The Urban Development Accelerator Convenes in New Orleans

The Urban Development Accelerator (UDA) affiliate cohort convened July 22nd, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana, a city filled with rich history and resilient neighborhoods. Inspired by the powerful ethos of the city, affiliate leaders reflected on the purpose of their development and grounded themselves in the needs of their communities. Each community has its own unique story, and throughout this convening, affiliates were challenged to articulate their narrative to gain both social and capital investment from their residents, funders, boards, and other community stakeholders.

The history of each affiliate city is vital to the community that exists there today. Divestment from black neighborhoods has caused a myriad of issues from vacant properties to food deserts and lack of transportation options. When strategizing how to gain community support for their development work, affiliates were empowered to conduct outreach and research to gain trust, and a true understanding of resident needs.

In order to prepare constituents for the affiliates’ community development visions, they were encouraged to develop a narrative centered on their residents to convey their strategy for developing a stronger, more centralized community. Through their engagements efforts, many affiliates found a demand for commercial spaces that would bring their communities together, including lively areas such as restaurants and clothing stores. Residents want spaces to exist in the black community that are for the black community.

Each affiliate had the opportunity to present the insights and strategies they had developed with the knowledge gained from the two previous UDA activations in New York City, NY and St. Louis, MO. They were encouraged to create a list of major operating features needed to successfully implement their development visions as aligned with their community needs. This included staff and consultant needs, funding sources, space needs, possible liabilities or exposures, and development timelines.

With development often comes additional investment, and affiliates grappled with how to stave off gentrification and keep community in their communities. With guidance from Abt Global consultants, affiliates learned strategies for how to leverage investments to support their neighborhoods and keep these ventures, along with long-time residents, in their community. Affiliate leaders know the power in creating strong relationships, however, cultivating the right partnerships is essential to successful community development. Identifying their community’s needs has helped better position themselves to capitalize on funding opportunities at a corporate, individual, and governmental levels. The power of the Urban League story has positioned affiliates to cultivate a strong committee of resource partners they can turn to for advice and networking when needed.

Abt Global lead a conversation encouraging affiliates to consider the profit and loss implications of their development. They were challenged to think through how to be entrepreneurial in their programing – what kind of business opportunities is this creating for us? How can we ensure sustainability in the development and investment we are creating? Strategies included renting out meeting, gathering or event spaces within their properties. This would both bring revenue to the Urban League, while also cultivating relationships with the community, allowing the Urban League to form new relationships with their communities and encourage trust and collaboration. Other possibilities include providing wrap around services at residential sites, such as housing counseling, job training, and youth development activations.

Ultimately, affiliates left New Orleans with a renewed sense of commitment to their community and development efforts. They were empowered to continue cultivating the Urban League brand as neighborhood developers and transformation specialists. There are a myriad of elements required to achieve a successful project, but at the foundation of it all is to know how to tell your story, what you stand for, your role, and the deals you deserve, and demand to be a part of.