SBAN supports case studies about how advocates are implementing small business anti-displacement strategies in communities across the country. As part of our case study program, members have the opportunity to attend site visits to select case study sites, hosted by case study awardee organizations. 

These participatory workshops, also attended by SBAN leadership and staff, offer a first-hand look at how community-based organizations are using specific strategies and tools to fight small business displacement. Through walking and bus tours, working groups, and panel discussions, attendees get to know neighborhoods that are home to diverse communities and see how host organizations are partnering with small businesses, residents, and other stakeholders.

SBAN’s 2025 site visits will focus on community ownership. In March, the Mission Economic Development Agency in San Francisco will share how coordinated community ownership and equitable planning strategies are preserving commercial space, immigrant heritage, and economic strength in one the fastest gentrifying metro areas in the country.

In April, the Partnership in Property Commercial Land Trust in Minneapolis will share how their commercial land trust is being implemented to preserve affordable commercial property for BIPOC business owners in North Minneapolis.

In 2023, SBAN visited Miami’s Little Santo Domingo, Chicago’s Puerto Rico Town, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East LA.

The SBAN film We’re Still Here documents how The Allapattah Collaborative (Miami), the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (Chicago), and Inclusive Action for the City (Los Angeles) are helping communities fight commercial displacement using culturally relevant technical assistance, community-owned real estate, and cultural heritage preservation strategies.