Invest Intentionally. Develop Differently.
Beyond Growth Strategies is a community and economic development consulting firm that specializes in equitable development - a strategic process of planning, investment, and development that aims for the benefits and burdens of growth to be experienced equitably by all members of a community. At BGS, we believe that growth is only good if its carefully planned for while taking into account historical disinvestment and inequalities. We serve public, non-profit, and for-profit institutions. Our services include project management, policy analysis and research, and program evaluation and development.
Lindsay M. Miller,
Founder & Principal
Lindsay M. Miller is a community and economic development professional and interdisciplinary researcher, writer, and teacher. She helps local leaders create and implement equitable development strategies to foster widespread prosperity while mitigating the negative consequences of unfettered growth.
Before consulting, Lindsay worked in real estate development for Urban Ventures, LLC, a private development company that focuses on adaptive reuse, affordable housing, and health-informed design. Before Urban Ventures, Lindsay taught social justice-oriented writing courses and worked as a graduate researcher at the University of Colorado Denver.
She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Social Science from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and International Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
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In Fall 2024, she will start a PhD in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy at the University of California, Irvine studying equitable development.
COMMUNITY & CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
Since starting Beyond Growth Strategies, Lindsay has served on non-profit boards, steering committees, and advocacy groups to work towards a more equitable, just, and prosperous Denver. She believes that policymakers and other local leaders have a responsibility to be civically and socially engaged in their communities in order to understand how local issues surface (and can be remedied) "on the ground."
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Board Member, Sun Valley Kitchen and Community Center
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The Sun Valley neighborhood in Denver, Colorado is undergoing the redevelopment of 300+ affordable housing units and plans to replace them with mixed-income housing units. Sun Valley Kitchen + Community Center has been a critical organization during this process for the residents that have been or are being displaced by providing the community with services and a place for community members to feel safe, heard, and welcome. Current programs include the No-Cost Grocery Program; a non-profit restaurant that offers employment, training, professional development, and firsthand experience of running a food-based business for local residents; and youth employment and professional development programs.
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Advancing Equity in Rezoning Task Force
In this year-long project, city planners will work with community members to review Denver's process for rezoning properties and recommend potential updates. The project will focus on implementing city goals around equity, as stated in Blueprint Denver, Denver's citywide land use and transportation plan.
Impact East Colfax Denver Steering Committee
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The Fax Partnership works to strengthen and support the East Colfax corridor in both Denver and Aurora while advancing a vision for equitable development. The Denver Steering Committee will guide the redevelopment of parcels in East Colfax to be acquired for affordable housing redevelopment.
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Mothers Advocate for Affordable Housing
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Mothers Advocate for Affordable Housing (MAAH) is a coalition of concerned business professionals, civic leaders, and citizens working to create affordable housing solutions in Colorado through legislative influence and nonprofit partnerships.
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Group Living Advocacy Group
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In early 2020, four organizations - All In Denver, YIMBY, Enterprise Community Partners, and Mothers Advocating for Affordable Housing - joined together to advocate for updates to the group living aspects of the Denver Zoning Code. The ordinance would increase the number of unrelated adults who can live together in the same home from two to five and make it easier for service providers to set up residential-care facilities, such as halfway houses, sober-living homes and homeless shelters, throughout Denver. The zoning updates were approved by Denver City Council on February 9th, 2021.
PUBLICATIONS
Lindsay has worked as a Senior Fellow at the National Civic League since 2019. The National Civic League houses the National Civic Review, one of the nation's oldest and most respected journals of civic affairs. The journal serves as a resource for elected officials, public managers, nonprofit leaders, grassroots activists, and public administration scholars seeking to make America's communities more inclusive, participatory, innovative and successful. Lindsay regularly contributes essays on topics related to community and economic development, local policy, and social equity.
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How One Real Estate Developer Sets an Example for Equitable Development Everywhere
We Need To Change How We Think About Gentrification (most-read article in the National Civic Review since the journal went digital in 2016)
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Community-Based Equitable Development: Seattle's Response to Gentrification
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Pragmatism and Local Policymaking
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Creating Healthy Communities: The 2019 All-America Cities
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What COVID-19 Can Teach Us About Aging
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Community Ambassador Program for Seniors (CAPS)
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