12:00 PM

Registration Begins (90 mins) - Arrive, check in, and receive your badge before programming begins.

1:00 PM

Cityscapes Media Lounge (until 5 PM)

2:00 – 3:30 PM

Invite Only | Board Meeting (90 mins) - Private meeting for NGIN board members to align on strategy and priorities.

Case Study | Stabilizing Legacy Corridors (90 mins) - Explore New Orleans’ historic Bayou Road corridor revitalization efforts rooted in local culture, community identity, and economic development.

Speakers: Kyla Carlsen (Solveig LLC), Shana Sassoon (Broad Community Connections), Bobby Boone (Access), Andrea Sticker (McKenna Museums)

Capacity: 35 people

Tour | Grow Dat Youth Farm (90 mins) - Visit Grow Dat Youth Farm and learn how youth leadership, food systems, and workforce development intersect in practice.

Tour | Black Heritage and Jazz Tour (90 mins) - Experience New Orleans through a guided tour rooted in Black history and jazz culture.

Experience | Makers Market (Open until 5:00) - Browse and support local vendors showcasing goods, art, and products from the New Orleans community.

Invite Only | SMC Social (60 mins) - Connect with peers across small and midsized cities and build relationships with fellow practitioners.

Speaker: Dasjon Jordan

3:30 PM

Break | Coffee Break (20 mins) - Take a moment to recharge, grab refreshments, and connect with fellow attendees.

Workshop | Exploring Energy Research and Its Impact on Policies and Infrastructure in Small-Medium-Sized Cities (90 mins) - This interactive 90-minute workshop not only presents key findings from research exploring barriers facing Black and minority advanced-energy researchers at HBCUs and other higher education institutions, but it also explores practical pathways to translate research into place-based solutions for small and medium-sized cities. Through brief presentations and facilitated roundtable discussions, attendees will examine long-term pipeline development, mentoring/network models, and strategies for researcher–community partnership and institutional buy-in. The session will conclude with actionable recommendations and opportunities for continuing collaboration and funding pathways.

Speakers: Henry Golatt, Karen Soares, Bryan Patterson, Yas Motoyama, J. Chris Ford, Mel Delpech

Tour | Grow Dat Youth Farm (Group 2) (90 mins) - Visit Grow Dat Youth Farm and learn how youth leadership, food systems, and workforce development intersect in practice.

Capacity: 20 people

Workshop | Making Invisible Work Visible: A Hands-On Scorecard Workshop for Innovation Ecosystem Builders (90 mins) - Engage with a practical tool designed to help innovation ecosystem builders better understand and measure the often unseen work that supports stronger local economies.

Facilitator: Amy Beaird, Ecosystem Edge and Dawn Haynes, Ecosystem Edge

Site Visit | Claiborne Cultural Corridor (90 mins) - Explore how culture, community memory, and place-based development come together along the Claiborne corridor.

Speaker: Nyree Ramsey - Ujaama EDC

4:00 PM

Invite Only | Leaders Roundtable (90 mins) - A small-group conversation with leaders across sectors to share insights and discuss key challenges and opportunities.

5:30 PM

Evening Event | Cityscapes Celebration (150 mins) - Enjoy great food, drinks, and music while connecting with fellow attendees. This opening gathering is designed to help you build relationships, ground your intentions for the Summit, and kick things off in a welcoming, social atmosphere.

7:30 AM

Registration (90 mins) - New arrivals may check in for the day’s programming.

8:00 AM

Meal | Breakfast (60 mins) - Start the day with breakfast and informal networking.

9:00 AM

Mainstage Session | Opening Session - Open Cityscapes Summit 2026 with remarks from the New Growth Innovation Network team and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the presentation of the Luminary Award for Economic Excellence.

Speakers: M. Yasmina McCarty (NGIN), James Hardy (RWJF)

9:30 AM

Mainstage Session | Keynote & Fireside Chat | Bill Bynum, Hope Credit Union - In this keynote, Bill Bynum will share lessons from the Deep South on what it takes to expand access to capital, strengthen local economies, and support communities in building lasting wealth. Grounded in real-world experience, this session will explore practical strategies for advancing economic progress in small and midsized cities.

