We know this fall is won’t be “normal.” What we do know is that from back-to-school planning to preparing 2021 budgets, we’ll need real-time data and updates to help communities, residents, and municipalities navigate.

To help local and resident leaders, Community Progress will offer a series professional development webinars and resources to help face both the unknown and tackle some of the long-standing hurdles facing residents.

August 2020

Black Middle Neighborhoods in Legacy Cities: Part 1 – Challenges and Opportunities

August 4, 2020, 12:00-1:15 EDT | Watch the Replay >>

Twenty years ago, most older-American cities had many predominantly African-American ‘middle neighborhoods’—solid working- and middle-class, mostly single family, owner-occupied neighborhoods. Since then, large numbers of these neighborhoods have been hit hard by subprime lending and foreclosures, suburban flight, and the effects of the ‘segregation tax’ created by a racially segmented housing market…

Black Middle Neighborhoods in Legacy Cities: Part 2 – Strategies for an Equitable Future

RESCHEDULED | October 1, 2020, 12:00-1:15 EDT

In Part One, Alan Mallach and Nedra Sims Fears addressed the history of the Black middle neighborhood in America’s legacy cities, the forces impeding their success, and the implications of their unequal recovery on the wealth of Black households and the health of cities. In Part Two…

Presenters: Alan Mallach – Senior Fellow, Center for Community Progress; Nedra Sims Fears – Executive Director, Greater Chatham Initiative

September 2020

COVID-19 Recovery – The Future of America’s Communities & Today’s Equity Opportunity

Thursday, September 24, 2020 12:00-1:00 pm ET | Watch the Replay >>

When any crisis emerges, it always presents us with an opportunity to shape more equitable American communities. How we respond, whether through large stimulus packages or local code enforcement decisions, can have long-lasting impacts and define the challenges residents will face in the future. The COVID-19 Pandemic is no different and requires us to not only respond to the immediate dangers but also pursue strategies that bring forth long-lasting equitable outcomes.

Join this webinar to hear and share perspectives on:

How cities will fundamentally change as a result of COVID and how to plan for that change,
Early indicators for understanding and anticipating neighborhood conditions,
Major issues and opportunities facing national and local leaders, and
Urgent community development opportunities for contributing to long-term economic recovery and equitable outcomes across the United States.

Moderator: Akilah Watkins-Butler – President and CEO, Center for Community Progress

October 2020

The 2020 VAD Academy

October 6 – 23, 2020 | Watch the Replay >>

The VAD Academy – short for Vacant, Abandoned, and Deteriorated Properties Training Academy – is an intensive and rigorous training for public, private, nonprofit, and community leaders working on tough challenges related to vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties. This year’s VAD Academy will be held online and take place over the first three weeks in October:

Week 1: Understanding VAD Properties and the Property Revitalization Cycle
Week 2: Tools for Property Revitalization
Week 3: Broader Concepts to Inform Property Revitalization Action

Thanks to the generous support of NeighborWorks America, the 2020 edition of the VAD Academy will be offered free of charge to attendees, a $225 savings.