Civic Works for a Twenty-First-Century New Deal

From the very beginning, advocates for the Gulf Coast Civic Works (GCCW) Act saw it as a pilot project that could be replicated in communities throughout the nation. The early adopters felt that if implemented nationwide, their civic works model could reduce poverty by providing living-wage jobs and paid training programs, as well as rebuild American infrastructure. At the same time, advocates of the GCCW Act saw it as a way to “do democracy” because citizens would play an active role in community development.