By Guest Commentator Amy Kedron
Posted on June 27, 2008

To be sure, many urban neighborhoods are in dire need of development resources. But there is a difference between "economic development" and "community economic development." The former is often driven by private interests, primarily for private gain; the latter is community-driven and aims to empower communities.

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has long tried to walk the fine line between private interest and public benefit, as it has helped provide billions of dollars to low income communities. But at a recent Urban Forum I attended in April, LISC's invited speakers – and LISC itself – appeared to be veering far from community development. — read more 

Posted on May 28, 2008

I was tempted to fire off a letter to the editors at Fast Company, suggesting a better fact checker before they publish commentaries like Elizabeth Spiers' "Not So Fast: Neighborhoodlums" (June 2008, p. 128), the latest mass-media sneer at local-first campaigns. But it finally dawned on me that the piece actually contains no facts whatsoever.

I almost feel sorry for Spiers, a fast-rising blog queen who writes gossipy pieces about the New York business scene. Someone made her feel damn awful about not buying local – "I can't help but think that death and dismemberment are implied if I don't buy the sweater knit by area hipsters or locally grown produce" — and now she has decided to punish the rest of us for it. So a note to her follows. — read more 

Posted on May 7, 2008

Will organized labor finally make its peace with local business? Having just addressed the annual convention of the British Columbia-branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) – the largest union in the country – I'm pleased to report that the answer is increasingly "yes," if we’re willing to learn from our wise neighbors to the north.. — read more