<![CDATA[Thriving Neighborhoods Lab]]>8703facd-f957-54eb-8a48-36451a378b87Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:17:07 +0000Captivate.fmPod For Good Mediahttps://artwork.captivate.fm/3a7512d6-3b27-4c36-abef-3d4f75d29bbf/Correct-Size-Logo.pngThriving Neighborhoods LabPod For Good MediaPod For Good MediaThe Thriving Neighborhoods Podcast explores what it takes to create lasting transformation in historically disinvested communities. Hosted by Cerca Solutions founders Kirk and Markos Wester-Rivera, each episode features conversations about ideas and innovations working at the intersection of housing, education, economic opportunity, and community leadership. Drawing from decades of lived experience and proven neighborhood development expertise, we unpack practical strategies, challenge conventional approaches, and share promising and effective frameworks to advance the work of inclusive community development. You'll hear Kirk and Markos work through complex questions together, and Kirk's in-depth interviews with practitioners, community leaders, and innovators doing transformative work across the country. What does it really take to stand up a community quarterback organization? How do you build on community strengths while bringing in necessary external resources? How do you measure holistic impact beyond programs implemented? Every 30-45 minute conversation is grounded in real projects, hard-won lessons, and the kind of systems thinking that leads to meaningful change. Whether you're a community quarterback, nonprofit leader, funder, or local government official, you'll gain actionable insights for creating holistic change—even with limited resources. New episodes release every two weeks. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and visit cerca.solutions to learn more about our work.https://thriving-neighborhoods.captivate.fmfalseserialnopodcastAsset-Based Community DevelopmentAsset-Based Community DevelopmentKirk and Markos discuss one of the core tensions in community development: how to build on what a community already has while being honest about what it still needs. They explore why leading with community strengths matters, why external resources are still necessary in historically disinvested neighborhoods, and how to bring those resources in without creating dependency.

]]>Kirk and Markos discuss one of the core tensions in community development: how to build on what a community already has while being honest about what it still needs. They explore why leading with community strengths matters, why external resources are still necessary in historically disinvested neighborhoods, and how to bring those resources in without creating dependency.

]]>7c883390-a64c-472d-8ee8-83d9fcfdf9ddTue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -050046:45falsefull1441Why Neighborhoods Are the Right Scale of ChangeWhy Neighborhoods Are the Right Scale of ChangeNeighborhoods occupy a unique position in community development, large enough to address systemic challenges, small enough for residents to have real influence over outcomes. In this episode, Kirk and Markos explore why the neighborhood scale is particularly well-suited for creating lasting change, and what that means for how organizations approach their work. It's a foundational conversation for anyone working to understand where and how transformation actually takes hold.

]]>Neighborhoods occupy a unique position in community development, large enough to address systemic challenges, small enough for residents to have real influence over outcomes. In this episode, Kirk and Markos explore why the neighborhood scale is particularly well-suited for creating lasting change, and what that means for how organizations approach their work. It's a foundational conversation for anyone working to understand where and how transformation actually takes hold.

]]>86bc6cf4-bcfa-4851-b052-68d818f407c2Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -050054:04falsefull1331The Neuroscience of NeighborhoodsThe Neuroscience of NeighborhoodsWhat happens to a child's developing brain when their neighborhood is starved of investment? In this episode, Kirk Wester-Rivera sits down with Dr. Doug Jutte to go beyond the social and economic dimensions of place-based poverty and into the biology. Building on Episode 1's introduction of toxic stressors, Doug unpacks the science of how early neighborhood conditions get literally built into children's bodies and brains and what that means for how we invest in communities. If you work in community development, philanthropy, education, or policy, this one is worth your time.

]]>What happens to a child's developing brain when their neighborhood is starved of investment? In this episode, Kirk Wester-Rivera sits down with Dr. Doug Jutte to go beyond the social and economic dimensions of place-based poverty and into the biology. Building on Episode 1's introduction of toxic stressors, Doug unpacks the science of how early neighborhood conditions get literally built into children's bodies and brains and what that means for how we invest in communities. If you work in community development, philanthropy, education, or policy, this one is worth your time.

