Promoting Equity & Empowering Communities to Live Better Lives Through Wellness Anchored Mixed Use, Real Estate Development

Community centered real-estate development is a holistic approach to mixed -use planning initiated to assist planners and community leaders to develop better ways to master plan lifestyle centric neighborhood's for their towns and cities. As the term suggests, it is the combination of community engagement with combined with the traditional real-estate planning and development process that together, aims to promote equity and enhance people’s lifestyles in communities across America. To be successful, planners, developers and community leaders must work together to make a difference in shaping economically sustainable communities that offer the needed social services, infrastructure and activities people need to live healthier, happier, more productive lives.

Mixed-use real-estate community development involves key principles including; sustainable development, access to quality healthcare, empowerment, inclusivity, social justice, Access to quality education, human rights, democracy, and most importantly enables equality. These community-centric principles form the foundation of a new kind of integrated urban planning process that aims to address the challenges and gaps oppressing underserved communities in towns and cities across the US.

From the selection of issues to implementation and execution, the process of planning a mixed-use real-estate development must engage the community - bringing them together to validate the needs and map out the steps that will be needed to replace aging infrastructure and provide needed services together create a new environment that helps bring neighborhoods together and serve to truly make people’s lives better.

When when talking about community centered real-estate development, the term community refers to people sharing the same interest, identities, heritage, or culture, making the enablement of social interactions through design a critical success factor of the planning process. The Planning and Development of new Mixed-use, “Wellness - Lifestyle” communities is centered on the principles of, “promoting healthcare equity by elevating communities well-being, with access to quality healthcare services that help communities grow and flourish.

Real-estate planning and development companies like KHJR are at the forefront of planning new Wellness - lifestyle development projects that are, economically sustainable investments, designed to ignite growth in towns and cities across America. the 154 ac Union Village mixed use development in Henderson Nevada for example, is the first fully integrated wellness- lifestyle project in America that is anchored by a master planned Medical District on one side and Hospitality and entertainment on the other. We Multi family and Commercial - retail throughout. the $`1.2B investment includes a 280 bed full service community hospital 2 MOBs, and multiple other health and wellness services that have assure the hospitals success making it one of the most economically successful and fastest growing new rural hospitals in America. KHJR is now constructing vibrant communities, and providing a mixed-use wellness development platforms for people to live, work and thrive harmoniously across the US. ??

For more information about KHJR’s Wellness Lifestyle mixed use Planning and Development model go to, www.khjrrealestate.com???

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KHJR Principles of Community Development Development

The principles of community development can be listed as the following:

Community Participation

Every individual in the community is integral to the planning and development process of decision-making. Community development works on the principle that everyone should take equal responsibility and participate in development projects. Be it evaluation, participation, provision, or direction, members of all levels should make a valuable contribution to the process.

Ownership & Involvement

Every Team member including public sector and private sector should take complete responsibility and accountability for their work. The staff members, volunteers, and key participants should collaborate and cooperate effectively to reach the end goals.

Empowerment

The act of respecting, enhancing and encouraging people to live healthier lives and develop the social infrastructure ( quality accessible healthcare services for example) to meet their needs and aspirations in a more informed manner. Empowering community members means being respectful and non-judgmental and building a relationship where the community feels comfortable and valued. If community members are empowered and engaged in the planning process, they tend to share their powers and use them for the betterment of society and thus creates a better more sustainable project that is values by the community as a whole.

Equal Access and Opportunities

The disciple of community development real-estate planning is unique in that it aims at enhancing equal participation by the members. This further increases the opportunity to provide equal opportunities to the members and ensure that each member is aligned with the project goals.

Networking

The basis of mixed-use community real-estate development projects lies in the idea of networking and nurturing relationships with people from industries. Networking with the community can help build connections with people and groups who can help identify challenges that need to be solved. The process of networking with community leaders and organizers during the planning process helps pave the way to work together and find effective solutions to the prevailing challenges in their community. Networking can also help bridge the knowledge gap as communities come together to share existing knowledge, experiences, and resources.

