Building Sustainable Communities

Opportunity, Prosperity and Connection

The next stage of community development—what we call Building Sustainable Communities—is based on what we’ve learned over the past 20 years, including our efforts to build affordable housing and revitalize commercial corridors. It aims at long-term prosperity and improved quality of life for residents. In short, it creates opportunity.

For people to raise their incomes, build wealth, and enjoy a good life, neighborhoods have to provide not only quality homes and jobs but good education and healthcare, safety, and a healthy environment. And all residents need a fair chance to participate in the redevelopment process to sustain positive change over time.

Twin Cities LISC is concentrating its Building Sustainable Communities demonstration in five areas: the East Side and neighborhoods that surround University Avenue in St. Paul; Minneapolis’ Southside and Northside, and Hopkins.

This work deepens community engagement, promotes more holistic strategies, and provides accountability among partners all within five goals set forth by LISC:

• » Expand capital investment in housing and other real estate development
• » Increase family income, wealth, and employment
• » Stimulate local economic activity and connections to the regional economy and beyond
• » Improve access to quality education
• » Support healthy environments and lifestyles

Building Sustainable Communities will intensify our role as partnership broker and convener. We need to support a larger cross section of people for better coordinated, more comprehensive planning and implementation. That will include more participation by businesses, corporations, and a wider range of nonprofit and government organizations. It also means that we will continue our focus on making certain that community development’s benefits are enjoyed by all residents without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status.

To see how comprehensive community development works on the ground, take a look at the profile of the Twin Cities, featured in national LISC’s annual report.

On the national level, LISC is sharing a Building Sustainable Communities framework with policymakers to urge more integration of issues in domestic policy that affects low-income communities.