Penn Loh

Penn Loh is the director of the Master in Public Policy Program and of the Community Practice Program at Tufts University’s Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning in Massachusetts. He used the film in a public policy seminar for mid-career masters students to help explore community organizing and the influence of grassroots activism on policy and planning.

DSNI is a “model of development without displacement,” says Loh, and it proves that “gentrification forces aren’t inevitable.”

Loh likes the film because it addresses power relations, and “captures the voices and stories of those who were involved as members, leaders, and residents. It’s not just the government’s or organization’s version of the story.” He says the film helps students focus on the role of outsiders, and understand how planners and policy makers played a role in creating the neighborhood’s problems.

“One of our mid-career students was a Dudley resident and board member so had a lot to share,” says Loh. “Students came away inspired and hopeful that resident action and leadership can result in—and in fact are necessary—for dramatic positive change.”

Other resource materials Loh has used with Gaining Ground include the film’s predecessor Holding Ground, along with what he calls a classic book on DSNI, Streets of Hope: The Fall and Rise of an Urban Neighborhood.