Tomorrow

Democratic societies and governments depend upon elections for their sustainability.  We all recognize this fundamental truth.  This explains the excitement, turmoil, debate, passion and release of energy so obvious during election season.

But Tuesdays have a way of turning into Wednesdays.

Tomorrow remains extremely important at CitySquare.

Tomorrow. . . no matter what. . .

. . .we will treat and care for the ill.
. . .we will work with families to provide nutritious food for otherwise sparse dinner tables.
. . .we will speak up with clear voices in Dallas County Courts on behalf of women and children.
. . .we will provide classroom training for men and women aspiring to better jobs and income.
. . .we will help someone get a new state ID or drivers license.
. . .we will assist students we train with placement into good, living wage jobs.
. .  .we will "coach" our neighbors/students in wealth management strategies.
. . .we will offer respite and protection to young people with no one to whom to turn.
. . .we will house hundreds of formerly homeless neighbors in permanent housing with friendship.
. . .we will house hundreds of low-income working families in high quality dwellings.
. . .we will house almost 200 senior citizens in affordable, high quality homes.
. . .we will offer support services allowing neighbors to map out a pathway for better lives.
. . .we will deploy AmeriCorps members across the city for deep, enriching, effective service.
. . .we will cry with and comfort the grief-stricken.
. . .we will support our partners with gladness.
. . .we will craft big plans, driven by expansive visions for future tomorrows.
. . .we will pray.
. . .we will work.
. . .we will advocate against the forces that keep people poor.
. . .we will witness to our faith.
. . .we will celebrate the wealth of the poor.
. . .and then, we will resolve to show up again tomorrow.

Opportunity "Green" Center!

What follows is a summation of the positive, sustainable impact of the new Opportunity Center on the community in which is resides. I love this stuff!  Just had to share! 

CitySquare Sustainable Talking Points

Site/Location

• The location of the building (south Dallas) and its operational activities; job training, food distribution, wellness center and community café, serve the community within which it is located, making great strides towards making the neighborhood a better place.

• Pollution from construction activities was reduced by controlling soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation.

• The development was located on a site in an existing urban area in order to protect and preserve habitat and natural resources.

• Maximized open space on the site in order to maintain and promote bio-diversity within the natural habitat of the site, 30% of the site is vegetated open space.

• Helped to reduce the urban heat island effect by using solar reflecting materials on both the ground and the roofs of the buildings, helping to keep the building and surrounding areas cooler.


Water
 
 • Using low flow water fixtures increased the water efficiency within the buildings to use 23% less water than would normally be used in a building of this type and size. This reduces the burden on the municipal water supply and wastewater systems, saving approximately 44,000 gallons per year.

• Reduced potable water consumption for landscape irrigation by 59% by using low water landscaping and green irrigation practices. The project is expecting to save 394,000 gallons per year.
Energy & Atmosphere
• Through the use of a geothermal (ground source heat pump) energy system, and low energy use lighting and appliances a 18.6% reduction in energy usage is expected, or approximately 195,350 kWh/year. This is enough energy to power 17 houses in one year.

• The building monitors its energy use to make sure these planned energy reductions are consistently being achieved.

• Limited contribution of ozone depleting gases by not using CFC or HCFC (chlorofluorocarbon and hydrochlorofluorocarbon) based refrigerants in the HVAC systems of the building.

• Has encouraged the development, construction, and operation of new renewable energy resources in this state by purchasing 2 years of Renewable Energy Credits (REC) for the project.
Materials and Resources

• Has implemented a building-wide recycling program for paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics and metals.

• Diverted 7.5 tons of metal, 26 tons of wood and 360 tons of concrete from the landfill during construction – recycling a total of 68% of all construction waste.

• Used materials throughout such as ceiling tile, solid surfacing and flooring with recycled content in them.

• Purchased materials locally when possible to cut down on transportation emissions and promote the local economy.

• Purchased Forest Stewardship Council certified wood to be used in the project, 45% of all wood used in the project (based on cost) was from sustainably managed forests.
Safe and Healthy Building
• Put in place a Indoor Air Quality Management Plan during construction in order to reduce the likelihood of indoor air quality problems.

• Used low-emitting materials to reduce the quantity of indoor air contaminants that are odorous, irritating and/or harmful to the comfort and well-being of installers and occupants. Materials included: adhesives and sealants, paints and other coatings, flooring systems and composite wood products.

