After 50 years of deindustrialization, disinvestment and depopulation, post-industrial cities across the Northeast and Midwest are experiencing new capital investment and population growth. Drawing on Aaron Bartley’s fifteen years of organizing experience in Buffalo, this course will examine how urban social movements can shape the future of cities by defining multi-issue progressive platforms, building labor-community coalitions, launching campaigns to gain community control over urban land resources and public investment, and creating a more equitable economy.

Aaron Bartley is the co-founder and outgoing executive director of PUSH Buffalo (People United for Sustainable Housing). Widely credited for the economic and cultural transformation of Buffalo’s West Side, PUSH has generated more than $45 million in sustainable housing and commercial development and gained international recognition for its Green Development Zone model.

Aaron is currently a 2018-19 Cornell ILR Visiting Scholar.