Cities and Businesses of Color: A Guide to Economic Growth
This guide for city leaders, economic development professionals, and ecosystem-builders is authored by Rodrick Miller, who served as a coach to City Accelerator cities in the Local Business and Job Growth cohort. The guide shares principles, approaches, and stories of public servants and local partners to inspire action in your communities. It features stories of business owners and case studies from the five City Accelerator cohort cities-- Atlanta, El Paso, Long Beach, Newark and Rochester --who built or strengthened partnerships in their community to better understand and address the challenges businesses owned by people of color faced before and during COVID.
How the city advanced equitable economic growth as a policy, practice, and culture
Understanding what it takes to implement lasting, meaningful community change
How Houston reorganized to lessen the impact of COVID on entrepreneurs of color
How the city is using shipping containers to provide affordable and accessible real estate to businesses of color
The city is working to create more opportunities for economic security and success for small businesses.
How the city of Long Beach seeds entrepreneurship and economic vitality in all of its neighborhoods
How the City of El Paso leveraged partnerships and the local library to support small business growth
How the city of Rochester gained a better understanding of its history and demographics to design programs that meet business owners’ and residents’ needs
Lessons Learned in How to Empower Businesses of Color
How the city of Newark is making sure entrepreneurs of color are at the forefront of business expansion and real estate development
Helping small businesses succeed amidst rising real estate costs
From “Brick City” to “Renaissance City,” Mayor Ras Baraka and his economic development team are rebranding Newark to focus on tech-driven wealth generation and establishing New Jersey’s first land bank.
How Rochester, NY, is using entrepreneurism to build a more inclusive economy
By partnering with community organizations, the city is making it easier for business owners to access capital, training and other resources.
Long Beach is partnering with trusted community-based organizations to help entrepreneurs start up, stay up, and scale up.
Detroit's Motor City Match program is a model other cities should emulate.
A new program may be a boon to struggling cities -- if it targets the right ones.
Over the past decade, San Antonio has made a concerted effort to strengthen and grow its local business community.
A new study points to evidence that luring a large corporation isn’t the best way to spur job growth.
Announcing the newest round of cities that will engage in the ongoing City Accelerator project.
Announcing the finalists for this year's City Accelerator initiative.