Living Cities works with cross-sector leaders in cities to build a new type of urban practice aimed at dramatically improving the economic well-being of low-income people. We believe that these four core elements of our work are key to these ends:
Capital Innovation.
We blend public, private, and philanthropic financial resources in new ways to better meet the needs of cities and their residents.
Open-Sourcing Social Change.
We work at the intersections of information, people, story, and technology to accelerate the uptake of promising solutions to social problems.
Collective Impact.
We support ambitious data-driven, results-oriented cross-sector tables who work together differently to achieve large-scale results and enduring change.
Public Sector Innovation.
We work with public sector leaders to foster more nimble, collaborative, and data-driven local governments.
Where We Work
See all of the cities where we work. This map also features cities participating in our Integration Initiative, including highlighting our other work in those places.
Selected Cities
Baltimore
The Baltimore Integration Partnership (BIP)’s mission is to increase local and regional economic inclusion and community investment through the alignment and coordination of a coalition of city, state, anchor, foundation, community and advocacy partners. BIP works to connect low-income people to opportunity by connecting them to employment through targeting and leveraging anchor institution hiring, purchasing and reinvestment opportunities.
The Detroit Corridor Initiative (DCI) connects low-income people to opportunity through the creation of quality mixed-income districts and job growth for city residents by transforming key corridors in Detroit. DCI will work to increase residential and commercial density in Detroit’s major commercial corridors with quality mixed use amenities, mixed-income residences and increased entrepreneurial access.
Albuquerque plans to accelerate job creation and economic mobility for low-income people through “Innovation Central.” This “grow our own” innovation partnership will help revitalize downtown, bring research to market and provide new opportunities to foster the city’s entrepreneurial spirit and underutilized assets to create quality jobs, economic mobility and shared prosperity. Albuquerque will focus on the opportunities for innovation based economic development, advancing entrepreneurial education and the best ways to create a supportive ecosystem in our city.
The Partnership for Regional Opportunity creates opportunities by increasing the number of living wage and middle skill jobs accessible to those living in areas of racially concentrated areas of poverty. The Partnership works in concert with other efforts seeking to address employment disparities and foster greater investment in areas with existing assets to increase investment in location efficient and low-wealth areas of the region; increase employment opportunities for low-income people, particularly people of color; and increase public awareness of ‘shared prosperity’ as an economic imperative.
The Strong Healthy Communities Initiative (SHCI) is a cross‐sector institutional partnership working collectively to improve the health and wellness of Newark’s low‐income children in order to enhance their academic outcomes and their abilities to learn. SHCI uses a cohesive “one‐table” approach to tackle complex social problems that challenge the success of Newark’s public school system. The partners of SHCI aim to rebuild and stabilize Newark’s neighborhoods, align public policy and private investments to sustain innovations and create lasting systemic change to improve student success in all of Newark’s schools.
New Orleans seeks to create new opportunities for low-income populations through a cluster-based economic development strategy, connecting low-income, low-skilled individuals to job opportunities. These jobs will be developed through planned urban core spending, hospital expansions and infrastructure related to relief, recovery and resiliency. It is led by the City of New Orleans in partnership with the New Orleans Business Alliance, Foundation for Louisiana and the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. Together, these institutions are developing a well-integrated network of public, private, nonprofit and community-based organizations leveraging partners’ core competencies to reorient systems and transform communities.
San Antonio will apply lessons and extract policy recommendations from its Eastside Promise/Choice initiative to similarly-situated central city neighborhoods and to the whole city through SA 2020’s key vision areas around family well-being, education, economic competitiveness, health and fitness and neighborhoods. It is led by San Antonio 2020 and the United Way of San Antonio, with key partners including the City of San Antonio, the San Antonio School District and the San Antonio Housing Authority.
San Francisco is connecting low-income people to opportunity through HOPE SF. This initiative aims to transform extremely low-income, public housing-intensive neighborhoods into diverse, mixed-income communities through education, workforce development and human services reform, along with physical redevelopment. It is led by The San Francisco Foundation, The Mayor’s Office and Office of Housing, Enterprise Community Partners, with additional partners, including corporations, foundations, developers, non-profit community-based organizations and public housing residents.
Seattle/King County aims to improve the health and wellbeing of low-income people. A cross-sector implementation of King County’s Health and Human Services Transformation Plan will improve community conditions where people live, work, learn and play. It is led by King County Executive’s Office, the Department of Community and Human Services, Public Health-Seattle and King County and The Seattle Foundation, in partnership with community development, housing, health care, public health, human services, other philanthropy and other local government organizations.
