Cash Lansky and 29th Street Thrive

More and more we are seeing creative approaches to civic engagement that’s inspiring people to become more active, informed and connected to one another. In this story we meet Hip Hop artist Cash Lansky who has been a catalyst in bringing people together in his community. Lansky, who having benefited from afterschool programs and positive role models when he was a kid, is now setting out to address the gaps in resources in the neighborhood he grew up in. In addition to starting a nonprofit ‘A Hand Up, Not A Handout’ with his wife, he is now an ambassador for the City of Tucson’s 29th Street Thrive Zone initiative, who in partnership with the Living Street Alliance, is organizing events to gather community-led research. This new and creative approach to civic engagement ensures that solutions are tailored to the unique needs of the neighborhood, often uncovering overlooked perspectives that top-down research misses, and promises to aid people in shaping their neighborhoods with newfound agency and insight.

Producer: Cáit NíSíomón
Videographer: Danny Sax, Diana Cadena, Nate Huffman, Eryka Dellenbach
Editor: Danny Sax Tweet