The final episode of Season One tells the story of Jamese Pinkston, who returned to the neighborhood where she was born and raised in Charlotte to help her neighbors have access to the opportunities to succeed and thrive that she was lucky to have. Hear her describe why she has the “best job in the world.” Listen
This tenet of our work was brought into sharp focus in a recent article in The New York Times, “Detailed New National Maps Show How Neighborhoods Shape Children for Life,” by Emily Badger and Quoctrung…
Founded in 2012, the Renaissance West Community Initiative formed to coordinate momentum from a range of partners to turn a public housing development in West Charlotte into a neighborhood that is purposefully designed to help residents succeed. More than 300 mixed-income housing units have been built and are fully leased. A health alliance focused on holistic, place-based care formed in 2016. A new K-8 STEAM school opened in 2017 and an early childhood education center opened the following year, representing enormous steps toward a cradle-to-career education continuum.
In their navy blue and gold uniforms, 400 students entered the new K-5 Renaissance West STEAM Academy on the west side of Charlotte, North Carolina on a fall morning in 2017. This day was the…
The Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI), the community quarterback and Purpose Built Communities Network Member working to revitalize the old Boulevard Homes community in Charlotte, NC, was recently featured at the Foundation for the Carolinas' Annual Meeting, which attracted a sell-out crowd of 1,500 people to the Convention Center in uptown Charlotte. The Foundation produced three excellent videos about RWCI that explain their story and how they are implementing the Purpose Built Communities model in Charlotte.
Several Purpose Built Communities Network Members are blazing a new trail within traditional public school systems. Hear how they are tackling change to achieve better results for the children in their neighborhoods.
Moderator: Carol Naughton, President, Purpose Built Communities, Panelists: Laura Clark, Executive Director, Renaissance West Community Initiative, Sally Mackin, Executive Director, Woodlawn Foundation,
Othello Meadows, Executive Director, 75 North, Purpose Built Communities Network Member, Omaha
The Renaissance West Community Initiative (RWCI), the Purpose Built Community in Charlotte, NC, is making progress on all fronts – housing, education and community wellness. Strong partnerships have been critical to their success, leading to…
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board approved plans to partner with a non-profit to run a pre-k- 8 school on the city’s west side. Listen to radio interview.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will partner with a local nonprofit to run a new pre-K through eighth-grade school proposed as part of the redevelopment of the former Boulevard Homes community in west Charlotte.
Renaissance West Community Initiative and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announce Pre-K through eighth grade school agreement. School to establish new public-private partnership pilot program.
The Renaissance West Community Initiative looks to transform the Boulevard Homes community in Charlotte.
“We are excited about the intentional thought that went into this redevelopment and its efforts to provide the very best quality of life to its residents and the surrounding community,” said Anthony Foxx, Mayor for…
We are excited to reveal our new brand identity! Our new brand is the next chapter in a story about increasing economic mobility, better health outcomes, and racial equity by harnessing neighborhoods as powerful engines of change.
In our new logo, you see the blocks of a city grid or an interwoven tapestry of bold and vivid colors. It symbolizes both where we work and how we work. Purpose Built supports over 70 neighborhoods—including more than 25 Network Members—creating an interconnected collective of leaders strengthening neighborhoods so everyone can thrive.
This new brand identity is more than a logo. It is a framework for telling the Purpose Built Communities story and an invitation to join our mission of creating pathways to prosperity for residents in the places they call home.