Neighborhood Revitalization

 
Every city in the United States has neighborhoods that are troubled, with deteriorating housing, streets and sidewalks in disrepair, crime that keeps families indoors and residents who have lost their sense of community pride. Residents and professionals representing all sectors — from community-based organizations and private foundations to government and corporate America — are involved in neighborhood revitalization efforts. They are working to create and nurture more livable places where families can live, work and play.
 
The Community and Neighborhood Revitalization Professional Certificate focuses on transforming neighborhoods that lack vitality and suffer from stagnant or declining property values into neighborhoods of choice — places where residents and businesses want to invest their time, energy and money. Participants who earn this professional certificate will possess the knowledge and tools needed to facilitate positive neighborhood change.

See Below for Program Details:

Candidates
How to Earn a Professional Certificate
Program Coursework
Online Testing

Candidates

Interested individuals at all levels of experience may enroll in the Professional Certificate Program in Community and Neighborhood Revitalization.

This program is particularly valuable for:

• Neighborhood revitalization consultants and educators.
• Staff and boards of community development organizations.
• Officers and residents representing neighborhood organizations.
• Funders of neighborhood revitalization.
• Urban planners, designers and architects.
• Elected officials and public-sector staff.

Participants will hone the skills to develop and implement strategies that will:

• Increase the capacity of residents and other stakeholders to manage neighborhood change
• Increase residents’ confidence and participation in initiatives to shape their neighborhood’s future
• Stimulate demand for housing and other investment opportunities
• Support development of healthy, mixed-income neighborhoods
• Create and preserve affordable housing in "hot" markets
• Cultivate collaborations that promote and sustain revitalization

How to Earn a Professional Certificate

Individuals seeking to earn a professional certificate in community and neighborhood revitalization must: 

• Submit the enrollment form.
• Complete all coursework, practical exercises and tests within three years.
• Pass the final exam/practicum. 

It is possible to complete all program requirements in as few as three NeighborWorks Training Institutes. With prior approval from training division staff, candidates may receive credit for relevant courses taken no more than two years prior to enrollment.
  
If you have any questions, call 800-438-5547 or 202-760-4000, or email [email protected].

Program Coursework

The Professional Certificate Program for Community and Neighborhood Revitalization consists of a series of courses that provide the theoretical framework, specialized tools and technical skills necessary to design and carry out successful neighborhood revitalization. 

Required course:

• NR121 Measuring the Impacts of Your Revitalization Work (NR121)

Select two:

• The Essential Tools of Successful Neighborhood Revitalization (NR101)
• Strategies to Meaningfully Engage Stakeholders in Revitalization Planning (NR102)
• Getting Things Done in Neighborhoods through Strategic Collaborations (NR104)
• Understanding Your Community, Analyzing Your Market (NR150)

Select one:

• Building Community and Promoting Equity through Revitalization (NR116)
• Community Development: Past, Present and Future (NR171)
• Strategies for More Livable Neighborhoods (NR261)
• Urban Dynamics of a Great American City (NR400)
• Metropolitan Dynamics:The Urbanization of Suburbia (NR405)

Select two:

• Leveraging Market Forces to Attract Investment in Neighborhood Revitalization (NR115)
• Working with Tenants and Small Landlords to Revitalize the Neighborhood (NR118)
• Revitalization Strategies to Address Vacant Properties (NR220)
• Walkability and Bikeability for Healthy, Vibrant Neighborhoods (NR270)

Select two:

• Reading a Neighborhood: What a Walk Around the Block Can Tell You (NR124)
• Engaging and Preparing the Next Generation (NR133)
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: How Urban Design Can Make or Break Your Revitalization Strategy (NR253)
• Working with Municipal Government Agencies (NR257)
• Creating a Fantastic Image for Your Neighborhood (NR276)
• Lending and Rehab Strategies for Maximum Impact (NR369)

Creative Community Develpment Professional Certificate Program 

​This certificate program will give participants the knowledge and tools to contribute to an emerging body of research and practice regarding the role of arts and culture in building housing and equitable, sustainable, and healthy communities.

Participants will be introduced to a variety of resources, case studies, and analytic techniques to understand creative community development strategies and measure the impact of arts and culture in community development. And participants will develop a roadmap to support their work and apply how arts and culture can strengthen and build more inclusive communities.

 

This certificate requires the successful completion of these three courses:

• Make It Creative: Leveraging Arts and Culture for Affordable Housing and Equitable Community Development (NR190)
• Make It Count: Measuring the Impact of Arts in Your Community (NR290)
• Make It Last: Integrating Arts and Analysis to Leverage Creative Community Development (NR390)

Online Testing

Candidates must take the online tests for the applicable required courses. Learn more about online testing for professional certificate program courses.