Project for Public Spaces has announced that it is now accepting applications for the 2016 Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant program. Southwest Airlines connects people to the places that mean the most to them. In 2014, Southwest launched Heart of the Community to encourage more connections on the ground and to help residents feel a sense of ownership in the places they share. This community-driven program has supported the activation of public spaces in cities across the country, from Portland, Maine, to San Antonio, Texas.

Seasoned professionals addressed current redevelopment initiatives and emerging topics such as sustainable land re-use, infill and transit development, and workforce development. Case studies highlighted a range of land recycling opportunities applicable to both rural and urban communities in California. Over 70 attendees learned about Economic sustainability, environmental resiliency and how land land recycling contributes to these efforts.

CCLR responds to Pacific Standard article "Mental Maps and the Neuroscience behind Neighborhood Blight" -

Whether or not we realize it, city blocks, districts and neighborhoods are not concretely articulated land areas in an urban fabric — people interact with and define the boundaries of places differently, and use varying metrics to identify them. All these facets we associate with places and spaces — how we draw our “mental maps” — have proven to be extremely revealing in understanding why some neighborhoods prosper, and others continue to be magnets for socio-economic decline and blight. CCLR posits, that among the numerous other socio-economic development tactics we use to revitalize and redevelop the neighborhoods, main streets and downtowns of our declining cities, we also need to “hack the mental map” and reverse the “psychological branding” of blighted communities.

CCLR was privileged to host Jackie Ochoa as our summer intern this year. Jackie joined CCLR through the Achieve Program, a fantastic organization with which CCLR has had a long and productive partnership. She conducted interviews, gave an interview, completed several research projects, and helped put CCLR on Twitter (follow us @LandRecycling) and Instagram (find us at landrecycling). We learned so much from working with Jackie, and we’re glad that she learned many things during her time at CCLR, as well. Jackie is heading off to Lawrence University next month, and we wish her the best in all her future endeavors and look forward to seeing how she decides to apply her many talents. Below is a blog post with some parting thoughts from Jackie about humans’ relationship with the planet, the environmental impacts of industrial waste, and the significance of her summer with CCLR.

The Loma Prieta Earthquake, which shook the city at magnitude 6.9 for just 15 seconds on October 17th, 1989, tragically killed 67 people, 42 of whom were on the Embarcadero Freeway when a portion of it collapsed. The removal of the freeway reshaped San Francisco’s waterfront, and as we listened to Jackie reflect on her newly acquired knowledge about this piece of recent history, we thought that her words (and her thoughts on transportation and sustainability) were worth sharing. Following is an interview between Jackie and CCLR staff.

The Coastal Program is a voluntary, partnership-based, habitat conservation program located in 24 priority coastal areas along the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, and in the Caribbean. Within these areas, US FWS conservation efforts are guided by a national strategic plan that integrates Service priorities with the shared conservation goals of conservation partners and stakeholders. Application Deadline: September 30, 2015

New to the program this year, up to $2.5 MM of the i6 competition funds will be awarded to rural organizations focused on expanding capabilities for entrepreneurs. Special considerations will be given to applicants prioritizing populations and communities that are underrepresented in innovation and entrepreneurship. Join the RIS team August 18th at 2:30 pm EDT for an informational webinar about the program.

The United States Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is requesting applied science proposals for projects that develop and demonstrate improved science and technologies related to the mining of coal and the reclamation of the land after mining.

The North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Council) created the Small Grants Program and Tribal Wildlife Grant Program are now open to applicants for funding aimed to conserve and restore wetland webitats, and programs that benefit wildlife on federally recocnized Native American Tribal Lands.

HUD is making available through this NOFA $5,000,000 for Rural Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Grants.The funding appropriated for this program is intended to serve high-need rural areas and help rural housing development organizations, community development organizations (CDCs), community housing development organizations (CHDOs), local governments, and Indian tribes obtain financing, training and technical assistance necessary to undertake effective community development activities. The Rural Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing (Rural Capacity Building) program, is intended to fund applicants with demonstrated expertise in affordable housing and community development in high-need rural communities.