]]>dc28d838-4137-4bc3-a716-f27d45e4e5e6Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -050056:12falsefull1221The Architecture of Neighborhood InequalityThe Architecture of Neighborhood InequalityHow did concentrated poverty become engineered into specific neighborhoods across America? In this conversation, Kirk sits down with David Edwards, the Policy Advisor for Neighborhoods at the City of Atlanta and Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Urban Research at the Jimmy and Rosalyn School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology to explore Purpose Built Communities' groundbreaking white paper, "Poverty and Place."

Together, they unpack the sobering science behind intergenerational urban poverty—from the toxic stress that impedes children's brain development to the deliberate public policies that segregated our cities and concentrated disadvantage. Edwards explains how 50 years of anti-poverty programs have relieved symptoms without addressing root causes, and why the solution lies not in fixing people, but in transforming the neighborhoods where they live. This episode lays the essential foundation for understanding why place-based strategies aren't just one approach to community development—they're the approach that science and research increasingly point toward. If you've ever wondered why some neighborhoods thrive while others struggle generation after generation, this conversation reveals the uncomfortable truth: it was by design, which means it can be redesigned.

Link to the White Paper Mentioned in this episode: https://purposebuiltcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Poverty-and-Place-White-Paper-Digital-Edition.pdf

]]>How did concentrated poverty become engineered into specific neighborhoods across America? In this conversation, Kirk sits down with David Edwards, the Policy Advisor for Neighborhoods at the City of Atlanta and Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Urban Research at the Jimmy and Rosalyn School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology to explore Purpose Built Communities' groundbreaking white paper, "Poverty and Place."

Together, they unpack the sobering science behind intergenerational urban poverty—from the toxic stress that impedes children's brain development to the deliberate public policies that segregated our cities and concentrated disadvantage. Edwards explains how 50 years of anti-poverty programs have relieved symptoms without addressing root causes, and why the solution lies not in fixing people, but in transforming the neighborhoods where they live. This episode lays the essential foundation for understanding why place-based strategies aren't just one approach to community development—they're the approach that science and research increasingly point toward. If you've ever wondered why some neighborhoods thrive while others struggle generation after generation, this conversation reveals the uncomfortable truth: it was by design, which means it can be redesigned.

Link to the White Paper Mentioned in this episode: https://purposebuiltcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Poverty-and-Place-White-Paper-Digital-Edition.pdf

]]>f4c2fd40-f495-4e4b-8e75-aaeb3bf055a2Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -050049:47falsefull1111IntroductionsIntroductionsBefore we dive into the world of holistic neighborhood development, meet the father-son team behind the Thriving Neighborhoods Lab podcast. Kirk Wester-Rivera brings 28 years of lived experience transforming a historically disinvested Tulsa neighborhood, from founding a federally-qualified health center to leading the creation of Tulsa's only inclusively grown neighborhood in a decade. Markos Wester-Rivera was born and raised in that same community, witnessing neighborhood transformation firsthand while developing expertise in data science and spatial analysis.

Together, they founded Cerca Solutions to help organizations become powerful forces for community transformation. In this brief introduction, learn how their unique combination of lived experience, systems thinking, and analytical rigor shapes their approach to supporting community quarterbacks across the country.

]]>Before we dive into the world of holistic neighborhood development, meet the father-son team behind the Thriving Neighborhoods Lab podcast. Kirk Wester-Rivera brings 28 years of lived experience transforming a historically disinvested Tulsa neighborhood, from founding a federally-qualified health center to leading the creation of Tulsa's only inclusively grown neighborhood in a decade. Markos Wester-Rivera was born and raised in that same community, witnessing neighborhood transformation firsthand while developing expertise in data science and spatial analysis.

Together, they founded Cerca Solutions to help organizations become powerful forces for community transformation. In this brief introduction, learn how their unique combination of lived experience, systems thinking, and analytical rigor shapes their approach to supporting community quarterbacks across the country.

]]>3eac75d4-384c-4403-a7cd-2bb98d3ef3b7Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -050030:22falsefull11