The Invisibles Won't Be

Clearly, if you're going to be successful in a downtown revitalization project you must identify and collaborate with capable partners.  Everything is an overlap - take vacant floors and build affordable housing; use the City's empty waterfront as a site for a partner's recreational or retail project; turn an unused building into a downtown daycare and primary school with the help of a partner.

LISC (Local Initiative Support Corporation) builds healthy and sustainable communities. Since 1980 LISC has invested 9.6 billion dollars, which has leveraged 29.5 billion in total development. Everything––homes, schools, retail, child care, clinics, parks and facilities. Their money and a lot of partners. LISC is a professional partner, providing loans and knowhow for community projects all across the US in five areas:
    * Expanding Investment in Housing and Other Real Estate
    * Increasing Family Income and Wealth
    * Stimulating Economic Development
    * Improving Access to Quality Education
    * Supporting Healthy Environments and Lifestyles

 Bay Area LISC Native American Health Center
from the LISC site

This is the first list I've noted with the goal of "Increasing Family Income and Wealth." But–– why wouldn't it be a priority? Go head––do cosmetic surgery, add some new retailers and activities, build condos for empty-nesters near the restaurants––we still haven't spoken to the needs of many of the residents who live downtown.

Every town has an unemployed or underemployed segment of residents, especially in the current economic downturn. How would you feel living right in the middle of a city, knowing or sensing that many changes are going on, then realizing almost none of them apply to you? Being invisible is not a great incentive to teamwork.

Of course, solving this problem is not easy. Even LISC shows way fewer projects in this area than real estate, economic, education and health projects. Of course, they are a lending and real estate based group, so that would be what comes easiest.  They get points for taking ownership of the problem, but unless we do something about solving it, the Invisibles won't be.