La Crosse Selected to Join Love Your Block

Published on September 24, 2026

LA CROSSE, WI – Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey today announced that the City of La Crosse has been selected to join Love Your Block, an initiative led by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, to launch resident-led city improvement projects.

As one of just 25 new local governments from 20 U.S. states to join the latest edition of the program, the City will receive $70,000 to engage residents in efforts that clear vacant lots, reclaim public space, and better their communities. The City will also receive expert support from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, and be assigned a dedicated Love Your Block Fellow to support this work.

“I’m committed to working with residents to revitalize our city’s neighborhoods,” said Mayor Washington-Spivey. “Together, we will continue to make La Crosse a vibrant city that ensures all feel welcome, safe, and empowered to thrive.”

Since its founding in 2009, this program has helped 50 local governments engage more than 88,000 residents across 33 states to remove more than 7 million pounds of trash, clean over 550,000 square feet of graffiti, create nearly 800 art displays, and transform the areas residents rely on most.

“Residents often have the clearest view of what their neighborhoods need—and Love Your Block helps mayors and municipalities bring them into the work—and see those ideas through,” stated Francisca M. Rojas, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins. “That translates to tangible improvements communities want—and that they lead—with their city hall’s support, and shows what happens when local government invites the public in to solve problems and deliver, together.”

For more information, please visit https://publicinnovation.jhu.edu/programs/love-your-block/.