Last week, Living Cities formally launched its newest signature effort, the Integration Initiative, at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. Over 200 guests from the five cities competitively selected to participate in the Initiative were joined by Assistant Secretary Mercedes Márquez from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Director of the Treasury Department’s CDFI Fund, Donna Gambrell. The mayors from Newark, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis and St. Paul participated in an extraordinary conversation about their communities and the short- and long-term impacts hoped for from this work.
The Integration Initiative builds upon Living Cities long history of investing in cities. It acknowledges both the power and limitations of the neighborhood as a lever for change and seeks to drive a broader perspective that recognizes the role systems and regions must play in securing economic opportunity for low-income people.
The five cities in which the initiative is being implemented are:
- Baltimore
- Cleveland
- Detriot
- Newark
- Twin Cities
To learn more about the Integration Initiative, please click here.
Image: via, livingcities.org