In 2016, civil unrest in Milwaukee left a stretch of the Sherman Park neighborhood extensively damaged and economically harmed. Businesses in the area, including BMO Harris Bank, were set on fire, causing over $5.8 million in property damage. Now, the city is making an investment in the same neighborhood to turn it into a place of burgeoning economic opportunity. Read More

Buffalo, NY has tried to reinvent itself over the years with the financial support of the federal government. Yet by the early 2000s, it was still a long way from the economic engine it used to be, and many doubted the possibility of the city’s revival. In 2012, in his State of the State address, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a bold initiative, unlike any Buffalo had seen before. Read More

In 2016, Austin, Texas was named by CNBC as the number one place in America to start a business. While starting a business in a location such as Silicon Valley typically relies on individual entrepreneurs, venture capital, and large risks, Austin has taken this formula and turned it into a neighborhood activity. Read More

In cities across the U.S., rising commercial rents are threatening the viability of local, independently-owned businesses. Mom and pop shops are being priced out by national chains. Residential developers in search of a large-scale housing opportunity are pressuring the industry to relocate. A study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) ... Read More

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is perhaps best known for its affordable housing programs or programs to help disadvantaged residents find safe, secure housing alternatives. These programs are critically important for our inner cities, as are HUD’s financing tools that help fill developers’ capital stacks when building new housing. Read More