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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Building the Skills & Confidence to Land a Good Job: One Woman's Journey

Volunteers of America Texas (VOATX) in Houston is one of more than 40 community-based partners nationwide using LISC’s Bridges to Career Opportunities model. LaSonya Bishop, VOATX’s Regional Director of Workforce, explores what it takes to help unemployed and underemployed people build their skills and find good-paying jobs – a task that is more challenging than ever with the pandemic. She does so through the lens of a Houston resident named Tamara, who overcame addiction and homelessness to graduate from a VOATX training program and get a job as a phlebotomist, which she has maintained since Covid-19 hit our shores. This is just one of many success stories catalyzed by LISC’s partnership with the Citi Foundation.

We Know How to Solve Philly’s Housing Crisis. We Just Need to Do It.

In an op-ed for Philadelphia's NPR affiliate, Andy Frishkoff, ED of LISC Philly, and Nilda Ruiz, a longtime LISC board member and director of Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha, explain how community engagement, combined with intensive investment from federal, state and local entities, can successfully address the affordable housing gap. The way is known; we need to activate the will. 

Building Economic Opportunities in Black Communities: A Netflix Webinar

ICYMI, LISC CEO Maurice A. Jones recently joined Bill Bynum, CEO of HOPE Credit Union, and Shannon Alwyn and Aaron Mitchell of Netflix, for a Netflix webinar on strategies to spark economic opportunity and wealth creation in Black communities. The wide-ranging conversation took place on the heels of a $25 million partnership from Netflix to LISC for investment in Black banks and other entities to ramp up economic activity that benefits Black communities.