RESOURCES
Columbus and Olde Towne East
Columbus, Ohio
Find out more about the city at the official site of Columbus, Ohio.
Olde Towne East
Find out more about Olde Towne East -- the history, local events, and restoration efforts -- at the site of the Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association.
Near East Area Commission
Created by Columbus City Council in 1979, the Near East Area Commission advocates for and serves the residents and citizens who live and work within the boundaries of the Near East area.
Columbus Urban League
An affiliate of the National Urban League founded in 1918, the Columbus Urban League works to forge relationships among community stakeholders and create strategies and methods that resolve community concerns.
Columbus, Ohio, Tops the List of Best Cities for Black Families
After a six-month study of U.S. cities with the highest percentage of African American residents, BET.com named Columbus, Ohio, as the number one city for Black families. (October 2002)
The Wexner Center
The Wexner Center is a contemporary arts center at The Ohio State University dedicated to the presentation and creation of new work in visual arts, performing arts, and film and video.
Gentrification and Equitable Development
The Housing Puzzle (PDF File)
The Ford Foundation offers a series of articles, including a look at public housing in Chicago and community-based responses to gentrification in Austin, Texas, and Brooklyn, New York.
Dealing with Neighborhood Change: A Primer on Gentrification and Policy Choices (PDF File)
This paper commissioned by the Brookings Institution offers an in-depth review of the complex issue of gentrification -- from findings and analyses developed during the gentrification wave of the '70s and '80s, to the myriad ways that current and "original" residents view gentrification, to the wide range of ways gentrification pressures play out in different cities, to strategies for equitable development.
NeighborWorks
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, local NeighborWorks organizations and Neighborhood Housing Services of America make up the NeighborWorks system, which has successfully built healthy communities for 26 years. "Flag Wars" filmmaker Linda Goode Bryant speaks at the upcoming NeighborWorks Training Institute in April 2005.
Equitable development
In an effort to counter the polarizing effects of debates over gentrification, PolicyLink expands the discussion to focus on equitable development, examining the most successful strategies developed in communities around the country.
The Center for Community Change
This private, non-profit organization is committed to reducing poverty and rebuilding low-income communities. Visit their website to find out more about their programs and initiatives to help grassroots organizations and other community-based organizations around the country.
Housing
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD is the primary government agency responsible for creating opportunities for homeownership, providing assistance for low-income persons and communities. Their website provides a wealth of resources for citizens including houses-for-sale listings (their most popular page), streaming training videos and many other resources in English and Spanish.
The National Housing Institute
NHI examines the issues causing the crisis in housing and community in America and publishes their findings in their bi-monthly magazine, Shelterforce, which is available on their website. The June/July 2003 issue of "Shelterforce" will feature excerpts from our Beyond Gentrification Roundtable feature.
The Joint Center for Housing Studies
Harvard University's center for information and research on housing analyzes the dynamic relationships between housing markets and economic, demographic and social trends. Access this site for a plethora of downloadable publications about these issues going back to 1997.
The National Housing Conference
The NHC is a membership association that advocates for national policies and legislation that promote suitable housing in a safe, decent environment across the nation for all citizens. The Affordable Housing Clearinghouse offers links to assist you in obtaining information on a variety of housing related topics.
National Housing Law Project
A national housing and legal advocacy center, the Project seeks to advance housing justice by providing specialized legal assistance, advocacy advice and housing expertise to other attorneys, low-income housing advocacy groups and others who serve the poor.
The Fannie Mae Foundation
This private, non-profit foundation is committed to creating affordable homeownership and housing opportunities across the United States. Download their free step-by-step guides -- available in nine languages -- for first-time homeowners, or other publications at this helpful site.
The Tenants Union
With links to hundreds of tenant organizations throughout the United States, The Tenants Union is a non-profit membership organization which serves as a center for information, training and action for tenants' rights.
Historic Preservation
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Download a number of documents and publications from this website, including a copy of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the citizen's guide to protecting historic properties. The NHPA, passed in 1966, established the national goals for historic preservation.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust has been compiling a list of America's most endangered historic places since 1988. Find out what made this year's list. Homeowners should visit the "historic homeowners" area of the site to get advice for restoring a historic house.
