Restoring Equilibrium and Green Heart Louisville
Inclusive Growth and Environmental Health
Hi Friends,
Look at what cropped up in my Readwise recently:
“In the spirit of Jane Jacobs’ later book, The Nature of Economies, one might say that a neighborhood is stable in the same way an ecosystem is stable. Individual elements are constantly coming and going, beginning and ending, but the overall system has a kind of equilibrium, an emergent character, that evolves on a longer time scale…
If the churn becomes so fast or violent that the fund of relationships is diminished and no new ones have time to grow in their place, it leaves a neighborhood politically helpless and unresilient.”
The quote is from Nate Storring, reflecting on what we can still learn from the prolific writings of Jane Jacobs today in What About Jane (Urban Omnibus).
I love the idea of churn and equilibrium in cities. How can we accept and harness change in a way that strategically prevents the displacement of small business and long-term residents of a community? I wrote last month about my excitement about Neighborhood REITs as one tool to ensure that long-term residents of a community benefit from its development. I've also been really excited about Landis, who purchases your dream home for you and rents it back to you, using your rental payments to create a fund covering your down payments and closing costs. Their customized coaching app helps you to build your credit and prepare for your home purchase along the way.
Perhaps the most comprehensive overview of this new, emerging "American Ownership Society" comes from my former employer and mentor writing for Stanford Social Innovation Review. In this article, he shows numerous examples of public, private and community actors coming together to set-up new models for community real estate investments.
I think creative startups --not just governments-- have a real role to play in creating stability and restoring equilibrium to our cities. Where have you all seen this happen? I’d love to hear from you!
Field Notes
Louisville, Kentucky was the absolute highlight of my recent two-week road trip through the Midwest. It was the friendliest city that I have ever been to, from the free slice of buttermilk pie we were served at Mark's Feed Store after we insisted we were stuffed from our giant barbecue dinner, to the team at Green Heart Louisville spending hours with me explaining their work and operations.
Do we really understand the best environments for people to thrive?
When I heard Dr. Ted Smith, Director of the Center for Healthy Air, Water and Soil, ask this question, I knew I was home. The ethos at the Envirome Institute at University of Louisville is that place matters. And we would have mammoth impact if we spent the same amount of money understanding environmental factors for health as we spend trying to understand our physical markers.
Green Heart Louisville is the evolution of AIR Louisville, which I've written about in my exploration of Neighborhood Vitals. This groundbreaking study is the first registered clinical trial with the National Institute of Health where the drug to be studied is simply: trees and bushes. Millions of dollars worth of trees are going into the test neighborhoods in Louisville, where researchers will monitor temperature, air pollution, noise, and the cardiovascular health of residents. The results, when ready, could be a big step away from our current "sickcare" system towards one focused on creating the right environments for health.
Where’s Melissa
I’m unpacking from an amazing two weeks on the road, only to start repacking for my trip to the UK in the coming weeks. We are hoping to make it our new home.
Until next time,
Melissa