05.19.2010: Time magazine blogger Karen Dybis interviewed Bob Weissbourd on the prospects for revitalization in Detroit for the online magazine’s “The Detroit Blog.” The blog is one part of Time’s year-long project, “Assignment Detroit,” begun in September 2009 to enable in-depth, on-the-ground (the magazine bought a house in the city for project staffers) exploration of the many challenges and opportunities facing the city.
05.13.2010: Teams from Northeast Ohio, Minneapolis-St. Paul and the Seattle metro area gathered in Chicago with staff from The Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program and RW Ventures to review their progress on the Metropolitan Business Planning (MBP) project. The MBP project aims to illustrate the value of tailored, bottom-up, comprehensive regional economic development planning and make the case for integrated federal funding of metropolitan development activities. The pilot MBP project, co-led by Brookings and RW Ventures, began in fall 2009 and will culminate with the metro teams’ participation in a global economic summit in Chicago in December 2010.
04.20.2010: The Local Initiatives Support Coalition held its inaugural event for the Institute for Comprehensive Community Development in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the Institute is to use lessons learned from practice as a basis for providing training, promoting research and investigating the public policies that would best advance comprehensive community development locally and nationally. Bob Weissbourd, a member of the Institute’s board of advisors, participated in one of the day’s panel discussions and is authoring a paper for the Institute on “Lessons from the Field: How 21st Century Community Development Can Inform Federal Policy.”
03.01.2010: Richard Steele, co-host of Chicago’s National Public Radio affiliate, WBEZ, interviewed Bob Weissbourd for its daily news, opinion and culture showcase, “Eight Forty-Eight.” The interview explored some of the broad findings of RW Ventures’ study on neighborhood change, “Dynamic Neighborhoods: New Tools for Community and Economic Development” (see 11.23.2009 news item), and how these results apply to Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.
02.26.2010: Bob Weissbourd gave a presentation entitled “Understanding a Dynamic Decade: Trends in Housing and Foreclosures” as part of the symposium “Understanding a Dynamic Decade: Population Trends, Public Policy, and the 2010 Census in Chicago,” hosted by the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and co-sponsored by several other university departments and research centers. The symposium brought together population researchers, community leaders and policymakers to discuss population trends over the past 10 years and their implications for completion of the 2010 Census and policy in the next decade.
02.09.2010: In conjunction with the 2010 Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards (CNDA), sponsored by LISC/Chicago, local civic and political leaders participated in a panel discussion on the effects the recession has had on the progress of distressed neighborhoods. Participants included Alderman and Cook County Board presidential candidate Tony Preckwinkle; Raul Raymundo, Executive Director of The Resurrection Project; Scott Myers, Executive Director of World Sport Chicago; and Bob Weissbourd, President of RW Ventures.
02.09.2010: The Surdna Foundation awarded $125,000 to the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy and partner RW Ventures to study the interrelated systems that drive regional prosperity. The one-year project will include a paper reviewing the current state of knowledge in the economic development field, identifying key knowledge gaps and proposing an agenda for future applied research to fill those gaps and inform the actions of economic development practitioners.
11.23.2009: "Dynamic Neighborhoods: New Tools for Community and Economic Development," the final report of a three-year project sponsored by Living Cities and led by RW Ventures, is now available here. The report offers new analysis and frameworks for understanding neighborhood development, a typology of urban neighborhoods and a portfolio of new analytic tools for targeting interventions and investments. An Executive Summary of the report is available here, while the technical Appendices can be found here.
10.26.2009: Bob Weissbourd and Michael He presented the findings of their work with the Cook County Assessor's office (see 3.16.2009 news item) to the City of Milwaukee's Community and Economic Development Committee and the City Assessor. The presentation (available here) describes the key impacts of the assessment process on real estate markets, communities, households and local government; how current assessment practices often do not adequately reflect the market downturn and particularly the impact of foreclosures; how to address these problems; and the potential implications for assessment districts nation wide.
