Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Community-Engaged Decision Support For Foreclosed Housing Acquisition And Redevelopment In Boston, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

This project develops decision tools and analytical methods to help non‐profit community development corporations (CDCs) acquire and redevelop foreclosed housing for neighborhood stabilization and revitalization. Interviews and direct observations at partner CDCs have helped us identify current practices, data and requirements for our decision models. Problem‐structuring methods through CDC focus groups have generated core operational and organizational objectives. Spreadsheet‐ and optimization based decision models generate policy and operational alternatives that address multiple resident and community outcomes. Our research will support efficient responses to the recent foreclosure crisis, especially in distressed neighborhoods, and suggest policy implications at local and national levels.

Organizational Assessment Of The Brookline Planning & Community Development Department, Richard Kobayashi, Monica Lamboy

Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management Publications

The immediate impetus for the organizational study of the Brookline Planning & Community Development Department (Department) was concern about the appropriate role for the Town in supporting the local business community, in particular whether the role performed by the Commercial Areas Coordinator position should continue.

In addition, the Town needed advice about the appropriate strategy for the Town to maintain planning and development services and staffing in light of the long‐term decline in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. Since its passage in 1974, CDBG has been a principal component of the Department’s financial architecture and a significant portion of …