Stronger Neighborhoods

Definition

Percent of residents living within the service area of active Community Development Corporations

Why is it Important?

Community Development Corporations (CDCs) are nonprofits that work to revitalize neighborhoods through community organizing, economic development projects, affordable housing, and other activities. CDCs operate within specific geographic locations, which enable neighborhood and community engagement and collaboration to improve quality of life. This indicator measures the extent of the CDCs in the St. Louis region by calculating the percent of residents living within active CDC service areas¹. While this indicator does not address the capacity or success of the CDCs, which are important but difficult to define, the measure indicates the potential for neighborhoods to become stronger.

How are we Doing?

In 2011, 34 percent of St. Louis area residents lived within the service area of an active community development corporation (CDC). Community Builders Network and Rise are two organizations that work with many of the CDCs in the region, such as the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, to build organizational capacity. For examples of how CDCs are strengthening neighborhoods, see the success stories and case studies highlighted on the Rise website.

Geographic Level

St. Louis eight-county bi-state region, including Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. Louis counties and the city of St. Louis in Missouri and Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties in Illinois. View map.

Notes

¹Active CDCs are defined as CDCs that filed a 990 form in a given year. CDCs have varying levels of capacity and service areas of different sizes - from a single neighborhood with highly targeted activities to an entire county. For that reason, the number of residents in a CDC service area is only one way of quantifying the strength of the community development sector; the capacity and impact of individual CDCs are also important to consider.

Data Sources

Community Builders Network and Rise