All too often, communities paralyze themselves because they do not believe that they have the resources to initiate change—and therefore they do not even try. The case studies in Reaching for the Future: Creative Finance for Smaller Communities illustrate how communities have used and combined various sources of public funds to facilitate dramatic change.
Every community has a choice. A community can choose to say it is “doing OK,” or it can decide to enhance its standing by changing. That is a choice. This publication attempts to provide tools for community leaders to choose to reach for the future.
Special Thanks
The ULI Creative Financing project was made possible through a generous grant provided by ULI Foundation Governor James R. Harris, whose contributions and valued counsel enabled the content and ideas found in this report to take shape. The ULI Foundation acknowledges James Harris for his longstanding commitment to support ULI’s efforts to advance the practice and understanding of responsible development and land use.
