Great Neighborhoods helps communities become more walkable, affordable, and vibrant by transforming the way people collaborate. Inclusion, equity, and sustainability are important values. We convene housing, transportation, and climate activists to join forces in support of key projects and policies. We accomplish this by sparking new relationships, translating data into powerful stories, sharing successful strategies, and elevating the skills and will of local leaders to implement solutions. We achieve loving, healthy communities by changing toxic narratives, breaking down silos, and sustaining each other.
Andre founded Great Neighborhoods in 2009 while working with the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance steering committee. With funding from the Barr Foundation and the Ford Foundation from 2009-2014, we created a national model for accelerating positive community change by coaching and funding local partners to achieve collective impact. The planning and partnerships we supported continue to have a positive influence on Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford, Nubian (Dudley) Square in Roxbury, the Fairmount Line in Boston, the Green Line Corridor in Somerville, downtown Lawrence, and Winchester town center, among others.
Since 2015, the program has evolved into a platform for local activists across the state to achieve better development in their community. This includes supporting the creation of grassroots groups focused on housing and livability, fostering constructive dialogue, and increasing diversity in decision-making. The program is now housed at LivableStreets Alliance.