Speakers: Maurice Jones, Bill Bynum

10:30 AM

Mainstage Session | Opening Plenary - Innovations, Investment and Impact: The SMC Blueprint - This opening plenary brings together national and local leaders to explore how small and midsized cities can align innovation, investment, and impact to expand economic opportunities. The session highlights connections between community health, economic mobility, and inclusive growth, with real-world examples of what is working.

Speakers: James Hardy (RWJF), Dara Eskridge (Invest STL), Amanda Cage (Shift Work Forward), M. Yasmina McCarty (NGIN)

11:30 AM - Break

Experience | Grounding Station (Open until 5:00 PM) - A sensory space designed for rest and reset between sessions. Attendees are invited to step away, recharge, and return grounded and ready to engage.

12:00 PM

Session | Reimagining Entrepreneurship through Community Economics (50 mins) - Explore how Legacy Lab, a Common Future initiative, brings together community businesses across Durham, Detroit, Baltimore, and Memphis to build collective ownership and economic power through shared learning and collaboration.

Track: Community Wealth & Ownership

Speakers: Roquel Crutcher (Common Future), Courtney Smith (Culinary Femme Collective), Bartholomew Jones (Cxffee Black)

Session | Unlocking Capital: Building Community Investment Ecosystems on Main Street (50 mins) - Explore how the Capital Absorption Framework connects community organizations with capital to move beyond one-off deals toward sustainable investment ecosystems.

Track: Capital & Investment

Speaker(s): Luke Hallowell (Main Street America), Omar Carrillo Tinajero (Center for Community Investment), LeShawn Farmer (River District Association)

Session | Making AI Work for Community and Economic Development (50 mins) - This session will explore how cities can use AI to advance inclusive economic growth - through data practices, workforce development tools, and community-informed implementation. Speakers will share practical examples of how AI can help local leaders improve economic mobility and ensure emerging technologies work for everyone.

Track: Future of Economic Innovation

Speakers: Serena Jezior (Greater Cleveland Works), Rick Thomas (Hopeworks), Chanell Hasty (Accelerator for America), Archie Stewart (City of Birmingham)

Session | From Data to Decision: How SMCs Turn National Research into Local Action (50 mins) - Cities across the country are increasingly drawing on national data and evidence to guide their economic mobility work — but translating what the numbers show into local action is rarely straightforward. This session features a candid dialogue between a city practitioner and a representative from national philanthropy, exploring how access to data and analysis shapes the way cities set priorities, build coalitions, and make the case for change. Attendees will leave with a clearer sense of what meaningful access to data looks like in practice, and how to access the kind of support and resources that makes this work possible.

Track: Future of Economic Innovation

Speakers: Stephanie Orlando – AFA, Trevor Tormann – City of Allentown, Ciara Coleman – NEO Philanthropy

12:50 PM

Break - Transition time between sessions.

1:00 PM

Experience | Stop & Snap - Get your LinkedIn profile picture updated with a professional photographer at Cityscapes.

Meal | Lunch - Enjoy lunch and connect with fellow attendees.

2:00 PM

Session | Expanding Opportunity Through Wealth Building and Community Development (75 mins) - Join ThirdSpace Action Lab for an interactive workshop that explains what equitable development is and what it looks like at the intersection of wealth building and community development.

Track: Community Wealth & Ownership

Speaker(s): Monica Copeland (ThirdSpace Action Lab), Michelle Witthaus (Invest STL), Devin Cotten (Universal Basic Employment)

Session | Aligning States and Regions for the Next Economy (75 mins) - The Brookings Institute will explain how state policy and regional strategy can align through a new state–regional compact, offering practical lessons for small and midsized cities. Learn from small and midsized cities on how state policy and regional strategies can align to deliver inclusive growth.

