Land Trusts Offer Houses That People With Lower Incomes Can Afford鈥擜nd a Stepping Stone to Lasting Wealth
More than 200 land trusts around the country help struggling families buy their first homes, often in gentrifying neighborhoods.
Local economies
Do Interest-Free Loans Make Sense? No, But They Do Make a Difference
Neighbors are helping crowdfund the dreams of local entrepreneurs, giving community businesses the chance to expand with interest-free loans.
These Neighbors Got Together to Buy Vacant Buildings. Now They鈥檙e Renting to Bakers and Brewers
Though the model is new and small, it holds outsize potential for the many neighborhoods whose downtowns are controlled by faraway landlords or retail chains.
After 20 Years Reporting on Solutions, I鈥檓 Going on a Journey to Find Where Hope Lies Now
大象传媒 co-founder Sarah van Gelder sets out on a road trip to find the edge of change.
This NYC Real Estate Co-Op Helps Small Businesses Stay Put
A New York City co-op raises $1.2 million in pledges to fight gentrification and provide affordable rent for local business owners.
Seattle Led the Country鈥檚 Minimum Wage Revolution. Can It Do the Same With Rent Control?
New York and San Francisco both suffer from soaring rents and gentrification, despite decades of regulation. How Seattle socialist Kshama Sawant plans to do affordable housing right.
How Buying the Local Post Office Will Help My Family Farm and Small Town Survive
I never thought farming would mean owning a post office. But looking at my community and our need to define ourselves as a place, that seems to be our family farm's next job.
How This Library Paid $1 to Install Its Solar Panels
In West Virginia, Solar Holler helps nonprofits install solar panels for less than the price of a cup of coffee.
These Friends from High School Bought an Abandoned Factory. Now They’re Distilling Artisanal Whiskeys鈥�
Much as blight can be contagious, so can renewal. How grassroots community groups are saving neighborhoods and building new businesses.
Where Do 鈥淩ednecks鈥� Really Come From? A New Museum Has the Surprising Answer
Tourists spend $400 more per trip on average when their trips focus on history and culture. That could be a big opportunity for West Virginia's changing economy.
Even in a Drought, California Farms Have a Future鈥擝ut They鈥檒l Need Local Control to Succeed
Some California farmers have discovered ways to farm that use very little water, yet thirstier methods still dominate. What gives?
One in Four Local Banks Has Vanished Since 2008. Why We Should Treat It as a National Crisis
While megabanks make megabucks, local banks are financing businesses that create jobs and improve well-being. So why are they disappearing so rapidly?
The U.S. Has Nearly 600 Coal Waste Sites. Why They’ve Got West Virginians Worried
Residents fear that coal-contaminated water is seeping into their wells. But a lack of evidence is stalling action.
Food Stamps Are Worth Double at These Michigan Farmers Markets鈥擧elping Families and Local Businesses
The USDA is putting $31 million behind a program that helps low-income families take home twice the veggies, and local farmers make twice the money.
Big City Living May Help You Slow Down, Stress Less, and Be Happy鈥�. Really!
From New York City to Barcelona, cities across the world are turning to 鈥渟low living鈥� to make their communities happier and healthier in the face of increasing urbanization.
What Your Town Can Learn From America’s Most Walkable Suburb
It's got great transit, plenty of sidewalks, and values people more than cars.
Alternative Currencies Are Bigger Than Bitcoin: How They鈥檙e Building Prosperity From London to Kenya
The Brixton Pound, Koru Kenya, and Mazacoin are all attempting to achieve a common goal: empowering people in a monetarily unequal world, from the bottom up.
Replace the Gospel of Money: An Interview With David Korten
What if we measured wealth in terms of life, and how well we serve it?
Local Food With a Big Twist: Oregon Super-Cooperative Takes Aim at the Corporate Food System
This co-op south of Portland wants to strengthen the local food system by helping local farmers cooperate instead of compete with one another.
Young Adults Love Walking, Biking, and Buses鈥�11 Reasons That鈥檚 Good For Everyone
Buses, trains, bikes, and walking represent more than an efficient means of getting from one place to another. They move us toward a brighter future because of the many social and economic benefits they foster.
Forget Venture Capitalists鈥擳his Scrappy Composting Co-Op Found Another Way to Get Startup Money
The banking system makes it tough for local businesses to get their hands on startup money. But creative entrepreneurs are finding solutions.
How One Boston Neighborhood Stopped Gentrification in Its Tracks
Community land trusts create housing that is permanently affordable. And they also help new city farmers get land.
Six Ways the US Is Building a People-Powered Economy
Alternative business models such as worker-owned cooperatives are gaining ground, proving that a more just and sustainable future is possible.
This Rust-Belt Town鈥檚 Survival Strategy Is All About Giving Workers Control
Reading is one of Pennsylvania鈥檚 poorest cities. Can its residents turn things around by building a more democratic economy?
Vermonters Lobby for Public Bank鈥擜nd Win Millions for Local Investment Instead
Advocates didn鈥檛 get the public bank they wanted. But the compromise they reached in the end was still a rare and significant win over Wall Street banks.
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