9.25.2009: At the invitation of the National League of Cities, Bob Weissbourd and Michael He addressed the organization's Community and Economic Development Steering Committee at its two-day meeting in Muskegon, Michigan. They presented the firm's recent work for the Cook County Assessor's office (see 3.16.2009 news item), improving assessment models to better account for the market downturn and the impact of foreclosures on neighborhood property values. The presentation is available here.
8.03.2009: RW Ventures is pleased to announce that Gretchen Kosarko has joined the firm. Gretchen was most recently the Director of Research for World Business Chicago, the city's public-private economic development organization. Prior to that, she was a Project Manager at Chicago-based real estate and development consulting firm S.B. Friedman & Company. She brings experience in urban planning, community and economic development, real estate economics, public-private partnerships and market analysis.
6.20.2009: The findings and tools developed by the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project continue to generate significant interest across the country. RW Ventures recently presented the results of the project and potential applications of the tools to the City of Seattle, the City of Boston, a gathering of community development institutions in Massachusetts, and a roundtable on Vital Neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Sample power points are available here.
6.01.2009: Over the past few months, RW Ventures has been helping the City of Chicago design comprehensive strategies for expanding green building retrofits. In the context of this work, RW Ventures assembled a team of national experts and developed a set of strategies aimed at expanding the market for retrofits, and is providing ongoing assistance to the City as it moves toward implementation. RW Ventures is also part of several national greening networks, including in particular Urban Sustainability Associates.
3.16.2009: As reported on ABC 7 News and the Chicago Sun Times, the Cook County Assessor's Office is partnering with RW Ventures, LLC to gauge the impact of foreclosures on neighborhood property values. The goal is to create improvements to the assessment process so that it better reflects the realities of the current housing market. This project will result in substantially more accurate assessment of property values, particularly in communities affected by high foreclosure rates. By reducing potential overassessment, these improvements will bring much needed property tax relief to homeowners in these neighborhoods.
1.20.2009: Bob Weissbourd served as member of the Obama-Biden Transition team. Along with other national urban policy and housing experts, he coonducted a review of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, briefed the new Secretary, and developed recommendations for the incoming administration. During the presidential campaign, Bob served as Chair of Obama for America's Urban and Metropolitan Policy Committee.
12.10.2008: Detailed neighborhood reports based on data and metrics prepared by RW Ventures have been in demand by organizations ranging from the Chicago Housing Authority to the Metropolitan Planning Council. The reports have been used in a variety of applications, from investigating the outcomes of CHA's Plan for Transformation in particular communities to compiling information in connection with Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid.
10.20.2008: The Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Enterprise commissioned a study of the impact of Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects. The research, conducted by RW Ventures, LLC in Chicago and Seattle, investigated the effect that LIHTC projects have on surrounding property values and crime rates. Contrary to popular beliefs, the research found that LIHTC projects have a positive effect on their communities, as they lead to increases in property values and have no impact on crime.
9.22.2008: The current issue of Nextstreet Financial's "Perspectives" magazine features and editorial by Bob Weissbourd. The piece, titled "Old Conflicts: New Opportunities," argues for a paradigm shift in how we craft urban policy, aiming for "inclusive prosperity" as a way to get past the old notion of tradeoffs between equity and growth, supply side and demand side, business and development. The editorial is available here.
9.05.2008: We are pleased to report that the analysis for the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project has been completed, and the project team is now in the process of finalizing the presentation of the results. A full report documenting the project and its findings will soon be available. In the meantime, a document summarizing the key project outcomes is available here.
5.20.2008: A full report presenting the methodology and findings of "Grads and Fads: the Dynamics of Human Capital Location" is now available in the publications section of our web site. The project, conducted for CEOs for Cities, explored the relative importance of economic and quality of life factors in attracting and retaining knowledge workers.
2.10.2008: The Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project is developing innovative tools for community and economic development. A document describing an initial set of tools developed by the project, including a cutting edge index of neighborhood performance, can be found in the dedicated section of our web site.
