Strategy Leadership Resources

In 2017, the City of Elkhart adopted the River District Revitalization Master Plan. Developed with broad community stakeholder involvement, the plan was built on the previous decades of investment in Elkhart’s struggling Main Street. This effort shared a vision for the River District to be an expansion of downtown, as a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood redeveloped on 100-plus acres of parking lots, out lot retailers, former industrial sites, and auto-repair shops. Over 65% of the $300-plus million mixed-use development has been realized within five-years. The area continues to attract significant new private investment.

In working with communities that have struggled for decades to make ends meet with limited resources, there is a significant hurdle to overcome: the perception that more is not possible. The scarcity mindset and survivor syndrome are distinct psychological concepts, though both involve stress responses and can influence behavior in challenging environments.

Opportunity Collaboratives, or hubs, are innovative initiatives designed to revitalize distressed communities by centralizing services and resources. This approach focuses on leveraging existing nonprofit and government resources efficiently, ensuring services are located where they are most needed, and scaling them to match community needs. This article explores how the Insight Strategic Concepts®’ (ISC) and OBE Advisors LLC process works, its principles, and its potential to universally help communities achieve prosperity.

NWI Works in Northwest Indiana is critical to workforce development because of its local focus, training programs, job placement services, support for diverse populations, economic impact, and partnerships with key stakeholders. By investing in NWI Works, the region can build a stronger, more skilled workforce that drives economic growth and prosperity for years to come.

Approximately 16 million properties in the United States are considered vacant and abandoned, often indicative of blighted or distressed real estate. This figure represents about 11% of the total housing inventory, highlighting a substantial challenge for community revitalization. Given that 83% of the U.S. population resides in urban areas, it is estimated that around 13.3 million of these properties are located in urban or more populated regions, presenting significant opportunities for revitalizing downtowns to foster prosperous communities.

Most cities lack experienced leadership in change management. This, along with the resounding challenges listed below have compounded due to the pandemic and the overall contentiousness of current times.

Private and public leadership must organize and collaborate to successfully turnaround a neighborhood. Together, they must be facilitated to lead through the complexities of transforming each neighborhood within a city, especially to the point that most cities need to be transformed. Our process integrates the following practices to build collaborative partnerships to implement action plans that align to the fabric of the community which a neighborhood serves.