The scale of the challenges facing cities is bigger than any public sector can handle. Here’s a look at different sources of private-sector capital, and the new and unexpected ways communities can access that capital.
The more you go to city council hearings, town halls or other forums where cities are discussing affordable housing, economic revitalization or environmental sustainability, the more you hear it — like the refrain of a classic song that everybody seems to know, even if it’s not their favorite. It goes something along the lines of “the public sector will have to play a role, but it won’t be enough.”
The scale of the challenges at hand are just bigger than any public sector budget can handle — meanwhile, the private sector controls the lion’s share of capital.
But “the private sector” isn’t a monolith. There are different pools of capital with different constraints and means of accessing them. Below, we’ve compiled the basic facts about the main “buckets” of private sector capital, along with examples of how those in cities have gained access to them to meet the scale of the challenges they face.
Next City
by Oscar Perry Abello
Nov 12, 2018