May 8 Consulting tackles tough challenges with great partners – our clients. Whether trying to revitalize a city, preserve open space, stop abandonment and blight, create environmental sustainability, or promote regional equity, our goal is to work with our clients to create an action plan to address these issues that is innovative, collaborative, high-impact, and politically feasible. We do not stop at creating the action plan, however; often, we work with our clients to implement the necessary changes.

May 8’s work has brought about changes to state and local laws, municipal policies and programs, and moved a city or town towards revitalization through reinvestment. Whatever we do and however we do it, our goal is to create positive change.

our process

We often begin by defining the issues and then building potential solutions. Next we may prepare a user-friendly, engaging report to educate decision-makers on the need to address the issue and how to do so. Or we may bring together organizations and help them to reach a consensus on strategy and join forces as a coalition to advance change. The result will be tangible and lasting. Learn more about our expertise and recent publications.

recent news

City Paper taps the expertise of Karen Black re the high cost of development in the article The High Cost of Affordable Housing: How do you spur low-income housing when developers can't break even?
Click here to view article.

The Central Delaware Advocacy Group has issued a progress report on Philadelphia's waterfront action plan authored by May 8 Consulting in 2008.
Click here to read the report.

Read When Investors Buy Up the Neighborhood: Preventing Investor Ownership from Causing Neighborhood Decline
This report by May 8 Consulting and PolicyLink examines the issue of investor purchasing of foreclosed and distressed properties, presents a set of best practices and promising approaches being used in communities to prevent irresponsible investor ownership from leading to neighborhood decline, and makes recommendations about what stakeholders in the Twin Cities can do to address this challenge. View publication.
Click here for the Next American City magazine review.