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HowdoClevelandscommunitydevelopmentorganizationsranknationally?

LocalLISCandEnterprisestaffrankingof23NCDIcitiesconductedin2000.RatingfactorsandperformancestandardsutilizedanddevisedbyUrbanInstituteresearchersin

cooperationwithLISC,Enterprise,andtheNCDISecretariat.Thefactorsarethefollowing:

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WhatExplainstheRelativePerformanceofthe23Cities?Inthediscussionstofollow,we

willshowthatthestrongestindustriesasshowninfigure2.1alsohavesomeofthebest

functioningcommunitydevelopmentsupportsystems.

ResearchwillshowthatNewYorkCity,Cleveland,Portland,OR,andSeattlehavefourof

thetopfivebestfunctioningcommunitydevelopmentsystems.(Bostonhasthefifth.)

Washington,D.C.oneofthestrongindustriesonthecharthasasuperiorcapacity-

buildingsystem,whichhelpsoffsetitscomplexandinefficientproductionsystem.

ResearchalsowillshowthatLosAngeles,Miami,andDallashavetheweakestproduction

andcapacitybuildingsystems.

TheothercityintheweakestquartileColumbuscreatedcompetentproductionand

capacity-buildingsystemsonlyinthepastseveralyears.Butoverall,CDCcapacity

improvedinnearlyeveryNCDIcityprimarilybecauseoneormoreofthebuildingblocks

ofthecommunitydevelopmentsystemimproved.Weturnfirsttotheproductionsystemandhowitchanged.

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Collaborationinsustainedpolicyapplicationandfunding

Itisdifficulttooverestimatetheimportanceofnewfundingcollaborativestothestrengtheningof

leadershipsystemsincities.InsomesystemsCleveland,Washington,D.C.,Philadelphia,Atlanta,Seattlecollaborativeshavebecomeindispensableintermediariesthroughwhichrelationshipsamong

systemstakeholdersandbetweensystemandneighborhoodstakeholdersareforgedandsustained.Communitydevelopmentcorporationsrecognizetheimportance

CHALLENGES-Theareaofcivicleadershipisthemostdifficultonetopredict,giventhecomplexityofrelationshipswithinandacrosscomponentsofthefinancialservicesindustry,localandnational

philanthropy,andfederal,state,andlocalgovernment.Perhapswecanexpecttoseethefollowing:

Stabilityoflocalfundingcommitmentsforcommunitydevelopmentfrompublicandprivatesourcesas

thenetworkofrelationshipsamonglocalandnationalfundershelpsreinforcecommitmentstothefieldmadethroughoutthe1990s;

Increasedattentiontonewimmigrantcommunitiesasdemographicchangesbecomereflected

inincreasedpoliticalpowerforHispanicneighborhoods,inparticular.Thismaystretch

communitydevelopmentresourcesmorethinly,butalsomayheightenoverallinvestmentsin

neighborhoodsandawayfrommajordowntownprojects.

SOURCE:CommunityDevelopmentCorporationsandtheirChangingSupportSystems .December2002,Copyright2002,

by,ChristopherWalker,TheUrbanInstitute,MetropolitanHousingandCommunitiesPolicyCenter ,2100MStreet,NW,

Washington,DC20037