1.15.2008: The Funders' Exchange on Community Change, Poverty Reduction and Prosperity Promotion, coordinated by the Aspen Institute, featured a new presentation at their San Diego meetings, by Bob Weissbourd, on "Analyzing Local Economies." The presentation, which includes new findings, tools and frameworks from the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project, is available in the Publications section of our site.
10.22.2007: The Third Annual J.McDonald Williams Institute conference in Dallas featured a panel on urban revitalization including researchers, developers and business representatives. Riccardo Bodini spoke about new information resources influencing retail location decisions and the implications of the current trends in urban America for communities engaging in retail development.
10.20.2007: The Williams Review publishes "Regional Effects and Convergence in Dallas Neighborhood Housing Markets," a paper by Riccardo Bodini presenting selected findings from the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project. The paper investigates two key questions relating to the dynamics of neighborhood change: the extent to which change in housing prices at the neighborhood level is driven by change in the region, and the extent to which neighborhoods tend to converge over time. The paper is available in the Publications section of this site.
10.19.2007: In the context of the Urban Markets Initiative Forum "Connecting Communities," Robert Weissbourd and Riccardo Bodini unveiled some of the tools that the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project is developing, including the innovative DNT Repeat Sales Index and a new method for estimating the impact of various development interventions. The power point presentation from the conference can be found here.
10.19.2007: The Urban Markets Initiative Forum also featured a plenary on Innovation. Robert Weissbourd's speech addressing opportunities for and barriers to innovation in the field of economic development can be found here.
10.03.2007: The National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership invited RW Ventures to present the initial results of the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project at its conference in Indianapolis. The presentation included a brief background on the project, the initial findings from the Evolution phase of the analysis, as well as a description of the work the project is currently undertaking. To access the report with the findings from the Evolution phase of the project, as well as additional project materials, please register here.
6.15.2007: "The City that NetWorks: Transforming Society and Economy through Digital Excellence" was unveiled by Julia Stasch, Chair of the Mayor's Advisory Council on Closing the Digital Divide, at the Community Media Summit on June 15. The Report lays out a comprehensive plan for achieving universal digital excellence, as vital to the future of a global city. RW Ventures played the lead role in drafting the Report (a copy of which will soon be available in the Publications section of the web site).
5.03.2007: "Exploring Innovation," a national conference on community development finance sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, featured Bob Weissbourd as a "Key Leader," presenting a session on "Into the Economic Mainstream" with Mark Pinsky of Opportunity Finance Network, and a luncheon plenary on "Innovation in the Nation," along with Sandra Braunstein of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and John Talmage of Social Compact.
3.12.2007: Chicago's Global Future Study Group is a series of discussion meetings on how Chicago can compete and thrive in the global economy, sponsored by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. In connection with this series, RW Ventures prepared a policy brief based on the implications of "Grads and Fads: The Dynamics of Human Capital Location" for the Chicago Region. The brief was presented by Bob Weissbourd at the March meeting of the group, which focused on the importance of education. The full report presenting the Study Group findings can be found here.
1.29.2007: On January 29th, the City of Seattle hosted the Seattle kickoff meeting for the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project. The meeting of community, government, business, academic, foundation and other leaders introduced the project and presented preliminary findings on patterns of change in Seattle neighborhoods. To find out more about the project, please register here.
1.10.2007: RW Ventures is pleased to announce that Michael He has joined the firm. Michael, who has a Masters in statistics from Stanford and private sector experience in market analysis and segmentation, brings an exceptional set of skills in sophisticated quantitative and analytic methods, and is a tremendous addition to the RW Ventures team.
11.20.2006: On November 20th, The Cleveland Foundation hosted the Cleveland kickoff meeting for the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project. The meeting of community, government, business, academic, foundation and other leaders introduced the project and presented preliminary findings on patterns of change in Cleveland neighborhoods. To find out more about the project, please register here.
11.02.2006: The Opportunity Finance Network has opened up a new dialogue on policies to make markets more effective and inclusive. At the OFN annual conference, "The Power of Opportunity," Bob Weissbourd presented a new framework for this policy discussion, which is also the topic of a paper soon to be released by OFN. The Power Point presentation from the conference can be found here.
