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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Nurturing Diverse Real Estate Developers in the Twin Cities

A Minneapolis Post columnist takes an in-depth look LISC Twin Cities’ Development of Color initiative, which has cultivated a cohort of visionary BIPOC developers committed to making a difference in their communities. The program helps equip them with the tools and resources needed to tackle barriers in their markets, including bridging gaps in accessing equity financing, “a key to broadening who works in real estate,” writes the author. “For these developers of color, there’s the equity gap, and then there’s the equity gap. This program is aimed at solving both of those problems.” The excerpt below was originally published on MinnPost: Twin Cities org gives tools, support to developers of color​​​​​​​ By Bill Lindeke

A Message About Tyre Nichols

Affordable Housing Loss Grows as ‘Qualified Contracts’ Sap Thousands of Housing Credit Units

LISC is pressing Congress and state housing officials to address the troubling effects of QCs, which reduce the amount of rental housing that is available to families with low incomes. " As a country, we can’t afford to let that continue,” write LISC’s Matt Josephs and Michael Skrebutenas, in a new commentary on the issue. "We can’t afford to subsidize affordable housing development for public good only to watch it slip away for private windfall."