SPARCC

Commentary, Displacement, Equity, Policy, Resilience

People, Power & Progress: Preserving Culture and Community in the Golden State

The Bay Area has long been lauded as a place of progress, diversity, and new ideas. From jazz to flower children, the Black Panther Party to the tech boom, the Bay Area remains on the cutting edge of progressiveness. The Bay Area has always been ahead of its time – pushing, pulling, and shifting the consciousness of the region and even the country like the giant tectonic plates it sits upon.

Commentary, Displacement, Equity

Crusaders For Justice: Continuing Denver’s Legacy of Civil Rights to Innovate and Empower

“La Alma” by Emanuel Martinez (1978). “La Alma” is one of the earliest remaining Chicano Murals. The mural commemorates the birthplace of Chicano Mural Movement in Colorado that began at La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood by Emanuel Martinez with the support of the community. The mural represents the accomplishments of Indigenous and mestizo peoples past […]

Arts & Culture, Commentary, Equity, Resilience

Welcome to Atlanta: Investing Time, Money, and Love in the New South

Atlanta is a city of the future with deep ties to the past. The red clay hills of Atlanta, Georgia hold within them weighted history. Despite its modern look of towering skyscrapers and state-of-the-art facilities, the shadows of slavery still loom large.

Commentary, Equity, Policy

Beyond the L.A. Lights: Connecting Communities Toward Common Goals in the City of Angels

Some argue that the development was good for homeowners who have seen their property value go up nearly 90 percent since the stadium began construction, but is this sustainable as more people in this historically Black and brown neighborhood are pushed out? More importantly, is having a state-the-art football field worth potentially ripping the soul out of a city that means so much to so many?

Arts & Culture, Climate, Equity, eTOD, Health, Parks and Urban Spaces, Policy, Resilience

Sweet Home Chicago: Investing in Equitable Transit-Oriented Development to Keep the Windy City Connected to Its Roots

The “Second City” has always been a place of change and renewal. Chicago, a city that was devastated by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, has proved its resiliency time and time again by continuing to reinvent itself. Chicago is home to 77 community areas including Bronzeville and La Villita (Little Village), Chinatown and Uptown, […]

Arts & Culture, Commentary, Equity, News, Resilience

Reflections on Black History Month 2022…

At this point in time, it feels like it takes a lot of energy to just breathe. We might be—hopefully—stumbling out of an exhausting two-year pandemic, only to find the world in a tense situation. It’s a somber reminder that the fight for justice is not confined to the United States; it is a global […]

Climate, Displacement, Equity, eTOD, Health, Policy, Resilience

We Can’t Afford to Cut Affordable Housing

By Nick Collins Climate-related disasters displaced over 1.7 million Americans in 2020 alone. This figure doesn’t include the increasing displacement caused by secondary effects of climate change—the decrease in affordability, the rising cost of energy, and the loss of land via erosion. Without significant investments to increase the supply of affordable housing, federal efforts to […]

Climate, Equity, Health, Resilience

Resiliencia comunitaria al alcance de todos

Nuestras comunidades necesitan de asistencia técnica y una fuente flexible de financiamiento para lograr los beneficios de las oportunidades de eficiencia energética y resiliencia climática disponibles #DíaEE2021]

Data, Equity, Report

2020: What SPARCC Was Built For

SPARCC sites were equipped for the events of 2020 due to the new relationships, trust, and administrative infrastructure built in the first three years of the initiative, which laid the foundation for an effective response in 2020.

Commentary, Data, Equity

Onions and Gravity: Why We Are Addressing Anti-Black Racism

This country, and much of the global economy, was built on anti-Black racism. The veneer of American exceptionalism would have you believe these days are long gone or even didn’t happen. Yet, anti-Black racism is embedded in the DNA of America.