building community ownership
Dismantling structural barriers to economic mobility by prioritizing the lived experience and expertise of residents in commu
W8CED Think Tank: The Plan
For decades, Ward 8 has been researched, surveyed, and reported on while the wealth kept leaving the neighborhood. The Ward 8 Community Economic Development Think Tank exists to change that: to turn the community's own roadmap, A Dream Deserved: Realizing Our Collective Emergence report, into real ownership of land, business, and capital in residents' hands.
Where most plans stop, we start
Where most plans stop, we start
Most planning ends with a report on a shelf. The Dream Deserved report was different from the day it began: ten years of organizing, more than 30 town halls and committee meetings, and a survey reaching over 3,000 residents with 1,180 residents providing the data at its core. The Think Tank exists to carry that roadmap based on the data collected into action, as the community's implementation engine, not another outside study.
A Dream Deserved: Realizing Our Collective Emergence
In the Fall of 2026, the documentary telling the story of Ward 8's planning process will premiere. It marks the moment the roadmap becomes a movement.
Watch the story behind the road to A Dream Deserved: Realizing Our Collective Emergence report.
Download the report.
What We Are Building
Community-owned wealth
Our focus is a Community-Owned Investment Fund, a way for residents to hold real equity in the land and local businesses, instead of watching outside capital buy the neighborhood out from under them.
Leadership that lasts generations
Our Leadership Academy trains residents, youth and elders together to govern, deploy, and defend community assets.
Data the community owns
We steward that data collection process and put it to work, countering displacement and holding institutions accountable to residents.
Stay Updated
Be the first to know about the documentary premiere, upcoming training cohorts, and opportunities to engage with the work
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