This time last year, Philadelphia was debating whether to construct the 76 Place arena in Center City. Though the Sixers would eventually change their plans after community opposition, the debate echoed the experiences of communities throughout the country—and across the state in Pittsburgh. For generations, Pittsburgh’s Hill District, located just outside Downtown Pittsburgh, stood as […]

The Transformative Impact of CDFIs Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) have fundamentally shaped the landscape of community investment and support. Over the past 40 years, Jim Burnett, Executive Director of VestedIn noted, “CDFIs have had a major impact on the communities that they serve, whether they be urban, rural, or native populations. We have made […]

Pennsylvania’s Chronic Underfunding of Public Schools Children being educated in closets. Students who had to wear coats in their classrooms during winter. Exposure to lead and asbestos. Crumbling infrastructure. One reading specialist per 1,000 children and one guidance counselor per hundreds of students.  These were some of the testimonies given by students, parents, and school […]

Headline photo credit: Human City Creative As they face similar challenges, nonprofits in the Philadelphia and the Pittsburgh regions can learn from the differences in each other’s institutional ecosystems. This article, the first in a series, focuses on the challenges of building and maintaining social infrastructure like libraries in the aftermath of the recent struggles […]

How local organizations are hoping policies and financing can impact the intersection between long-term affordability and gentrification.