Track: Future of Economic Innovation

Speaker(s): Joe Parilla (Brookings Metro), Joy Polefrone (Alliance for Building Better Medicine / APM Tech Hub), Bethany Hartley (South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership)

Session | Anchors at Work: Investing Locally Through Trusted Institutions (75 mins) - Examine how hospitals, universities, and faith institutions can unlock investment and partner with communities to advance equitable economic development.

Track: Capital and Investment

Speaker(s): David Zuckerman (Healthcare Anchor Network), Sidney Williams (Oikos), Henry Golatt ( HBCU CDAC), Bernita Johnson-Gabriel (NGIN)

Session | Innovations Worth Spreading: A TED-Style Talk Series (75 mins) - In this TED Talk-style session, four speakers share short talks on innovations “worth spreading.” From housing and economic development to community power and investment, each perspective builds a broader story of how growth can better serve the people at the center of it.

Speakers & Talks:

• Martha Galvez (NYU Housing Solutions)
  Where We Live and Work: Cross-Sector Strategies for Housing and Economic Development

• Augie Gastelum (RailCDC)
  Growth Without Displacement: Building Power, Preventing Displacement

• Audra Ladd (Mechanism)
  Asheville Local Lab: Participatory Research and Ecosystem Building in Action

• Darya Pilram (Hillyard Creative District) & Beka Burton (NGIN)
  Unlikely Allies, Unexpected Capital

3:15 PM

Break | Break - Transition and recharge.

3:30 PM

Session | Silos to Synergy: Sparking Cross-Sector Power through Partnerships (75 mins) - Gather insights from NGIN’s Economic Partnership Alliance on building partnerships across sectors to drive inclusive economic development. The session will also highlight the Thrive Lights tool as a framework for sustaining partnerships by grounding coalition work in community-defined needs and helping partners align around shared goals and pathways from surviving to thriving.

Track: The Future of Economic Development

Speakers: Larry Reed – Thrive Lights, Kate Klinger – Newark Alliance, Mary Butler – Newtown Business Council, Rochelle Gallant – City of Sarasota, Cuevas Peacock - NGIN

Session | Understanding Ecosystems to Support Community-Owned Real Estate (75 mins) - Explore how community-owned real estate ecosystems function, from financial structuring to partnerships that sustain long-term community ownership.

Track: Community Wealth & Ownership

Speaker(s): Yerin Cho (Center for Community Investment), Nola Miguel (GES Coalition--Tierra Colectiva CLT), Ahmed Mori (University of Miami), Helen Leung (LA Más)

Session | Catalytic Capital: Financing Community Growth (75 mins) - Learn how CDFIs and mission-driven investors are financing real estate and business development in underinvested communities.

Track: Capital & Investment

Speaker(s): Erika Seth Davies (Rhia Ventures), Betsy Biemann (Coastal Enterprises, Inc.) , Brady Meixell (Urban Institute), Damien Wilson (Reinvestment Fund)

Session | Supplier Firms: Innovative Models for Shared Prosperity (75 mins) - Industry leaders discuss how strengthening supplier firms creates better wages, mobility, and competitiveness for regional economies.

Track: Capital & Investment

Speaker(s): Dr. Randall Pinkett (BCT Partners), Darrin M. Redus Sr. (Cincinnati Business Accelerator) , Katie Robins (Next Street)

7:00 PM

Experience | Conversation Dinners - For an additional add-on, participants will have the option to join a tailored dinner experience with a group of like-minded professionals at local New Orleans restaurants.

8:00 AM

Check In - Arrive and get settled for the final day.

Breakfast - Enjoy breakfast before programming begins.

9:00 AM

Experience | Makers Market (Open Until 1:00 PM) - Browse and support local vendors showcasing goods, art, and products from the New Orleans community.

Workshop | Action Planning for Community Wealth Building (90 mins) - Learn more about Community Wealth Building (CWB) as described by the Democracy Collaborative. In this workshop you will participate in CWB Action Planning to turn theory into practice! We will cover the pillars of Community Wealth Building and go through a process to support participants in putting this into practice in your community. We will go through a process called " Discover, Dream, and Design" and create CWB Action Plans to aid in deployment of CWB in our communities.

