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Invest in neighborhoods

By

Peter Chapman

-

01/30/2026

Peter Chapman joined Providence-based nonprofit One Neighborhood Builders as CEO and president in February 2025. He previously served as CEO of the UVI Research & Technology Park Corp. in the U.S. Virgin Islands. / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Peter Chapman | One Neighborhood Builders CEO and president Rhode Island’s competitive advantages bode well for our future. While much work remains to be done to fulfill our potential, there are reasons to be optimistic. We have demonstrated strengths in life sciences, blue economy and clean energy. We have world-class universities attracting talent and a

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Peter Chapman | One Neighborhood Builders CEO and president

Rhode Island’s competitive advantages bode well for our future. While much work remains to be done to fulfill our potential, there are reasons to be optimistic. We have demonstrated strengths in life sciences, blue economy and clean energy. We have world-class universities attracting talent and a location that is easily accessible from various markets. But we have an asset that gets overlooked in the economic-competitiveness discourse: dynamic neighborhoods with historic character and walkable urbanity. Robust evidence shows that such communities can provide favorable quality of life for existing residents, while also attracting new talent that fuels the regional economy. The lesson is clear: Prioritizing investment in underinvested communities must be part of an expansive economic-development strategy that receives buy-in from residents, government, the private sector and philanthropy. We must embrace a comprehensive community-development intervention consisting of mixed-income housing, commercial development and school reform. To mitigate displacement, we must explore wealth creation ventures that promote asset-building for local residents. Noteworthy leading practices include the East Baltimore Development Initiative, which leverages Johns Hopkins University to promote revitalization and job creation, and the East Lake redevelopment in Atlanta, which transformed outmoded public housing into a mixed-income community that also includes Drew Charter, the city’s highest performing public school. As One Neighborhood Builders seeks to elevate our work in targeted geographies, we plan to engage a diverse coalition of stakeholders in crafting a Rhode Island-centric comprehensive community-development model that achieves measurable, sustainable impact on people and place, thereby enhancing the state’s economic competitiveness.