Listening to Place: Reflections from the Purpose Built Communities Conference

Being at the Purpose Built Communities Conference created space to slow down and really think about what it takes to build places where people can stay, grow, and thrive over time.

I attended the conference through my work with Woodlawn United, supporting how the organization shares its story, priorities, and the work happening on the ground. That context shaped how I moved through the conference. I wasn’t there looking for big ideas to borrow or language to replicate. I was listening for what felt true, what felt hard, and what felt necessary when you are committed to a neighborhood for the long haul.

Woodlawn United is a partner in the Purpose Built Communities Network, working to support long-term, community-led development in Birmingham. Their work centers on strengthening neighborhoods through housing, education, wellness, and economic opportunity, with residents at the center of the process.

Our CEO, Mashonda Taylor, also spoke on a panel about what prosperity looks like when it is rooted in place and shaped by community.

The conference theme, Prosperity Starts with Place™, showed up in practical ways. Conversations centered on housing people can afford, education that supports children from early years through adulthood, health that extends beyond clinics, and economic opportunity that actually reaches residents. What stood out was how often speakers returned to the idea that none of this works in isolation. Place changes when systems are designed to work together and when people are seen as whole.

Hearing from Soledad O’Brien and Michele Norris added another layer. Both spoke plainly about who gets seen, who gets believed, and how stories shape public understanding. Their words landed because they reflected what many place-based organizations already know. The way a neighborhood is talked about can either open doors or quietly close them.

Throughout the conference, I kept thinking about how much strong work goes unseen or misunderstood simply because it is hard to explain. Not because it isn’t effective, but because it is complex. Place-based work unfolds over years. It involves trust, tradeoffs, and decisions that do not always show results right away. Without care in how that work is shared, it can be reduced to outcomes without context or judged without understanding the full picture.

What I appreciated most was the honesty. There was room for ambition, but also for patience. A shared understanding that real change takes time and that staying rooted in a place means listening when plans need to shift. That felt aligned with the work I support day to day, helping organizations find language that reflects reality rather than aspiration alone.

The conference also sparked ideas, not as programs to replicate, but as reminders of what matters. Staying close to residents. Letting community voice guide decisions. Making sure the story being told matches what people are actually experiencing. Those are not small tasks, but they are essential ones.

Leaving the conference, I felt clearer about why I love this work. Place-based efforts require care, consistency, and communication that does not rush the story. They ask for language that holds history, names progress honestly, and makes room for what is still unfolding. This is the work I am committed to supporting, alongside organizations that are in it for the long term.

To learn more about Purpose Built Communities, click here.

To learn more about Woodlawn United, click here.