Next City Selected Ten Newsrooms for Faith Reporting
A new collaborative will examine the impact of faith-based urban development across ten local newsrooms.
Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Religion — General
Live Poll
Should local newsrooms increase their focus on faith-based urban development stories in your area?
Next City has chosen ten local newsrooms to participate in a yearlong reporting collaborative focused on faith-based urban development. The project is supported by the University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture.
Why it matters
The initiative aims to shed light on land-use decisions made by religious congregations, which often influence local urban planning but remain largely underreported by mainstream outlets.
Each of the 10 partner newsrooms will produce and co-publish three in-depth news stories during the 2027 calendar year.
The players
Next City
Next City is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 that covers solutions for cities.
University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture
This academic center researches the role of religion in public life and supports the project.
The details
The partner newsrooms include Baltimore Beat, Signal Cleveland, Planet Detroit, The Providence Post, The Current, Mississippi Today, The Maine Monitor, California Health Report, Second Wave Media, and Greater Greater Washington. Participants will receive solutions journalism training during an October 2026 convening in Los Angeles.
Timeline
October 5-7, 2026: Training convening in Los Angeles
Early 2027: Launch of the Local Reporting Hub
Throughout 2027: Partner newsrooms report and co-publish three stories
Culture Shift
This project reflects the growing need to document the rise of faith-based land use in urban development. It represents a shift toward specialized, community-focused reporting on the intersection of religious assets and neighborhood infrastructure.
Readers in the participating newsroom markets will see more in-depth coverage regarding how local houses of worship influence their neighborhood's physical landscape. This information may help residents better engage with development projects that affect their daily lives.
The takeaway
Faith institutions often serve as significant property owners, and tracking their development choices provides essential transparency for community members. Residents can look for these investigative reports in 2027 to see how religious land use is actively shaping their own cities.
Further reading
For broader context on how religious organizations interact with the public, visit the Religion — General section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Next City.
Live Poll
Should local newsrooms increase their focus on faith-based urban development stories in your area?
