Purpose Built Communities

I am spending my Spring Break reading through my literature for my doctoral dissertation.  The problem always lies in the fact that there are great stories behind each of the social entrepreneurs and social enterprises I read about that I am compelled to search further.  Today, this lead me to the Purpose Built Communities Organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

The story originated with a vision of change for a crime riddled, poverty stricken neighborhood called East Lake Village.  Many people just shake their heads in disbelief at the senseless deterioration of our society which makes for saucy headlines, breaking news and stark realities.  But some take charge and put change in motion.  Tom Cousins, a famous Atlanta real estate developer, sports enthusiast and philanthropist weaved a system of support now termed Holistic Community Revitalization which pools local resources across sectors to solve local issues and created a national model that is being scaled to other communities in need.

In a span of about five years (1995 to 2000), the progress from ground breaking idea to the launch of a renewed and sustainable model community became reality.  A historic golf club was the centerpiece to the revitalization and systematic private-public partnerships.  The story is retold in all its dramatic detail in a 12 minute video well worth watching.  This single initiative is now being scaled and applied in other communities through the sharing of knowledge and resources of the Purpose Built Communities organization.