Action Learning
Sustainability
USA Lab host Dasjon Jordan supports community and commerce in New Orleans
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With USA Lab's support, we’re building a pathway to acquire and redevelop a portfolio of community-owned real estate that is climate resilient, equitable, and mitigates the impacts of gentrification and displacement, giving community members actual ownership and stewardship.
Host an Action Learning project
As a city planning student at MIT, Dasjon Jordan, SM ’19, served on the boards of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning Student Council and the Students of Color Committee. He wanted to complete an Action Learning project before he graduated, but his packed schedule of classes and activities didn’t allow it. Flash forward, and Jordan finally got his chance—as a USA Lab host.
USA Lab: Bridging the American Divides brings together MIT students and nonprofit or governmental organizations to address America's deep divides, better understand contentious issues, and uncover solutions. One such nonprofit is Broad Community Connections, where Executive Director Dasjon Jordan is working to equitably revitalize the historic Broad Street corridor of New Orleans.
With $35 million to invest in high-impact community development projects, Jordan and his small team are dedicated to transforming the economic center of the city, a complex region comprising 40,000 residents, diverse, close-knit neighborhoods, and over 200 small businesses. It is also an area that is struggling with the challenges of the New Orleans real estate market, which include climate adaptation, high insurance costs, and varying federal support levels.
“It’s the heart of New Orleans neighborhood culture and a very distinct place in America that you can only truly appreciate on site,” says Jordan, who also serves as chair of the New Orleans City Planning Commission and is an adjunct lecturer at Tulane University.
A vision of community ownership
A former MIT Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) Fellow, Jordan’s vision for the urban community of Broad Street is an approach to real estate that prioritizes community needs and sustainability over traditional profit-driven models; an alternative model where real estate assets are owned and controlled by a community through collective ownership structures. But which model? Despite his depth of experience and education, Jordan, with a staff of only four people (up from one in past years), realized he needed more help. And he knew exactly where to get it.
“The MIT Action Learning team researched different models of real estate ownership and community development in the South and the U.S.,” he says. “The students helped us figure out how to build a business model balancing civic engagement and sustainable growth in a business district. They brought their skill sets and diverse backgrounds (from across the U.S., Spain, France, and Egypt) to create rich and nuanced solutions to our challenges, which are economic, political, social, cultural and environmental.”
With the help of USA Lab, Jordan has created business and marketing plans for Bayou Road, also known as New Orleans Black Wall Street, a major BIPOC-owned and operated commercial district in the Broad Street Corridor, and the oldest place of cultural exchange.
“With USA Lab's support, we’re building a pathway to acquire and redevelop a portfolio of community-owned real estate that is climate resilient, equitable, and mitigates the impacts of gentrification and displacement, giving community members actual ownership and stewardship.”
A community of practice
A two-time host, Jordan highly recommends the USA Lab experience to other organizations, regardless of their size and capacity. “Be prepared to work with the brightest minds MIT has to offer,” he says. “They've helped to interrogate, reexamine, reframe and refine our problems by taking the time to connect with stakeholders, bring dynamic case studies, and make actionable recommendations.”
Jordan might not have had the opportunity to complete an Action Learning project as a student at MIT, but as a host, he’s learned almost as much as if he did. “I’m so grateful to be a host,” he says. “I’m always learning from the students and the other USA Lab hosts. There’s a great cross-pollination among the hosts, student groups, and teaching team, building a fervent community of practice.”
