In this podcast, the first to draw on community development practice in the United States, I am joined by Moses S Dixon, a doctorate student at State University of New York in Binghamton, to discuss the relationship between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their host communities – usually predominantly African-American communities.In particular, Moses draws on his research experience looking at how HBCUs can play a positive role in neighbourhood revitalization when they successfully engage host communities in their decision-making and planning from the outset; that in turn can generate successful outcomes for the institutions.However, Moses cautions at how a failure to involve host communities can prove not only damaging to host communities, but also to the institutions’ long-term sustainability, financial health and reputation.Moses suggests some specific ways in which ‘town-gown’ relationships can be enhanced, the principal one being the creation of a ‘Community Development Corporation’ such as Five Points Historic West End in North Carolina, located near Johnson C. Smith University.Moses explains briefly the origins of HBCUs in the US, but for a broader overview the documentary Tell Them We Are Rising is essential viewing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgmri7VBzpATo get in touch with Moses you can email him at [email protected].Support The Community Development Podcast on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/TheCDPodcast