Track: Community Wealth & Ownership

Facilitator: Burrell Poe (Democracy Collaborative)

Session | Building Wealth From Birth: Baby Bonds and Guaranteed Income (50 mins) - An exploration of Baby Bonds and Guaranteed Income as complementary strategies to close wealth gaps and strengthen long-term financial stability.

Track: Community Wealth & Ownership

Speaker(s): David Radcliffe (The New School), Amit Khanduri (GRO Fund), Yaw Owusu-Boahen (CT Wealth Accelerator)

Session | Community Finance Roadmaps: Capturing Economic Opportunity in New Energy (50 mins) - How regions can align clean energy deployment with economic development using the Community Finance Roadmap framework.

Track: Capital & Investment

Speaker(s): Aaron Brickman (Rocky Mountain Institute), Meredith Cowart (Rocky Mountain Institute), Gina Cheverine (Greater Cleveland Partnership)

Session | Beyond the Promise: Making Community Ownership Real (50 mins) - This session explores a state–regional compact for economic development built around five core reforms to make collaboration real and actionable. Brookings will frame lessons from small and mid-sized cities, followed by a moderated discussion with regional leaders and practical takeaways for state and local action.)

Track: Charging Community Wealth and Ownership

Speakers: Victoria Monteiro – Common Future, Adriana Abizadeh-Barbour – Kensington Corridor Trust, Ismail Samad - Loiter

9:50 AM

Break - Transition between sessions.

10:00 AM

Grounding Station (Open until 1pm)- A sensory space designed for rest and reset between sessions.

Session | Hidden Wealth Revealed: Heirs' Property, AI and the Neighborhood Balance Sheet (50 mins) - Learn how work in Jacksonville and New Orleans uses data, AI, and community navigators to unlock home equity and strengthen community balance sheets.

Track: Community Wealth & Ownership

Speaker: Kristopher Smith (LISC Jacksonville)

Session | Participatory Program Design, Engagement and Action (50 mins) - In this session, three leaders share what it takes to move from participation-as-consultation to participation-as-cultural-transformation, drawing on experience in the community, civic, and corporate spheres. From cross-sector co-design work to the ethics of engaging resident and worker voices, and with a candid insight from a multi-year arc of job quality work with employer partners, you’ll leave this session with practical lessons and ideas to enhance the work on the ground in your community and followed by a 20-minute Q&A to work through your own engagement dilemmas.

Track: The Future of Economic Development

Speaker(s): Sarah Miller (Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta), Jason Schneider (Civic Possible), Kathy Litchfield Grote (Employer Quality Network)

Session | Applying Co-Governance for a More Democratic Future of Work (50 mins) - Learn how economic democracy and co-governance are put into practice through a model developed by the Coalition for Worker Ownership and Power to support cooperative ecosystems in Massachusetts.

Track: Future of Economic Innovation

Speaker(s): Sarah Assefa (Center for Economic Democracy), Shari Davis (Center for Economic Democracy)

10:50 AM

Break

11:00 AM

Mainstage Session | Closing Plenary | The Future of AI: Exploring the Transitional Moment for Work, Community, and Economic Power - This closing plenary will examine how AI is reshaping work, opportunity, and decision-making across communities—and who gets a voice in that transition. The conversation will explore what it takes to ensure AI strengthens human agency, broadens economic participation, and reflects the needs of the people most affected by it. Grounded in place-based examples, including lessons from rural communities, panelists will discuss why long-term investment, community co-design, critical AI literacy, and stronger public accountability are essential to building a more inclusive future of work.

Speakers: John Irons (Siegel Family Endowment), Bertina Ceccarelli (NPower), Shalin Jyotishi (New America), Swati Ghosh (NGIN)

12:00 PM

Meal | Lunch

1:00 PM

Experience | Final Networking Hour - Wrap up the Summit by connecting with peers, exchanging ideas, and strengthening relationships built over the course of the event.