Rethinking the Status Quo.

Rethinking how rural and inner city real-estate developments and planned and delivered aims at bring meaningful improved outcomes. It also involves reevaluating the status que from different perspectives and implementing changes that will be most beneficial to the community.

Advocacy

Community advocacy refers to providing support to others and enabling them to be active citizens in the planning process. Through advocacy, communities will be well-versed with their societal entitlements and human rights. It will allow the community members to get attention from the top-level community leaders and planning professionals, and have their voices heard at the right time when the planning process is still underway.

Learning

Learning is a lifelong and never-ending process for us all. The pursuit of knowledge and learning new skills is not only beneficial for personal use but also impacts professionals lives as well. Community development works on the principles of learning new skills and gaining knowledge actively. When community members gain new knowledge or skills, they transfer that knowledge to the planning and development team which in turn improves the planning process and brings more effective solutions and results to bear.

Examples of Community real-estate Development Projects

The main activities of community real-estate development programs focuses on developing a better build environment for the community which in turns can influence social outcomes and improve lives. Here are some examples of community development programs':

Providing affordable accommodation or housing to individuals or people who need it.

Sponsoring opportunities for education and learning and taking steps to improve the educational facilities within the locality.

Promoting parks and outdoor activities including open air spaces to ensure socialization and everyone’s well-being.

Providing quality, accessible healthcare facilities and services at affordable prices so that every individual gets equal access.

Promoting commerce, and new local business opportunities that result in meals well paying jobs.

enabling a connected community that is safer, healthier and promotes continued growth and prosperity.

Why is are Community Real-Estate Development Project Important?

Mixed use - lifestyle community projects play a significant role in the development of society and provides a strong foundation for communities health and wellbeing. Real-estate community development projects aim to increase social stability and enable community members to live better lifestyles. It can be seen as a way of strengthening society by investing in the built environment.

Meet the Needs of the Community

Mixed use lifestyle and wellness real-estate development projects are aimed at addressing the needs of the community members and uplifting them. For instance, the rural community project may aim to build a hospital or a new educational center (s). The public sector partners with the private sector to gather the requisite information, funds, and resources to fulfil and improve the living standards of the community.

Foundation for Economic Development

The process of community real-estate development and economic development are parallelly related to each other. The primary purpose of Community real-estate development (CRD) is to improve the quality of life, promote sustainability, encourage entrepreneurship, and create more wealth opportunities for citizens and the community at large.

Improves Access to Resources

Access to adequate resources is one of the fundamental prerequisites for empowering the communities and leading the sustainable path. For instance, rural community development projects aim at providing needed infrastructure and necessary services to their population. Through strategic real-estate development, the communities get enhanced access to services, better work opportunities long term, and realize an overall improvement in their wellbeing.

Addressing the Root Cause of Issues Before Planning Starts

Addressing the problems at the grassroots level is one of the biggest challenges amongst the communities. Identifying the market economics is an important first step. Identifying demand - supply factors related to employment, education, housing, infrastructure, health, and housing are important issues to understand and measure accurately before planning begins. When these problems are not addressed, they may pose more significant community threats and challenges. Real-estate development projects work best when they are well aligned with the root causes issues in a community.

Empowers Citizens to Exercise their Rights

The concept of real-estate community development works on the principles of community ownership and community participation. It encourages every citizen or member of the community to participate equally and share their concerns. Thereby, it influences them to be aware of their rights and responsibilities. The projects empower the socio-economically vulnerable sections of society.

Providing a Sense of Inclusion

Community real-estate development projects should encourage participation from all the members. It is often observed that socio-economically weaker communities often find it challenging to raise their voices and participate in the planning process. However, the process of Community development should aim to encourage equal participation, providing citizens with a sense of belonging and inclusion. This way, every community member feels valued and is encouraged to speak their views. Being included also leads to unity and helps the proposed project become a reality.