10.24.2006: The Foundation for Community Empowerment hosted the Dallas kickoff meeting for the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project. The meeting, attended by a group of practitioners, academics and local government officials, was designed to introduce the Taxonomy project and gather feedback on preliminary findings for the Dallas repeat sales index. To find out more about the project, please register here.
10.23.2006: Market-based economic development and the Shorebank experience were the themes of the keynote address delivered by Bob Weissbourd at the second annual conference of the J. McDonald Williams Institute in Dallas. The same conference featured a panel on economic development policy and a presentation on market-based economic development.
08.22.2006: Living Cities has recently released the first volume of the Living Cities Policy Series, a collection of papers to stimulate serious conversation about issues that are important to American cities. The Series includes our piece "Strengthening Communities for Regional Prosperity," which highlights key connections between neighborhood and regional development. The series has been distributed by Congressman Michael Turner to the members of the Speaker's Saving American Cities Working Group, and to the Working Group's Urban Advisory Committee. The full article is available here.
06.05.2006: RW Ventures has moved into new office space. Click here to see our new contact information.
04.05.2006: The MacArthur Foundation and Living Cities hosted a meeting of research organizations, community development practitioners and data providers to introduce the Dynamic Neighbnorhood Taxonomy Project and discuss data and measurement issues for community economic development. The meeting, titled "Measuring Neighborhood Dynamics," attracted leading experts and organizations from across the country and generated an engaging and productive conversation. Meeting materials will be available soon on our web site.
02.10.2006: Sponsored by Living Cities, RW Ventures is launching the Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy project, a multi-year initiative designed to create better tools for understanding urban communities. Ultimately, the DNT aspires to enable neighborhood development practitioners, businesses and others who invest in neighborhoods to identify, with respect to particular communities, the neighborhood type, its pattern and stage of development, and key interventions to drive change. The project hopes to establish a network of participating partner organizations that would share data, provide feedback and apply the project results. A short project description can be found here. Contact us to learn more about this initiative.
02.07.2006: "Attracting and Retaining Knoweldge Workers" was the subject of a Central Philadelphia Development Corporation Forum presentation by Bob Weissbourd. CPDC, a leading downtown development organization, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
09.12.2005: Bob Weissbourd and Carol Coletta of CEOs for Cities present Changing Dynamics of Urban America to the Greater Milwaukee Committee. The event was designed to launch a joint effort to brand and promote the Greater Milwaukee Region.
09.01.2005: Bob Weissbourd is selected to be on the Advisory Board of the Metropolitan Economies Project. The project, recently launched by the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, is a multi-year initiative designed to promote understanding of the economic transformatioin underway in American cities and metropolitan areas.
08.30.2005: RW Ventures completes a market analysis report for the Planning Department of Oklahoma City. The report assessed the potential for commercial revitalization in the Northeast sector of Oklahoma City.
06.23.2005: Riccardo Bodini presents at BorderLines in Toronto, a conference on how to foster prosperity in Canadian and American city regions.
06.11.2005: Bob Weissbourd is the special guest on Smart City,
a weekly radio show that takes an in-depth look at urban life, the
people, places, trends and ideas shaping cities. To listen to Bob's
interview click here.
05.06.2005: Bob Weissbourd
presents the policy and strategic implications of our work at the
national meeting of CEOs for Cities. The presentation, "Seeing the Forest and the Trees," is available on CEOs for Cities web site, as well as under the Publications section of our site.
04.28.2005: Riccardo Bodini and Jim Rooney present The Changing Dynamics of Urban America at the Tampa Bay Partnership annual meeting.
03.30.2005: Knowledgeplex
hosts an online presentation of our new papers on market-based economic
development. The slides and a streaming audio file of the presentation
can be found here.
03.10.2005 Hot off the presses! The Urban Markets Initiatives at the Brookings Institution has published our two new papers on market-based economic development.
02.17.2005 Riccardo Bodini and Jim Rooney present The Changing Dynamics of Urban America at the MetroBusinessNet annual convening in Miami.
© 2005 RW Ventures, LLC