• Tried to minimize building occupant exposure to potentially hazardous particulates and chemical pollutants by using walk off mats at all entry points and exhausting space where hazardous gases or chemicals may be present and using high efficiency filters that remove more contaminant particles from the air.

• Provided a high level of thermal comfort control for the individual occupants to promote productivity, comfort and well-being.

• Implemented an Organic Landscape Maintenance plan that outlines best practices in selecting, planting and maintaining the property landscaping. Including organic pest control and fertilization.

• Established and maintains a toxic material source reduction program to reduce the amount of toxic mercury brought onto the building site through purchasing of lamps.

Perspective

We've learned this lesson at CitySquare.

Words and their selection really matter a lot!

For example,

. . .neighbor is better than client.

. . .concierge is better than case worker.

. . .investment is better than gift.

. . .return on investment is better than outcome.

. . .community development is better than charity.

. . .opportunity is better than delivering services.

. . .friendship is better than programming.

Enjoy this example of perspective. . . .

Mayor Rawlings to share annual report. . .

Opportunity Center nearing end of "phase 1"

The exterior components of our new community center for "opportunity discovery" are nearing completion.  Phase 2 will see the building finished out for occupancy.  Just wanted to let you see the latest photos!

Presence and vision

When we conceived the CitySquare Opportunity Center, I never imagined it would share such a direct, penetrating view of our city. 

Amazing!

Ready for late spring, early summer 2013!

You or your group interested in a tour?  Call me!

Presence and vision

When we first conceived the vision for the Opportunity Center, I never imagined that we would have such a view into the "soul" of our city.

Partnerships remain essential

Recently, Bank of America featured CitySquare in a national advertising campaign spotlighting a number of their community partnerships.

I've had a few folks tell me they saw us on the Dallas Cowboys' game last week!

You can take a look at the video stream here!  Tells a good story.

Reactions are always welcome.

More vertical progress (reprise)

CitySquare's new Opportunity Center is exploding out of the ground, literally! It's fun watching the progress while visiting with neighbors who stay in the area. The new center will focus on employment. At the same time, the project has provided jobs for scores of workers.

Drop by the project at Malcolm X Blvd. and I-30 to see the progress.

Fair Park, a future?

Fair Park may be the most under-utilized asset in the city of Dallas. 

The 277 acre community resource combines museums, seasonal attractions (including the best known, State Fair of Texas), history, art and performances.  It is a national historic landmark. Personally, I have very fond memories of walking to the State Fair with my best buddy when we were grade school kids.  His dad allowed us to tag along to his workplace not far from the park and we'd walk the short distance to a destination of great fun and wonder. 

For many reasons, those days are long gone. 

I've been thinking about Fair Park and its possibilities for quite awhile now.  When Jerry Jones decided not to build Cowboys Stadium in the park, I wondered why the city of Dallas wouldn't redevelop it in a manner that would actually produce more economic return to more of its citizens than a football stadium. 

More recently, I read Patrick Kennedy's opinion piece in the June issue of DMagizine ("Big Tex Is a Murderer," page 14) reporting that two zip codes just south of the park are two of the 25 most violent neighborhoods in the U. S. (75210 and 75215 rank 9 and 12 respectively).  Kennedy blames the violence in large part on the fact that the park includes 47 acres of surface parking, noting that "Crime follows disinvestment."

Kennedy wonders what would happen if the parking lots gave way to redevelopment and new investment.  I like the way he is thinking.  However, I don't think he goes far enough. 

The entire park needs comprehensive redevelopment.  One  possibility would be a public-private partnership, possibly backed by an aggressive bond issue and including private investors, land planners and community development organizations.  I know the Dallas 2020 Olympic Committee focused its attention on Fair Park as a potential, wonderful site for an Olympic Village had Dallas landed a bid for the games.  Plans included thousands of apartments that could be leased/sold after the competition concluded. 

Selling off some or all of the park should be considered with built in obligations to develop a truly diverse community in and around the park.  The value of adjacent homeowners' properties  would have to be protected as an upfront part of any deal. 

Can you imagine the vitality of a mixed use, mixed income development at such a scale?  The redevelopment, reinvestment coupled with DART's Green Line at the doorway of the park would draw Fair Park back into the entire community.  Businesses, performing venues, an entertainment corridor, apartments for lease, condos for sale, a healthy connection to the nearby schools--the deal, done properly and adequately capitalized, would set off real transformation of South Dallas.  The return on investment to the city and to the entire region would be phenomenal. 

