The Seventh Annual Purpose Built Communities Network Member Conference will be held in Birmingham, AL, October 17-19, 2016! Save the date!
Get Monthly Updates

VIDEO: LIFT Orlando – Transforming the Communities of West Lakes
LIFT Orlando joined the Purpose Built Communities Network in 2015. Their focus area is called the Communities of West Lakes, which sits adjacent to the Orlando Citrus Bowl in west Orlando. Since… Continue →

Citrus Bowl Shines Light on LIFT Orlando
If you watched the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on New Years Day on ABC, you might have seen this 60-second PSA about our network member LIFT Orlando. We are very proud of… Continue →

Purpose Built Communities featured in The Financial Times
The Financial Times featured Purpose Built communities in a story published on December 12 titled “Fifth of US adults live in or near to poverty” (subscription required) that discusses the increasing… Continue →

Purpose Built Communities Conference 2015 Videos
What an amazing gathering in Fort Worth! More than 350 people from 49 communities in 47 cities participated in our Sixth Annual Purpose Built Communities Conference from October 5 to October… Continue →

Woodlawn United – A Story of Neighborhood Transformation
The Woodlawn neighborhood of Birmingham, AL joined the Purpose Built Communities Network in 2010 with the Woodlawn Foundation as its community quarterback. This short film shows the progress of the… Continue →

Photos from 2015 Purpose Built Communities Conference
What an amazing gathering in Fort Worth! More than 350 people from 49 communities in 47 cities participated in our Sixth Annual Purpose Built Communities Conference. The Renaissance Heights Development… Continue →

A Chance to Succeed: A Report by Selig Center For Economic Growth
A Chance to Succeed is the East Lake story in numbers. First, it shows the net economic impact of expenditures related to the operation of The Villages of East Lake, Drew Charter School, Sheltering Arms Early Education Center, East Lake Golf Club, Charlie Yates Golf Course, East Lake Family YMCA, and the East Lake Foundation. The remaining report details the impact of new businesses in the area, covers net changes in residents’ earnings, examines how appreciation of residential property values adds to the wealth of residents who are landowners, analyzes the economic benefits of the improved quality of education provided by the Drew Charter School, and reviews the economic benefits of reduction in crime rates.

Transforming East Lake: A Case Study by America’s Promise Alliance
What’s the secret behind East Lake’s turnaround? Can lessons from East Lake guide comprehensive efforts at neighborhood transformation in other communities? Through interviews with more than 20 key participants, reviews of historical and current documents, and an examination of existing research about neighborhood revitalization, this in-depth case study by America’s Promise Alliance explores those questions and illuminates East Lake’s story.

It Takes a Neighborhood: Purpose Built Communities and Neighborhood Transformation
In some respects, we, the public, are victims of our own unrealistic expectations governing the silos we have created. Schools systems cannot change educational outcomes on their own. Housing authorities cannot make up for the lack of affordable housing on their own. Police cannot on their own make streets safe. It takes a healthy, functioning neighborhood for these systems to stand a chance of delivering the outcomes we expect.