Gentrification by Flood: Welcome to “New” New Orleans

When I was a little girl, we moved to northern Indiana from New Mexico. New Mexico didn’t have hurricanes. Indiana, on the other hand, had a lot of tornado… threats. The nightly news would track the storm. When it escalated to Tornado Warning, I’d haul all my stuffed animals to the basement. Had to save them. I had quite an imagination. …

From the Closing of Double 8 to Marsh: Food Access Apocalypse in Central Indiana

The recent closing of 10+ Marsh grocery stores across Indianapolis has me reflecting on the challenge of food access in Central Indiana. I remember as if it were yesterday when all the Double 8 stores closed in our communities. “Oh man!” said Paulette Fair as she tried to get into the closed store. “I need carrots and collard greens and …

Reflections on How to Kill a City by Peter Moskowitz| Part I

In his opening remarks, Peter Moskowitz lays out an utopian village where urban living allows everyone to thrive. He then plunges deep into the causes of its collapse. Raised in the West Village of New York City, the neighborhood bears little resemblance to the streets he called home as a child. Yet, this very community was once heralded as an …

Indianapolis Equity Profile from PolicyLink

Presentation created by Alexis Stephens, Senior Communications Associate at PolicyLink. Presented at Kheprw Institute on September 25, 2016 at Gentrify: Equitable Development vs. Economic Development.

Is Gentrification the Problem in Indianapolis?

Is Gentrification the Problem in Indianapolis? A recent report by the Center for Community Progress was presented at Development on Tap, a monthly discussion hosted by LISC (Local Initiative Support Corporation), which finally acknowledged that gentrification is real. While the author acknowledged that gentrification is real, he argued that it is a relatively small issue compared to neighborhood decline and …

Indy Communities Taking Control of Their Food

With the loss of Double 8 foods in our communities last year, the people searched for an alternative means of obtaining affordable produce without having to drive all over creation to access them. From that need, the Community Controlled Food Initiative (CCFI) was born.   CCFI is a community led initiative that was started by the Kheprw Institute shortly after …

Gentrification: Interview with Imhotep Adisa

Members of the Kheprw blog team recently sat down with Imhotep Adisa (M) Executive Director of Kheprw Institute to talk about gentrification in Indianapolis as part of a series focused on equitable development and empowering community solutions. How do you define gentrification? M: When I think of Gentrification I think about it in very broad ways. Fundamentally it’s displacement, physical, …