Wonder what would happen if a group of accomplished folks got together and worked on this?  It's way past time to take some creative action on this largely untapped jewel of our city.

Comin' out of the ground!

CitySquare's new Opportunity Center, located at Malcolm X and I-30, comes out of the ground as workers push the project forward!

Set to open in June 2013, the new center will focus on health, nutrition, employment, adult education, community service and opportunity and friendship development!

West Wisdom

"Justice is what love looks like in public."

~ Cornel West

Job's defense. . .in the city square

As Job made his case against God and the suffering he endured, he painted a picture of himself in the city square.  He noted the reactions and opinions of his neighbors and fellow community members.  Clearly, Job recognized that the city square offered opportunities for action, evaluation and heightened stature. 

However, it is interesting to note the criteria for positive judgment exercised by citizens in the city square. 

Here's what Job says about his experience in the city square:

“When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet; the chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands; 10 the voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because

I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist them.

The one who was dying blessed me; I made the widow’s heart sing.

I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.

I was eyes to the blind

and feet to the lame.

I was a father to the needy;

I took up the case of the stranger.

I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth.

The city square can become an important place for values clarification.  We believe our new name, CitySquare will offer us such opportunities on a daily basis. 

Please join us at the CitySquare.

Where the streets have no names

. . .opening track from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree.

In a 1987 interview, Bono said of the song:

"Where the Streets Have No Name is more like the U2 of old than any of the other songs on the LP, because it’s a sketch - I was just trying to sketch a location, maybe a spiritual location, maybe a romantic location. I was trying to sketch a feeling. I often feel very claustrophobic in a city, a feeling of wanting to break out of that city and a feeling of wanting to go somewhere where the values of the city and the values of our society don’t hold you down. An interesting story that someone told me once is that in Belfast, by what street someone lives on you can tell not only their religion but tell how much money they’re making - literally by which side of the road they live on, because the further up the hill the more expensive the houses become. You can almost tell what the people are earning by the name of the street they live on and what side of that street they live on. That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name."

Of course, Bono's on to something that we all recognize in our own cities.  What if we lived in a community where the value of the human capital was not linked to nore judged by place of residence, income level, race, religion or educational attainment?  What if we all began to recognize the inherent worth, in real world terms, of every single person living in the city we call home?  What if status was determined by generosity, commitment to neighborhood and one's fellow citizens?  What if the names on the street signs simply told us our geographic location in our increasingly smaller world? 

I think I get this song.  How about you?



I want to run
I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I want to reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name

I want to feel sunlight on my face
I see the dust cloud disappear
Without a trace
I want to take shelter from the poison rain
Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name

We're still building
Then burning down love
Burning down love
And when I go there
I go there with you
It's all I can do

The city's aflood
And our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled in dust
I'll show you a place
High on a desert plain
Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
We're still building
Then burning down love
Burning down love
And when I go there
I go there with you
It's all I can do

Our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Blown by the wind
Oh, and I see love
See our love turn to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Blown by the wind
Oh, when I go there
I go there with you
It's all I can do

Harlem Children's Zone

Amazing work being done by an amazing group, led by an amazing man! We need this process and this commitment in Dallas. What do you think?



Great question, Mr. President!

We usually get exactly what we intend. . .

Homeless people continue to roam our streets with no acceptable place to "land" on a permanent basis in large part because of decisions we've made and continue to make as a community.

They overcrowd our new homeless assistance center, The Bridge, because of the limitations we've decided to impose on funding community and housing development and the overall spirit and soul of our city.

Our intentions--you know, the things we determine in the places and moments of decision--drive our city's real and growing need for more decent housing stock for our neighbors at the very bottom of our economy.

Make no mistake about it: Things are the way they are because of our intentions, our decisions and the application of our true philosophy.

Talk is cheap.

Actions speak.

Votes determine reality.

Policy shapes and, at times, limits possibilities.

Here's my latest example.

We're trying to purchase and redevelop another building in the Downtown area of Dallas. Our plans for financing this next project include applying for 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits from the State of Texas. Not long ago, we learned that our preliminary application scored the highest of any submitted to the state this year, a tribute to John Greenan and his great team!

