In honor of our 125th Anniversary, we will be using our newsletter to highlight 125 projects or initiatives that use civic capital to solve problems and build equitable, thriving communities. These cities have been recognized for engaging community members in collaborative efforts to improve education, health care, economic prosperity and the general quality of life. Today, examples 91-100:
- Columbia Heights, MN. Columbia Heights’s police department went door-to-door to talk with immigrant families about the kind of community and kind of amenities they wanted. By engaging residents and building trust, the police helped people to create a place they wanted to call home.
- Charlotte, NC. Charlotte, NC, used a novel approach to survey residents: use city employees to stop people on the street for an impromptu ten-minute survey on how they feel about their city.
- West Hollywood, CA. In the beginning of its city-hood, many new immigrants from the former Soviet Union settled in West Hollywood. The city initially tried informal outreach to engage with the community, but those attempts were unsuccessful, so the city became more deliberate with their outreach strategy.
- Kershaw County, SC. Kershaw County embraces the changing faces of its rapidly growing community, balancing its rural past and suburban future, with its business owners, residents and elected officials reflecting that diversity and building programs to ensure equity in healthcare, education and economic growth.
- Minneapolis, MN. Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board examines its neighborhood and regional parks and recreation centers with an equity lens. The system also created a racial equity plan.
- Lakewood, CO. The city partnered with a local non-profit, Sprout City Farms, to create an urban farm on a one-acre park in the heart of a food desert.
- Battle Creek, MI. Operation Fit is a healthy community initiative of Bronson Battle Creek, the Battle Creek Community Foundation, Regional Health Alliance, and the Battle Creek Family YMCA. The goal of Operation Fit is to decrease childhood obesity in Calhoun County.
- Cornelius, OR. After an investigation revealed widespread division and inequities in the Cornelius Police Department, the city undertook an extensive public engagement process to find a way to move forward in a collaborative and inclusive manner.
- King County, WA. In order to have its budget reflective of the county’s values, several King County agencies are working directly with residents and community organizations to develop more equitable budgets and allocate funds to where they are needed most.
- Dubuque, IA. Dubuque was able to successfully complete the Bee Branch Creek, which now moves storm-water safely through neighborhoods that previously had been consistently devastated by flooding. The new Bee Branch Healthy Homes program now aims to repair those flood-damaged homes and provide health services to residents.
*Examples 1-10
*Examples 11-20
*Examples 21-30
*Examples 31-40
*Examples 41-50
*Examples 51-60
*Examples 61-70
*Examples 71-80
*Examples 81-90
