Jason Roberts is a regular guy. He is an IT consul- tant who lives in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. Oak Cliff had never been considered the nice part of town. Around 2005, at the age of 32, he got an urge to fix a few things in his neighborhood.
Thanks to rapid distribution by social media, Roberts’ simple desire to make Oak Cliff a better place to live has morphed into a national pro- gram Roberts co-founded with Andrew Howard called The Better Block. The Better Block works with residents, devel-
opers, community leaders and others to revital- ize blighted neighborhood blocks across the U.S. With the help of volunteers known as Team Better Block, Roberts and Howard create pop-up shops and organize events to generate interest in helping neglected blocks again contribute to a city’s economy. So far, Team Better Block has completed 28
projects and has many more on the boards. It has been the instigator for revitalization of communities in Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. The Better Block has generated interest from locals and celebrities alike. For example, singer/ songwriter Billy Joel participated in The Better Block project in New York. retrofit had the chance to speak with Rob-
erts to better understand his motivation and learn how retrofitting neglected buildings can create commerce in communities that need a helping hand.