Small businesses are the backbone of urban economies: They play a critical role in creating jobs for local residents. Yet too often city leaders and economic developers are not prioritizing small businesses when allocating resources to drive growth, focusing their strategies instead on the attraction and retention of large businesses. Read More

Forge Columbus has been dubbed “the civic innovation program of the city of Columbus.” It’s not solely a business incubator or coworking space (though, those are also components), rather instead, Forge Columbus broadly leverages civic innovation as a catalyst to strengthen Columbus into a vibrant, competitive 21^st century city. Read More

What can Boston do to address rising income inequality and increase economic opportunities for its inner city residents? One potential solution may come from increasing leverage of the Fairmount Indigo Line, a nine-mile commuter transit line that runs through Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park. Read More

It’s no secret that small businesses are the engine of the U.S. economy, typically making up 64 percent of net new private sector jobs in a given year. It turns out, that’s even more true when it comes to the economies of inner cities, according to a new report from the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC). Read More

For the nonprofit hospital Bon Secours,  providing direct, low-cost medical care to residents is just one of many roles it plays as an anchor institution in Southwest Baltimore. Read More