An Open Streets Family Reunion: Reflections from the 2018 Open Streets Summit

By Ryan O’Connor, Director of Programs, 8 80 Cities Recently 8 80 Cities wrote a blog post about open streets being a labour of love. That being the case, the 2018 Open Streets Summit in New Orleans felt like a family reunion of sorts. It was rejuvenating to see old and new friends who share our passion for open streets and are working tirelessly to create healthier, happier, and more connected communities across the world. The event, which took place on September 15-16, brought together more than 50 leaders who currently organize open streets programs or are interested in bringing the...

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Open Streets Summit Draft Agenda

We hope you are getting ready and feel excited about the Open Streets Summit in Gretna/New Orleans! Taking place from September 15-16, 2018, the Summit will feature tours, presentations and networking opportunities with open streets champions and organizers from across the continent. Attendees will learn about the nuts and bolts of starting or scaling up open streets programs, including: Route design and planning Partnerships with business and officials Social inclusion Safety and logistics Marketing and promotion Program evaluation through measurable goals and metrics If you haven’t done it yet, click here to register for the Open Streets Summit only or...

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Open Streets Summit Speakers Announced!

The Open Streets Project is proud to announce that Ed Solis from Viva Calle (San Jose, CA), Romel Pascual from CicLAvia (Los Angeles, CA), Jaymie Santiago and Charles Brown from New Brunswick Ciclovia will join us as speakers for the 2018 Open Streets Summit in New Orleans and Gretna! Taking place from September 15-16 2018, the Summit will feature: Behind the scenes tour of the City of Gretna’s inaugural open streets program. Workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities with open streets champions and organizers from across the continent. Training and inspiration for both -novice and experienced- open streets organizers and supporters...

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Meet the 2020 Rubinger Fellows: Ten Local Leaders Breaking Down Barriers

This year’s winners of the Michael Rubinger Community Fellowship award, the third cohort since the program’s inauguration in 2017, are passionately committeed to leveling barriers that stand in the way of equity for our country’s most vulnerable populations. The fellowship will enable each of the ten community leaders to pursue a cutting-edge project that furthers their personal and professional missions. “It is critical that local expertise and engagement are not just quietly nurtured but actively and persistently supported,” said Michael Rubinger, LISC’s former CEO for whom the fellowship is named, adding that this year’s fellows demonstrate, loud and clear, “the capacity to push the boundaries of the community development field so it can do more, do it faster and do it better.”

Community Wise Podcast: Do Words Matter?

In this episode, Maurice is joined by Esther Udehi, a member of LISC’s Emerging Leaders Council and a PhD candidate at the Wharton School. Esther and Maurice discuss how language choices affect our interactions with people and the communities where we work. By putting personhood before circumstance and choosing words that do not further stigmatize, we can bring about real change and support greater inclusion.

“It Has To Start With the Children”: Q&A With Juanita Woods

Rubinger Fellow Juanita Woods is a community development practitioner and city council member in Monroe, LA who specializes in helping people skill up to take on living-wage jobs with local employers. She spoke with LISC about her fellowship project to provide apprenticeships for young people, the challenges of wealth-building in historically underserved communities, and the inspiration she gets from empowering youth on their life journeys.