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Industrial Ecology:
Environmental and Economic Boon
by John Ehrenfeld, International
Society for Industrial Ecology
A movement that began almost accidentally 35 years ago
in Denmark is showing that when factories use the waste
of other nearby factories as their raw material, advantages
to the environment and the local economy abound.
Data and Measurement in
Community Economic Development
Highlights of a speech by Federal
Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke
Last April, Ben Bernanke spoke at a Greenlining Institute
conference in Los Angeles on ways to evaluate community
development initiatives. Communities & Banking offers
highlights and directs readers to the full text at www.federalreserve.gov.
Responsive Community
Development
First Person with Sharon Conard-Wells,
Executive Director of West Elmwood Housing Development
Corporation
In spite of being told it couldn’t be done, Conard-Wells
spearheaded the transformation of Rau Fastener, an abandoned
Providence factory. Today, attractive mixed-income rental
units anchor a larger revitalization effort in the West
Elmwood neighborhood.
Public Pensions: The
Multiplier Effect
by Doug Hoffer, Policy Analyst
Public pension funds can play a role not only in ensuring
retirees’ economic security, but also in promoting
local economic-development goals.That’s why increasing
numbers of elected officials and trustees are investigating
“economically targeted investment.”
Mapping New
England: Concentration of Poverty
by Ricardo Borgos, Federal
Reserve Bank of Boston
In 2000, 9 percent of New England’s population
lived below the poverty level, and more than 5 percent
of the region’s communities had poverty levels
higher that 20 percent.
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Help for Low-Income
Families
by Lynn Mitchell, Corporate Voices
for Working Families
Insurance company MassMutual has expanded its support
of education by offering to pay the life insurance premium
for qualified individuals making less than $40,000 per
year. Death benefits go to the education of a policyholder’s
children.
New Horizons for New England
Agriculture
by James Putnam, II, First
Pioneer Farm Credit
In 2005, the national Farm Credit System undertook a
comprehensive research project to examine agriculture
and rural America and analyze trends. The author tackles
the implications for New England and suggests appropriate
policy goals.
Home Ownership in a
High-Cost Region
by Esther Schlorholtz, Boston
Private Bank
A perfect storm is brewing in eastern Massachusetts:
high home prices, rising interest rates, and a proliferation
of high-cost mortgage products. More buyer education
and better state regulation of lenders not covered by
the Community Reinvestment Act are needed.
Youth Flight: Are Housing
Costs the Issue?
by Elizabeth Humstone, Community
Development Advisory Council
Young people are leaving New England. To combat the
problem, the six states should not go it alone but should
promote cooperation among governments, businesses, housing
advocates, and educational institutions to devise regional
strategies and solutions.
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