In exchange for this equity investment, we would deliver over 300 new, high-quality, professionally designed, built and managed units of both market and a nice mix of various levels of affordable housing so that people who work Downtown could also live Downtown. The affordable units we propose would allow tenants making between 30% and 140% of area median income to lease a great home. A portion of the new development would include beautiful, live-simple studio apartments for our formerly homeless neighbors who currently populate temporary shelters and our sidewalks, this in response to the city's commitment to end chronic homelessness by 2014 or thereabout. A good number of the units would allow single parents of young children to lease a place nearby one of the finest child care centers in the city that caters to homeless families.

Our proposal includes major outside improvements in both the building and its environs, a robust 24-7 security plan, full-service concierge services, work-lease units, an art studio, employment center for tenants, and professional property management services, to name just a few aspects of the property amenities.

We've worked very hard with residents who live in the neighborhood around the property. Many of the changes and improvements in our plan have come directly from a list of demands and suggestions offered by local residents, for which we are very grateful.

Great plan.

Exciting possibility.

Right?

Well, sure, if you're asking me.

But, not everyone agrees, which comes as no surprise at all.

In order to be successful with our financing we must have community support. Real support, as in votes and formal letters of endorsement, the hard stuff of intention. We have to have the endorsement and support of the City Council member who represents the district where the property is located.

So far, the sledding has been pretty rough on the "community intention" side.

While we get lots of high sounding, compassionate, do-gooder rhetoric from some leading voices in the area, the influence (including some of these same noble-sounding leaders) that crafts actual policy is trending away from us. . .and our low-income neighbors who need the housing.

The arguments ring in my ears.

"This will really affect my property values to the negative."

"You can't build that here. You'll set us back twenty years!"

"Don't get me wrong. I'm concerned about the homeless, but not here. Why not go somewhere else?"

People don't understand that projects like we propose actually create a space for mixed-income communities to thrive. Instead of spreading single units indiscriminately across an area or a neighborhood, our concentrated development becomes a sort of self-contained community, complete with its own sustainable life and personal relationships. The spill over into the larger community is measured, based on authentic new connections, and positive, especially from a diverse housing and economic development standpoint.

In other words, our planned development makes life better for everyone.

People don't think clearly on this issue.

They intend to exclude the very poor from their lives. Thus, they oppose projects like ours and they work hard to see their true intentions and values protected and executed.

Ironically, the homeless and the very poor don't go away. As a matter of fact, they stay in place, but out in the open, on the streets and in the public common areas of the very neighborhood that opposes our plans that would address the problem head-on and in a manner proven to be successful across the nation.

Our vision would first move folks inside their own homes so that they could literally "get a life" before re-engaging the larger community on more positive terms. And, of course, this particular development would only house 50 formerly homeless persons--50 units out of 304.

Our intentions are very clear. Let's build healthy, productive, sustainable communities.

The intentions of our opposition are just as clear, at least to us:

Maintain the status quo out of fear.

Keep the streets as they are today, crowded with the very poor.

Change nothing.

Ironically, the unintended consequences of their very clear intentions result in exactly what we have in our city today. Dallas takes great pride in its continuing belief that it is a cutting edge community, when it fact we remain decades behind best practices in housing policy and neighborhood maturity.

But, hey, if that's what we intend, I suppose you can count us amazingly successful.

[Update on the project: on Tuesday, February 17, the Housing Committee of the Dallas City Council voted to recommend to the full council at its meeting next Wednesday, February 25, that the city withhold support for our planned development. If the full Council votes to withhold support, our deal is dead. This action was taken by the Housing Committee after the local neighborhood association voted 39 to 15 to withhold support of the project.

An interesting fact about this Council District: over 20,000 of its residents live at or below the poverty line.

It is the district in which I reside.

Think about it.

Thirty-nine (39) relatively affluent people may be able to deny decent, high-quality housing to some of the residents in the district who need it most.

Like I say, we get what we intend and, sadly, not everyone's intentions are weighted the same.]

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Inauguration Day, a father's letter and our communities

Today we celebrate America with the inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama. What a day it promises to be for all of us.

This week Parade Magazine published a letter that President Obama wrote to his daughters, Malia and Sasha. As I read the new president's words, it became very clear that this man is first and foremost a dad who loves his children. As I thought more about the content of his letter, I realized that the message here could serve well as an agenda for our work.

Take a moment to read his letter:

Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours.

In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation. I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity. I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something. She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have.

That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure. I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

Love, Dad

An agenda worthy of our best efforts, don't you think?

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