Charles Marohn, the Founder and President of Strong Towns, shares five low cost initiatives that every city across the country should prioritize.

3. Oswego Renaissance Association

Traditional housing programs target low income neighborhoods with expensive interventions that more often than not fail to gain much momentum. The Oswego Renaissance Association is turning that approach on its head and seeing tremendous success as a result.

With very small amounts of capital, the Association has provided matching grants and resources to blocks of individuals wanting to invest in improving the look of their street. Addressing the real problem – a shared lack of confidence in the neighborhood – has paid huge returns.

The key is in getting neighbors together and helping them realize their shared vision. It’s slow, messy relationship-building; the antithesis of what is possible with a Washington DC -based housing approach. It succeeds, not by putting money in, but by unleashing the capital that’s been pushed to the sidelines in declining neighborhoods.

Paul Stewart, executive director of the Oswego Renaissance Association, should be on the national speaking circuit helping struggling cities realize how they can tap into their own sidelined wealth.

Resources:

• Oswego Renaissance Association • Interview with Paul Stewart on Neighborhood Revitalization