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Equitable Community Development

Individuals and families deserve to live in a vibrant, thriving community that fosters entrepreneurship, sustainable development, and economic growth. In Southwest Michigan, many community-based organizations and municipalities have made some strides to create a more inclusive and equitable community development process to ensure every voice is heard and valued.

About the Project

The Equitable Community Development Project is a solutions-oriented journalism initiative covering community development and quality of life issues in Southwest Michigan, created by the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative.

Our reporting focuses on Southwest Michigan organizations, projects, and developments that promote equity, particularly in community development efforts that build neighborhood assets and create healthy places where residents can achieve their best health and well-being.

This project is built to:

To Southwest Michigan community members about what assets are needed in the realm of community development that will improve their quality of life

About how we can create more equitable community development processes and about what is working to boost equity

On effective approaches to community development that create an equitable playing field for all community members

The problems we seek to address:

Current decision-making processes lack inclusivity, often excluding marginalized voices—such as people of color, youth, seniors, and grassroots organizations—from key discussions.

Barriers to engagement, including limited access to technology and transparent conversations, further prevent true community participation.

Systemic and structural challenges, such as bureaucratic red tape and a lack of resources for entrepreneurs of color, hinder progress toward equitable development.

Lack of awareness exists around the role small businesses and entrepreneurs play in the development of neighborhoods and overall economic vitality of a community. 

Focus Areas

  • Infrastructure Development

  • Affordable Housing

  • Skill Enhancement & Job Opportunities

  • Quality of Health Services

  • Public Safety & Policing

  • Local Businesses & Entrepreneurship

  • Cultural, Art & Recreation

  • Social Justice Policies & Advocacy

By reporting on equitable community development programs, projects and processes, we hope to uplift effective approaches to the problems and uncover idle, unhelpful work in this arena.

Media Projects

A Credit Union
in a Banking Desert

Community Promise Federal Credit Union, a tiny but mighty credit union in the Edison Neighborhood, is determined to bring essential banking and financial services to an underserved neighborhood and beyond.

Created by Public Media Network.

Tiny Houses of Hope: A Discussion with Gwendolyn Hooker

An in-depth conversation with Gwendolyn Hooker, the CEO and Founder of Hope Thru Navigation, and the developer of Tiny Houses of Hope. The three tiny houses on the corner of North and Westnedge Ave., are the first of 24 tiny houses hoping to provide housing for people with few to no options to ever have a home.

Created by Public Media Network.

Project Stories

Two people stand and smile inside a restaurant, with digital menu boards, food displays, and ordering counters visible in the background.

La Loma Supermercado brings authentic flavors — and cultural pride — to Battle Creek

Collage of Kalamazoo Gazette newspaper pages covering a merger between Pharmacia and Upjohn; headlines discuss market, community reactions, and an official announcement letter.

30 years after Upjohn merger, Kalamazoo area proves its resilience

A woman reads a picture book to a group of young children seated on the grass outdoors; the children are wearing bright jackets and listening attentively.

‘A Pillar of Hope and Resilience’: Under new director, the Douglass continues to thrive

Four men stand around a large industrial machine on a table, engaged in discussion inside a bright, spacious workshop.

Meknology’s Daniel Hodges has found a better way to treat wastewater

A fenced construction site with two completed houses, dirt ground, some construction equipment, and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

A new housing development in Portage hopes to create long-term affordable housing

A woman stands smiling in front of a wooden wall sign that says "Uproot Market" inside a store with empty shelving and counters.

From seed to storefront: Battle Creek’s first food co-op to open in September

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