More information about the three initiatives featured in the Cities of Hope series is available from:
- Rebuild L.A. 1000 West 8th Place, Los Angeles, Calif. 90017; (213) 489-9675.
- The Atlanta Project. Write to Christopher Mitchell at the Atlanta Project, c/o the Carter Center, 1 Copenhill, Atlanta, Ga. 30307.
- Community Building in Partnership. 1137 N. Gilmor St., Baltimore, Md. 21217; (410) 728-8607.
Other urban-renewal initiatives have been launched across the nation. Seventeen recently formed the National Community Building Network to compare notes on their progress.
The group held its second conference last week in Washington, and plans to meet again in Atlanta this fall to examine the barriers the programs have faced and how they have responded to them.
Cities involved in the network include:
- Denver. The Piton Foundation and five national funders have launched a $5 million project to improve public education, promote economic opportunities, strengthen families, and revitalize neighborhoods.
Contact Elaine Gantz Berman or Grant Jones, the Piton Foundation, 511 16th St., Suite 700, Denver, Colo. 80202; (303) 825-6246.
- Kansas City, Mo. The Ewing Marion Kaufman Foundation’s “Project Early’’ focuses on the Westside neighborhood, linking families with young children to community groups and government agencies that provide child-development related services.
Contact the Kaufman Foundation, 4900 Oak, Kansas City, Mo. 64112-2776; (816) 932-1000.
- New York City. The Surdna Foundation and 10 national and local foundations have launched a $5 million initiative in the South Bronx. Six community-development corporations are coordinating the project, which includes plans to build new housing, bring a major supermarket to the area, build three medical clinics, and improve access to day care.
Contact Anita Miller, Comprehensive Community Revitalization Program, 1155 Avenue of the Americas, 16th floor, New York, N.Y. 10036.
- Oakland. The Urban Strategies Council, a nonprofit lobbying group, has worked with community groups to create a neighborhood resource center, organize a working group of area child-development providers, and improve interagency collaboration. It is also working with the Oakland public schools to improve early-childhood programs and boost student outcomes.
Contact the Urban Strategies Council, 672 13th St., Suite 200, Oakland, Calif. 94612.--M.S.