In Community Development and Policy Studies (CDPS) field work throughout the Seventh District, CDPS contacts - in varying contexts - have voiced concerns about conditions impacting low- and moderate-income (LMI) populations and communities. CDPS conducts regular surveys of people representing organizations that serve LMI communities in varying ways. Our survey respondents represent organi... Read More
The Federal Reserve Banks of Richmond, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Chicago-Detroit Branch recently held a videoconference on “Land Use Planning: Aligning Investment with Vision” to share strategies related to blight mitigation, the management of vacant land and the development of commercial corridors. This was the third exchange between experts and stakeholders in a series between the four... Read More
After eight years in the making, The Villard Square GrandFamily Apartments, a first of its kind in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened in 2011. This apartment complex focuses on a giving “grandfamilies” an affordable housing option. Grandfamilies are “families headed by grandparents and other relatives who share their homes with their grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and/or other related childre... Read More
This autumn, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago held two Economic Development Forums in Wisconsin that focused on workforce development. The Chicago Fed partnered with the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) and The Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) to co-host these events. Each forum featured a panel discussion on workforce development comprised of industry and policy leade... Read More
The Federal Reserve Banks of Richmond, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Chicago-Detroit Branch recently held a discussion on the roles of anchor institutions and cultural and art organizations in the revitalization of urban neighborhoods, the second exchange in a series between the four cities on strategies to attract new residents and investments. Anchor institutions play an active role in con... Read More
Community Development departments across the Federal Reserve System have for many years focused on workforce development measures as a means to address poverty. Low- and moderate-income (LMI) populations tend to have less education than higher income populations. Less education correlates with jobs that pay less and offer less employment security. Public high schools around the country, ... Read More
On Friday September 27, 2013, The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago hosted the Summit on Regional Competiveness (Summit) with The Alliance for Regional Development (Alliance) and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. The Alliance is an economic development group working to implement recommendations contained in a 21-county, tri-state (Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin) analysis completed by ... Read More
On September 26, 2013, the Chicago Association for Business Economics (CABE) hosted a lunch meeting with Steve Landefeld, Director of the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In his presentation “Lessons Learned from the Financial Crisis and the Great Recession”, Landefeld discussed the BEA's initiative to produce measures beyond gross domestic pr... Read More
With the help of the City of Chicago's Department of Housing and Economic Development, in the fall of 2012 the Chicago Fed's Community Development and Policy Studies (CDPS) unit distributed a survey to community-based, non-profit groups in Chicago to gauge the pre- and post-recession business climate in Chicago's 77 community areas. The organizations surveyed provide business development... Read More
Forty years ago Aaron and Sylvia Scheinfeld decided to take action since they were unhappy with redlining, predatory lending, and inequality in access to credit and financial services that plagued the Chicago region. Since 1973 Woodstock has lived by its mission to “create a just financial system in which lower-income people and minorities can achieve economic security and community prosp... Read More
