In my 20 years in the East Lake neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, I have had the opportunity to talk to seniors and others in the area about childhood memories of a vibrant, living community: walks to the corner drugstore, fresh food at local markets, movies at the area theatre, and boat rides on the lake in the park.

WHITEHOUSE: Bringing Fresh and Healthy Food to East Lake

He lived on paved, lighted city streets, and a bicycle ride away were the Asian drugstore and the Armenian grocery store and the corner where black Cubans drank coffee and talked Dodgers baseball.

NEWYORKER: Uncle Rock