For a while now, there’s been a growing interest in what’s called “community wealth-building”. That means strengthening locally-rooted and locally- held businesses and investing vehicles, with worker cooperatives, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and impact investors as some of the leading practitioners.
But recently, more city and local governments have been getting in on the act–and that activity is at a point where it’s really starting to take off and, as we say in the business world, scale.
Those are the findings of a new report, Cities Building Community Wealth, just published by The Democracy Collaborative.
“City leaders are desperate to try something different,” says Marjorie Kelly, a co-author of the report. “And, now, you’re starting to see more substantial results from their efforts.” The study also looked at relevant activities in 20 cities around the U.S.