Equitable Reinvestment

Overview

Traditional urban development patterns have emphasized growth at the city edge, resulting in sprawl and creating places of disinvestment in the center city as jobs, services and amenities migrate to the suburbs. For the vulnerable communities that remain, these “tears” in their neighborhood fabric present daily challenges for local quality of life, including struggling schools, lack of access to healthy food, unemployment and underemployment, health impacts from cumulative pollution problems, and vacant and contaminated properties that contribute to an ongoing cycle of disinvestment. Nonetheless, these neighborhoods are highly valued by their residents as places of creativity, resourcefulness and resiliency.

At Skeo, we believe all communities should have neighborhoods that foster a vibrant quality of life. To support this vision, we developed a proactive, integrated planning process that allows communities to:

• Take the lead in defining neighborhood goals and needs.
• Identify and address equity issues.
• Identify catalyst sites and key opportunities for strengthening neighborhood resilience.
• Build a productive coalition of community members, organizations and government agencies.
• Develop plans for equitable reinvestment and revitalization.

The end result: communities of opportunity where residents participate in and benefit from the development and policy decisions that shape their quality of life.