I grew up in big cities with the benefits of close-knit neighborhoods. Pittsburgh’s steel industry, ethnic neighborhoods, Earth Day, and the civil rights movement shaped my values of economic, racial, environmental, and social justice and equity. Living in Washington DC as a teen, I witnessed homelessness grow to scale as a symptom of how our real estate system segregates winners and losers by race, income, and ability. I focused my academic studies on how to correct land-use policies and practices to create safe, secure, healthy, and equitable communities.

 

Community development became my professional home because of its orientation toward community-based wisdom and solutions. The community development toolbox offers versatility to design and create the social, economic, and physical infrastructure that promotes healthy and inclusive communities, particularly when grounded in environmental and racial justice. Creating new or breathing life into old spaces, structures, and neighborhoods for people to participate fully in society creates positive ripple effects for all of us.

 

Through a progressive land-use policy lens, CommonLand brings pragmatic project development experience to assist clients with research, planning, and implementation. CommonLand also forms collaborations with a wider network of consultants to deliver technical assistance to organizations and communities, aimed at sustaining a healthy rural society. CommonLand Solutions brings to every client and project:

·    an energetic and nimble partner to connect with the people and harness the funding resources that result in multiple benefits for neighborhoods and communities.

·    a broad network of colleagues in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors that can assist with any community development challenge if there is a clear vision and purpose.

·    expertise in project planning, coordination of partners and professional services, financial packaging, grants, and property development/redevelopment for affordable housing, infrastructure, and community facilities.

·    a trustworthy and reliable thinking partner.

 

Services include market research, project planning, convening partners, grant writing and financial packaging, leveraging non-traditional resources, and managing the development and compliance processes to make housing, infrastructure, and community facility projects happen.