If You Were Mayor

07/16/2021

Trees are playing a big role in mitigating climate change effects in cities and towns. However, data suggests that even at this scale there are disparities between rich and poor areas. More later!

Wealthier, whiter urban and small-town residents benefit more from cooling infrastructure and trees, according to study.

10/04/2019

More of what it takes to get affordable housing done.

Supporters say the change allows for funding infrastructure demands or providing loans to public agencies at low rates

08/03/2019

What we're reading -

This page contains key resources and tools developed for NEON’s training programmes and day-to-day operations. We’d love you to download, use and adapt for your own organising. They are a work in progress so don’t forget to send any ideas for improvements our way! Framing the Economy What is t...

07/15/2019

We believe there are 3 Ls that require attention for a city and its citizens to be truly successful. Enjoy our latest newsletter and pass along any comments. Thanks!!!

06/02/2019

A great piece on importance of shade in the city. Enjoy!

⛱Shade: A sideways look at the shadow shortage

04/09/2019

Gearing back up for the 2019 race for mayor. Planning a bit of a refresh for early summer. For now, enjoy and share! Thanks!

Time to dust off our boots and get down to brass tacks as the region enters another mayoral election cycle

04/09/2019

Digging Up Nuggets in the Lowcountry😳 - https://mailchi.mp/9677f8086e05/have-we-been-missing-in-action-2941153

03/25/2019

We are very excited by this collection of furnishings and decorative items by designers in Africa. The collection is scheduled to debut in May.

A chair that is "perfect for hacking" and baskets made from faux hair braids are among the products created by African designers for a new IKEA homeware range.

03/09/2019

Tools in our toolbox -

Land value capture is a policy approach that enables communities to recover and reinvest land value increases that result from public investment and other government actions. Also known as “value sharing,” it’s rooted in the notion that public action should generate public benefit. Communities...

03/05/2019

A critical tool needed to ensure the development of affordable housing - sadly it is not available to cities or towns in South Carolina due to state level regulation.

In the few years since the Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) movement splashed on the scene in cities across the United States, the YIMBY mantra has been persistent: Clear away the regulatory barriers and let developers build more housing. The laws of supply and demand will take over, their argument goes,....

01/18/2019

This program has had little structure and it has become required reading for communities and organizations to develop strategies to put "guardrails" on the program so that it creates the most benefit. It takes little effort to see how SC's rural communities and towns have suffered from previous efforts - ill-advised railroad spurs with warehouse space were supposed to attract manufacturing and these stand as monuments to the snake oil salesmen who touted these "location" necessities to attract business. The discussions in the Charleston area have begun to focus on setting some parameters but the horse is virtually out of the barn with developers pawing the dirt to gain access to the tax breaks without truly considering benefits needed by the communities. Investors can call the shots if they: "Seek out mission-driven developers, and look to community-based projects for sound investments." Don't believe everything you've been told but focus on how to match funds to fit needs. Remember: Every county in the US lacks adequate affordable housing. Consider the possibilities for a win-win.

In 2017, Congress passed comprehensive tax reform, and nestled in that complex document was an intriguing program: Opportunity Zones. The program aims to c