Following a “Smart Streets” redesign that slowed traffic and expanded sidewalks, downtown South Bend has attracted more than $90 million in private investment. Like many residents of South Bend, Indiana, Laura Jensen has known Pete Buttigieg for years. In 2012, just after he was first elected mayor, Buttigieg started visiting the preschool where she worked. John Gress via Getty Images When Pete Buttigieg became mayor in 2012, an estimated 14% of the homes in South Bend were vacant or abandoned. As first reported by BuzzFeed, the vast majority of the derelict properties were owned by South Bend’s low-income, black and Latino residents.

Source: Huffington Post April 16, 2019 09:45 UTC