Emily and I live in a neighborhood on the northend of downtown Memphis called "Uptown". Uptown is a multi-economic, multi-ethnic, multi-generational neighborhood that is just beginning to take shape.

For years prior to the reinvestment in the Uptown community, the area suffered from serious neglect and "white flight", which left behind a community that was void of the resources it needed to sustain itself. The Hurt Village Housing Project, which once resided within the Uptown community had become a poverty compound, cramming low-income families into sub-standard housing.

Uptown was born out of a policy shift that transitioned dilapidated housing projects into legitimate housing stock that encourages a mix of incomes to reside side-by-side. Today, Uptown covers 100 city blocks and is the largest Hope VI redevelopment in the country.

We love living in Uptown because of the diversity of people. I feel strongly that the success of an urban environment relies on its ability to accommodate and support everyone who lives in a particular community (not just the wealthy). My hope is that Uptown will become a place where black and white, rich and poor, old and young can join together in the spirit of community.

To read a little more about our neighborhood, check out the monthly newsletter that I help put together here.