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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The $2.1B Ripple Effect of a Partnership to Support Small Business

An article in Black Enterprise highlights Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund, through which LISC received more than $15M to make grants to small businesses serving low-income communities and communities of color during the pandemic—including Washington D.C. tailor Julius Lofton. Those investments have leveraged a massive $2.1 billion in impact for business owners, and local economies, nationwide, according to a new study.

“What Rural Means to Me”: Q+A with Nadia Villagrán, Director of Rural LISC

Nadia Villagrán, Rural LISC’s new leader, brings a lifetime of rural experience, and a career’s worth of know-how in rural development, to the job (not to mention eight years in various roles on the team she now leads). In the following Q+A, she shares her vision for the work, her insights into the special challenges for rural, and the reasons her childhood in the Arizona countryside still guide her approach to making impact.

Nigel Roberts Takes the Helm at LISC Memphis

LISC has named a community development leader with deep experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to expand its work in Memphis. P. Nigel Roberts will lead investment and program strategies that build equity and opportunity in underserved Memphis communities.