Todd Swanstrom, the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Community Collaboration and Public Policy Administration, will participate Oct. 25 in a panel discussion about "Creating Whole Communities" in St. Louis.

With many urban and inner suburban neighborhoods still in decline, St. Louis needs to increase its capacity for strategic community development, according to a recent report by researchers from the Public Policy Research Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. The report further states that strategic community development requires a system that coordinates housing with economic development, education, transportation, parks and other functions – ideally under the leadership of a community development corporation.

“Creating Whole Communities: Understanding the State of Community Development Nonprofits in St. Louis” will be showcased at a panel discussion that is part of the UMSL Community Partnership Project Seminar Series. The discussion will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Oct. 25 in 126 J.C. Penney Conference Center at UMSL, 1 University Blvd. in St. Louis County (63121). It’s free and open to the public.

PPRC researchers Todd Swanstrom and Karl Guenther will present the findings of their survey of 34 CDCs in the region, with panel responses from both a national and local perspective, exploring questions including:

• Are St. Louis area community development corporations focused on strategic community development?
• Do CDCs have the organizational capacity to make a difference in St. Louis neighborhoods?
• How should governments, foundations and banks contribute to developing a more supportive environment for community development?

Panelists will include:

• Todd Swanstrom, the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Community Collaboration and Public Policy Administration at UMSL
• Karl Guenther, Community Development Specialist for the PPRC at UMSL
• Paul Brophy, principal at Brophy & Reilly, LLC
• Justine Craig-Meyer, executive director of Lemay Housing Partnership
• Kimberly McKinney, chief executive officer for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis

A reception will follow the panel discussion. Free parking is available in Lot C.

Call 314-516-6392, e-mail lubisherk@umsl.edu or visit ce.umsl.edu/seminarseries for more information.