteenth concerns the efforts needed to make such engagement practical and profitable for the community. It is being held at Monroe Street United Methodist Church
400 S. Monroe St., Baltimore City .
Want to do more in your neighborhood but don’t know where to begin? Learn tips for organizing your block project, generating volunteers, and building leadership. Come with questions! Please RSVP to Sarah at 410-448-5662 x128
The keynote speaker is Ellen Burke, Partner at City Life Historic Properties, LLC. She is also Vice President for the Baltimore Community Developers Association and honored as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in business and philanthropic concerns. She will be discussing some of the tools of communication and community organizing.
She will be joined by Kate Herrod, Director of Community Greens, who will be discussing the value of such projects as alley gating and greening. Baltimore City has a hidden treasure of small green spaces and urban micro-parks (my term). These tend to be off the city administration’s radar (especially during a recession), but are a life-affirming quality in their neighborhoods. Ms. Herrod will offer advice on keeping them green and the community engaged in their upkeep.
Once inspired by what you learn at the workshop, or if you are already inspired but can not make it on the 13th, be sure to check out their Calendar of Events and follow the Foundation on Twitter. MKCREATIVE already follows their good works, and we hope to see you at one of their May meetings.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Education: General, Greening, Local/Maryland, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
EcoFest Success and Green Construction in Baltimore
EcoFest Drum Circle
Baltimore GreenWorks pulled off another great EcoFest (the first being in 2005) this past week! Weather was a bit cool, but sunny and the MKCREATIVE team members who attended this small gathering had a great time. Many folks came out to enjoy good food, music, and bonding. A number of eco-engaged sponsors and merchants were there as well, which made a great reminder of how public interest and private enterprise can work together for the enrichment of both. (more…)
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Greening, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
The Weight of Long-Term Unemployment According to Pew Trust
Many of us are fortunate enough to read (or write) these tweets and blog postings from work, yet the topic of this Monday’s post concerns the ongoing effects of longer-term unemployment. We noted in late January an article in The Atlantic magazine on the fundamental and difficult-to-realign economic and social ramifications of long-term unemployment. The dangers go beyond the people looking for work, as families and neighbors can get pulled into downward social and psychological struggles. The Pew Economic Policy Group have just published a white paper entitled “A YEAR OR MORE: The high Cost of Long-Term Unemployment,” which puts some hard numbers on the kinds of trends discussed in the Atlantic article.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Recent Developments in MA Show Economic Opportunities and Pressures on Community Housing
The Neighborhood Housing Service of Springfield Massachusetts has recently sponsored the building of low-income modular homes in their Old Hill neighborhood. The project is notable for at least two great reasons: First, the Springfield NHS built the homes on what had been ‘trash strewn vacant lots,’ so the entire community enjoys aesthetic and economic boosts. Second, the modular buildings used for the homes have inspired the NHS board to “work strictly in modular … we’re very pleased with the quality of the work.” Thus even low-cost housing will include bamboo-wood floors (bamboo being easily sustainable/replaceable) and central heating and air. A growing market in such modular housing could help keep prices down, even as further improvements are made.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Banking & Finance, Community, News and Current Affairs, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
A Conversation with Steve Frillmann, Executive Director, Green Guerillas
A community garden created by local residents with the help and support of Green Guerillas
Each month we look at a marketing challenge faced by many of our clients. This month the issue is when, or if, to switch from print to web-based and social media, and we chose to present it through the eyes of one of our clients. We recently spoke with Steve Frillmann, executive director of Green Guerillas, a nonprofit organization that supports hundreds of community gardens (and gardeners) in New York City.
We’ve been working with the Green Guerillas for more than 12 years, a relationship that began when Marco Kathuria volunteered as a muralist/photographer/videographer for a project working with children to create colorful murals within community gardens in New York City. Out of that relationship came a realization of a “shared DNA” – a commitment to enrich the lives of city residents, one neighborhood at time. The collaboration with the Green Guerillas evolved into the creation of the organization’s graphic identity and communications toolkit. The marketing mix and the strategic direction it has taken has evolved over the years as a result of the close collaboration between MKCREATIVE and Steve Frillmann.
We began our conversation by asking Steve to give us his perspective on how he sees the Internet:Direct Mail mix for his own organization, considering that converting one’s communications from print to Internet is all the rage in business and nonprofit circles. But how useful is a great website if the bulk of your constituents visit the Web infrequently, or never? (more…)
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Greening, Revitalization, Sustainability, Urban Farming, interview | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
NeighborWorks Offers $119 Million For Community Development
After yesterday’s report about the trickle of federal recovery aid being used to assist mortgage holders on the brink of foreclosure, we can return to the topic of the housing crisis with some much better news. NeighborWorks America has announced that it will be distributing $119 million in grants for this year. The amount is made up of funds allocated by Congress and by philanthropic donations to the organization. Most of the money will go to regional and local NeighborWorks offices, so homeowners will best be served by working with one of their 237 (and growing) local offices.
