This article summarizes the lessons Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) have learned over the past two and a half decades, and outlines the strategies they might pursue to best meet the needs of underserved people and markets in the year
Over the past twenty-five years, Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) have worked from the margins to help finance thousands of successful businesses and projects in low-income and minority markets. During this time, they have also constantly striven to change mainstream ideas and assumptions about financing community development. In the midst of continuing shifts in the financial services industry, CDFIs today stand at a crossroads. As they look toward the future, industry professionals are grappling with how they can better relate to conventional systems and structures, develop new and innovative products and services, and expand their role as effective intermediaries and advocates. Mark Pinsky discusses these issues, and offers recommendations on how CDFIs can remain viable and best serve the needs of low income and minority communities in the years to come.
Thanks to Kurt Sommer
FULL STORY: Taking Stock: CDFIs Look Ahead After 25 Years of Community Development Finance
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
Decarbonizing Homes: The Case for Electrifying Residential Heating
A new MIT study finds that transitioning residential heating from natural gas to electric heat pumps can significantly reduce carbon emissions and operational costs.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research