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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LISC + Lowe’s: A COVID Response That Buoyed 2,782 Small Businesses

Over the past 10 months, a $55 million commitment from Lowe’s enabled LISC to deploy emergency relief and resiliency grants to nearly 2,782 small businesses, mostly minority- and women-owned enterprises, in rural and urban communities all across the country. That translates into thousands of livelihoods, jobs and business ecosystems still intact through the economic fallout of the pandemic.

“A Heart for Responding to Challenges” and a Commitment to Small Business Recovery: Q&A with Janice Dupré of Lowe’s

Janice Dupré is executive vice president of human resources for Lowe’s. In the interview that follows, she talks about what motivated Lowe’s to make its extraordinary $55 million commitment for small business relief grants, and she describes why the company intentionally prioritized small businesses that face barriers to capital access, including those located in rural communities and led by diverse owners, including women.

Justice for George Floyd

The historic murder and manslaughter convictions of Derek Chauvin are a welcome signal of justice for George Floyd, for Black communities long victimized by police violence, and for everyone who wants to live in an authentically safe, just and equitable America. The work of building an anti-racist justice system and healing communities, though, has far to go. LISC is committed to it for the long haul.