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Grants and Funding, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Baltimore And Its Home-Seekers Want 1Gigabit Network
Gus G. Sentementes, tech guru at The Baltimore Sun, has recently reported on the efforts of the Greater Baltimore Committee (with the help of Under Armour, Inc.) to lure Google to bring its one-gigabyte-per-second network to Charm City. We reported on Google’s announcement and Request for Proposals about six weeks ago, and our fair city is now in the hunt. The MKCREATIVE blog reported on the many pluses of the project, though one of limited population scope. But here’s hoping… The faster network could help home shoppers find the houses of their dreams that nanosecond as well. If they are savvy about how to search…
Popularity: unranked | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Local/Maryland, Politics, Revitalization, Technology, Web and Print | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Studies on Health and Family Stability Thru Recession
The ‘Great Recession’ has been with us long enough now that medium-term information is giving policy makers and think tanks information to discuss long-term changes in the American economy and society. We have already reported on a few of these, and more will becoming out over the coming months. Today we look at a report (PDF) by HealthyAmericans.org and a recent article in The Atlantic Monthly magazine. Chilling reading, to be sure, but being well educated on the subject should be a goal of everyone because we are all responsible for our own health and how our health care demands affect others.
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, National/International, News and Current Affairs, Politics, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Stark Figures on Housing in Major Markets
The crash of the housing market might be behind us (although ‘Objects in Mirror May Be Closer Than They Appear’), but the recessionary effects abound, as does the detritus of the houses themselves. So many built on the belief that mortgages could be offered indefinitely, and paid back indefinitely as well. The momentum of the buildup meant that has credit got crunched new homes got finished and now we have a glut. Recent news reports have concentrated on that glut, and we wanted to pass some of the grim statistics to our readers.
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, National/International, Politics, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
‘Top 10 Ways to Use Recovery Funds for Green Buildings’ – Nos.8 & 7
In our ongoing periodic series concerning the best ways to use ARRA funds from the Obama Administration’s recovery package to green existing buildings and to build the next generation of green infrastructure, we turn to numbers 8 and 7 on the list (please see our Archives for previous entries).
Popularity: unranked | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
2010 Non-Profit Technology Conference
Following up on yesterday’s theme of making 2010 a great year for outreach and communications: the 2010 Non-Profit Technology Conference (NTC) is going to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, April 8-10. The conference is at the Omni Hotel in the CNN Center, and registration is now open. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Conference/Congress, Grants and Funding, Marketing, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: How to launch greening projects
Federal economic stimulus has come in many guises, but we at MKCREATIVE want to call attention to those that pertain to housing and to the environment. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (‘ARRA‘) includes numerous opportunities for such work. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Greening, Local/Maryland, National/International, Politics, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush Website Launched
We launched a new website for Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush earlier this week. NHS of East Flatbush revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing. It offers homeownership education, financial assistance and opportunities for community leadership to neighborhood residents. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
Tidying up broken pieces or building a better system?
Banking and investment giants are back before Congress to discuss some of the policies and practices that have led to the collapse of the subprime-loan market and the financial markets generally. According to Dan Roberts of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the CEOs still standing feel sufficiently bullish after their bailout to resist Congressional inquiries. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Texting to raise money for Haitian victims of the earthquake
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti who are struggling for survival after the terrible earthquake of last week. The outpour of support from countries around the world has been one bright spot in the tragedy, and as MKCREATIVE’s mission is to work with non-profits and community-housing groups, we feel especially drawn to the survivors, charity groups, and NGO’s working there to rebuild the country. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Community, Grants and Funding, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Study of Mission Entrepreneurial Entities and strategies for future development
The Affordable Housing Institute recently released its first comparative study of the work of MEEs (‘Mission Entrepreneurial Entities’) in the public housing sector. The study explores the adaptive advantages MEEs have over both purely private/for-profit enterprises and government and social-work entities. It does so by studying the ways MEEs in the US and in Britain have helped improve and revitalize affordable housing for the urban poor, which in turn has helped expand local economies and opportunities for everyone. (more…)
Popularity: 1% | Category Affordable Housing, Marketing, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Christopher Gardner, Ph. D
Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City Website Launched
We launched a new website for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City earlier this month. NHS of NYC revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing. It offers homeownership education, financial assistance and opportunities for community leadership to neighborhood residents. (more…)
Popularity: 4% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
MKCREATIVE begins Website development for Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush
The MKCREATIVE team has begun work on a “refreshed” website for Neighborhood Housing Services of East Flatbush (NHSEF). (more…)
Popularity: 28% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Revitalization, Sustainability | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.
MKCREATIVE begins Website development for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City
The MKCREATIVE team has begun work on a multi-website solution for Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City (NHS NYC).
NHS NYC revitalizes underserved neighborhoods by creating and preserving affordable housing and providing opportunities for homeownership education, financial assistance and community leadership. Working in partnership with government and business, NHS NYC are led by local residents and guided by local needs. (more…)
Popularity: 29% | Category Affordable Housing, Community, Nonprofit, Revitalization | | View Comments
Written by: Marco K.