The National Register of Historic Places
Stop in here before your next road trip to check this official list of America's cultural resources worthy of preservation and the guide to historic districts around the country.
Urban Planning and Policy
National Geographic Magazine: The American Dream -- Urban Sprawl
Read an excerpt from this 2001 article about unchecked development and the debate surrounding the concept of "smart growth." Explore a "new urbanist" neighborhood in their virtual suburb.
Smart Growth Network
Find out more about the concept of "smart growth" at this informative website. In addition to a full breakdown of smart growth principles and issues, you can access a number of related articles in the library area.
Cyburbia.org
This comprehensive urban planning portal site covers urban development from Buffalo to the Three Gorges Dam in China, literally. Based at the University of Buffalo's Urban Planning Department, cyburbia.org strives to cover it all. Visit the site and read up on current news, do some "threadspotting" in their active discussion area or conduct some research in their helpful resource directory.
The Enterprise Foundation
The Enterprise Foundation is a network of nonprofit community-based organizations, public housing authorities, and Native American Tribes from around the country dedicated to rebuilding communities and insuring that all low-income people in the United States have the opportunity for fit and affordable housing and to move up and out of poverty into the mainstream of American life. In 1999, The Enterprise Foundation became the first nonprofit organization to build 100,000 homes for low-income families.
Knowledgeplex.org
Developed by the Fannie Mae Foundation in partnership with other organizations, knowledgeplex.org is an online resource for practitioners, scholars, and policy makers to share knowledge about the affordable housing and community development field, build relationships, and shape the future of American communities.
Planning Commissioners Journal
This national publication for citizen planners features articles on planning and land use issues, ideas on how planning boards can work better, and comprehensive explanations of basic planning law principles.
Community Mapping and GIS
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Find out more about the use of GIS software in community mapping.
Greenmap.com
The Green Map System is a globally connected, locally adaptable eco-cultural program for community sustainability. Mapmakers of all ages from all over the world have mapped their communities to promote the environmentally significant places and projects in their hometowns. There are now over 200 maps featured on the site.
Also on PBS and NPR
POV Websites
POV's Borders: Talking with CAAAV
POV interviews the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV) about how they are dealing with community changes in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York City. (2002)
PBS.org Websites
Online NewsHour: New Urbanism
A special report on the return to the traditional neighborhood design and a re-evaluation with America's 50-year love affair with "spread-out, car-centered suburbs." (2000)
Online NewsHour: Dream Houses
Many residents of Burlington, Vermont who earn the median salary cannot afford to buy or rent a median-priced house or apartment -- and the disparity continues to grow with the housing market boom. What does this mean on a national level? Housing experts Wendell Cox and Susan Popkin answer your questions. (2002)
Independent Lens: Downside Up
What happens when the smallest, poorest town in Massachusetts teams up with art world luminaries to build a modern art museum? Can big city conceptual artists and blue-collar natives find common ground and a common cause? (2003)
People Like Us: Social Class in America
How do income, family background, education, attitudes, aspirations, and even appearance mark someone as a member of a particular social class? (2001)
NewsHour: How We Live: Philadelphia
As part of the ongoing "How We Live" series, Ray Suarez takes a look at the effort to rebuild old neighborhoods in Philadelphia. (2002)
PBS Shows
This Old House
Tips and advice for all handymen and handywomen at this beautiful site.
NPR Stories
NPR: Housing First, A Special Report
In the yearlong special reporting project, "Housing First," NPR News explores the housing dilemmas of Americans with special needs -- and how lack of housing can stymie their efforts to join mainstream society. (2002)
All Things Considered: Chicago Gentrification
When commentator John Green moved to Chicago, he moved to Wicker Park -- with all the other hip 20-somethings. But the older, richer people weren't far behind, and they changed the neighborhood. So he moved to their turf -- the Gold Coast -- and he encourages other Generation Y-ers to do the same to slow the gentrification of their neighborhoods. (2003)
All Things Considered: Dot Com Backlash
Artists and Latino residents in San Francisco's Mission District are taking a theatrical approach to the problem of gentrification in their neighborhood. Alex Cohen of Member Station KQED reports.
(2000)
A Neighborhood in Transition: Gentrification's Dull Roar
NPR examines the process of gentrification through the changes taking place in Alberta, a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon.