Why do we do community development?

 Find out at this training, which is geared towards informing entry-level professionals in the community development field about the theories, history and current strategies of community development in the United States with a focus on Massachusetts. The training will feature representatives from local CDCs to speak about their work as well as interactive discussions on the current debates in the field.

Training goals

• Understand the values and goals of community development and how organizations like CDCs fit into an overall community development ecosystem that includes the government and the private sector
•  Learn about the historical causes and current economic trends that lead to neighborhood decline and inequality
• Find out why housing is an integral component of community development
•  Explore the different approaches used to expand economic  opportunity
• Learn about comprehensive community development and how it can be a successful strategy

Karl F. Seidman is an economic development consultant and Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. He teaches graduate level courses in Economic Development Finance, Economic Development Planning and Revitalizing Urban Main Streets that have completed over 100 technical assistance projects for community and economic development organizations and prepared 20 economic development plans, including award-winning revitalization plans for New Orleans’ St. Claude Avenue and Boston’s Hyde Park, Egleston Square, and Hyde-Jackson Square commercial districts. He previously served as Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer for MassDevelopment, a state agency that finances and manages redevelopment projects. Mr. Seidman holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Amherst College. He is the author of Coming Home to New Orleans: Neighborhood Rebuilding After Katrina, Economic Development Finance and Revitalizing Commerce for American Cities: A Practitioner’s Guide to Urban Main Street Programs, and numerous consulting reports.