How to Conduct a Community Development Program ??

Before conducting or initiating any real-estate planning and development project, the team must recognize that every community is different and no one project or solution is the same.

Step 1: Identify the root Couse Issues

The first and most crucial step is identifying the problems or root cause issues impacting the community . Start with a detailed comprehensive market study and then develop a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis) to understand the key challenges, threats, and opportunities. Use a mix of formal and informal methods to identify the problems and needs of the community members.

During this Frist step its not uncommon to conduct surveys to identify as many concerns as possible. It is necessary to understand that communities needs before moving on. The planning team communicate should also conduct focus group interviews, and other initiatives to identify the real causes.

Step 2: Understanding the Community Context

Before planning any real-estate development initiative, it is equally important to understand the characteristics of the community, its physical surroundings. Here are some of the questions to which you must find answers:

What are the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of people living in that area?

What social, economic and environmental challenges are the community members facing?

What are the priorities and beliefs of the people living in the neighborhood?

Are any steps or initiatives being taken to improve the current situation and help citizens live better lives? If yes, what is planned?

Take note of healthcare needs as well as the employment growth opportunities and educational and promotional strategies that address the community concerns.

Step 3: Identify the Stakeholders

The next step is to identify the stakeholders and understand who your real stakeholders are. Identify the citizens who are experiencing the issue and identify the community members who are willing to take the lead. You will find a mix of people within the community. Some may be willing to take action, while others may be hesitant because of other concerns. Try to nurture your relationships with the community members first so that you can encourage them to take the desired action.

Step 4: Articulate Your Mission and Vision

Mission and vision statements play a significant role and help define the purpose of the action item. This may further help in developing measurable goals for the community development project or master plan. The mission statement should outline the steps to reach the goal. In contrast, the vision statement should describe the initiatives that will be taken in the future for the development of the community.

These statements may serve as the roadmap and assist with the communities’ betterment. Make sure you articulate the mission, and vision and discuss it with the community leaders or members.

Step 5: Define The Community Consultation Plan

The next step that you should take is to articulate or create a layout of the plan for the community development. Before you start building a layout for the project, you should understand the issues that need to be addressed and the cultural influences that may impact the community members.

·???????List down the mission, vision, and goals that you want to achieve with the help of the community development plan.

·???????Steps to be be taken to engage the community members in developing the vision.

·???????Initiatives to be taken to engage the community members and influence them to be active participants.

·???????Steps to create strong relationships between the community members and the organization.

·???????Plan to build and maintain the momentum for the project.

A plan will serve as the roadmap and include the steps you have to take to complete the project milestones.

Step 6: Develop and Implement Strategies

Make sure you list the strategies you would want to implement to bring the changes and uplift the community in the society. Once you are done strategizing, execute the process and take steps to implement your development action plan. At the implementation stage, you should keep evaluating the strategies that may be applicable, and that may not be ideal for the community development project.

Step 7: Evaluate the Impact

The last step is to organize and evaluate the steps’ impact. Use different evaluation methods to understand the impact of the project. Check if the goals and objectives have been met and what other issues need to be addressed.

This information was provided by KHJR Real-Estate Advisors.

KHJR is a real estate development company at the forefront of planning, economic development, and investment, igniting growth in towns and cities across America. KHJR constructs vibrant communities, providing a platform for people to live, work, and thrive harmoniously.

At KHJR, their foundational belief rests on the notion that every community, irrespective of its size or location, possesses unique strengths and characteristics. These inherent strengths, when recognized and harnessed, have the potential to ignite vibrant, sustainable growth and drive transformation. KHJR actively advocate for healthier, more inclusive lifestyles, an ethos that is deeply embedded in every project they undertake. KHJR understands the profound impact that well-designed environments can have on wellbeing, which is why architectural ingenuity and thoughtful urban planning are central to their approach. You can learn more about KHJR at KHJRrealestate.com or contact Chris kay @ 414-702-5411