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 Anatomy of an Inclusive—and Successful—Community Partnership: Q&A with Thomas Wyatt

Thomas Wyatt, a researcher, urban planner and 2019 Rubinger Fellow from Flint, Michigan, discusses what it takes to forge cross-sector partnerships that can achieve authentic community change. A prime example: Flint’s University Avenue Corridor Coalition brought residents and institutions together to reduce a neighborhood’s entrenched blight and crime when nothing else could.

What Happens When Workforce Development Meets Industrial District Revitalization

A new white paper from LISC’s Research and Evaluation team shows how revitalizing industrial districts can have an extraordinary impact in creating good jobs, activating neighborhoods and sparking local economies. Case in point: New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard, an inspiring model for disinvested districts across the country.

“I Believe in the Power of Storytelling.” A Q&A with LISC’s Tope Folarin, Whose Novel Debuts this Week

“She told me I could serve her in heaven.” From that powerful opening line in A Particular Kind of Black Man, award-winning author Tope Folarin leads readers through an exploration of identity as seen through the eyes of a first-generation Nigerian-American. Folarin, whose “day job” is as LISC’s vice president of content and storytelling, says the story is relevant not just because of its connection to immigration and race, but because it looks at the way people struggle to build their own personal narratives…to live into their own stories. On the eve of his book tour, he talked about how his work as a novelist intersects with his work at LISC.