20 Organizations or Communities Building More Sustainable Neighborhoods

There are numerous examples of communities and organizations that have begun the transition to more sustainable models. Below are some  prominent examples:

• The East St Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP) pairs the resources of the University of Illinois at Urbana –Champaign with community organizations to create and implement comprehensive neighborhood plans.  Read the plans that were created and a host of articles about the ESLARP at its website.  
• The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative is a comprehensive effort to create a vibrant neighborhood in the Roxbury / North Dorchester area of Boston, MA.  The effort is also the subject of a book chronicling the birth and early planning and implementation phases of the initiative: Peter Medoff and Holly Sklar (1994).  Streets of Hope.  South End Press.
• Fourteen neighborhoods in Chicago have created comprehensive quality-of-life plans with support from LISC Chicago’s New Communities Program.  These processes began with resident volunteers reaching out to literally hundreds of other residents and neighborhood stakeholders in one-on-one interviews to identify ideas for improving the neighborhood, and built up a movement from there.   A similar program, Great Indy Neighborhoods, engaged 6 neighborhoods in Indianapolis. LISC Rhode Island is working with nonprofits in Olneyville (Providence) and Woonsocket, RI. 
• Grand Rapids, Michigan launched a master planning process to create a long-term vision of success for the city.  Read both the original plan and the city’s latest master plan update, “Green Grand Rapids.” 
• The Unity Council, a NeighborWorks® organization in Oakland, CA, has developed a mixed-use, transit-oriented community called Fruitvale, and undertakes numerous other projects to promote “sustainable economic, social, and neighborhood development.”
• The Wachovia Regional Foundation in Philadelphia, PA, has funded numerous comprehensive revitalization planning and implementation initiatives throughout the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.  Visitors to the website can request a free Neighborhood Planning DVD with tips for taking action in your community.  Among its grant awardees are the following:
• The Enterprise Center CDC created a comprehensive, resident-led revitalization plan for the Walnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA.  Learn about the organization and find a link to their plan.
• Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark, NJ, is continuing work on implementation of a Master Plan and a Waterfront Park Plan to transform its neighborhood into a thriving community with access to housing, education, employment and recreation.  Strategies include development of new green space along the Passaic River, mixed-use redevelopment of a vast industrial complex that is the former site of the Ballantine Brewery and ongoing community organizing and environmental justice work. Also read a brief article about thier work.
• IMPACT Services created a comprehensive revitalization plan for the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia in 2005 and has been working to implement it since.
• The town of Greensburg, Kansas, created a “green” community plan to provide a long-range vision for rebuilding after a devastating tornado.
• The Center for Neighborhoods provides leadership education, facilitates neighborhood planning processes, and assists neighborhood-based development and improvement efforts in Louisville, KY.  Check out a description of their processes as well as completed neighborhood plans.
• The City of San Jose Strong Neighborhoods Initiative has a goal to build clean, safe and attractive neighborhoods with strong, independent, and capable organizations.  The initiative emphasizes a partnership between neighborhood residents and city staff and agencies.
• Enterprise Community Partners published a review of 10 cities that engaged in Comprehensive Community Initiatives (CCIs)–social, educational, economic, physical, and cultural  transformations of neighborhoods focused on community building—highlighting “proven elements of each program.”
• Urban Land Institute’s Sustainable Cities Awards are given to efforts demonstrating best practices in sustainable land use. Recent winners include Greenburg, Kansas and the City of Chicago.
• Santa Monica, California’s “Sustainable City Plan” sets annual goals for the city in categories such as Resource Conservation, Economic Development, and Human Dignity and provides a yearly assessment of progress towards those goals.
• South Lake Union, Seattle, a neighborhood within walking distance of downtown, has been revitalized since 2003. Read about the influx of employers, improved public transportation, and development of parkland. It is also one of the first neighborhoods in the LEED for Neighborhood Development.
• Sustainable Tucson is a non-profit, grass-roots organization that encourages sustainability through awareness raising, community engagement and public/private partnerships.  Its activities include an annual Green Festival, workshops, and community forums.
• NeighborWorks America’s “Winning Strategies” case studies serve up over 200 examples of organizations that have taken actions to build safe, healthy, affordable communities.