Power & policy
How decision-making and public policy shape neighborhood outcomes.
A book by Brinda Devine
Two Detroits.
By Design.
How to Lose a Neighborhood
A developer’s Perspective: By Design- Power Policy, and Detroit’s Black Poverty Model
Who makes the decisions? Who benefits? Who bears the costs? A real-world examination of how power, policy, and capital shape our neighborhoods.
$24.99 at Kornr Store
$29.99 online · Includes $5.00 shipping (USA only)
Kornr Store
6224 16th Street, Detroit, MI 48208
Get directions on Google Maps ↗
POWER, POLICY, AND DETROIT’S BLACK POVERTY MODEL
Grounded in Detroit. Relevant nationwide.
01 / The book
Neighborhood outcomes
begin with decisions.
How to Lose a Neighborhood examines what happens on the ground: how neighborhoods change, who makes the key decisions, and who lives with the consequences.
Drawing on decades of commercial real estate experience, Brinda Devine examines economic displacement, land control, financing, approvals, and institutional decision-making. Much of what shapes a neighborhood happens long before the effects are visible.
This book is for everyday readers, neighborhood residents, emerging developers, and readers working across real estate, public policy, philanthropy, higher education, and neighborhood development—and anyone asking who development works for.
Preview the Table of Contents ↗ · Table of contents
“Neighborhood outcomes are not accidental. They are shaped by policy, capital, ownership, and access.”
Capital & control
How land, financing, and investment influence what gets built and who benefits.
Economic displacement
How neighborhood change affects the people and businesses already there.
How to Lose a Neighborhood · Brinda Devine
02 / The author
About Brinda Devine
30+
years in commercial real estate
years in commercial real estate
Brinda Devine
Brinda Devine is a commercial real estate professional, developer, advisor, and author. She is the founder of P8 Real Estate Solutions and the developer of Kornr Store, a neighborhood café and market in Detroit’s Northwest Goldberg neighborhood.
Her experience includes 17 years overseeing real estate and asset management at Wayne State University. Her work spans asset management, development, acquisitions, dispositions, and public-private partnerships.
03 / Speaking & advisory
Speaking & Advisory
For cities, developers, foundations, universities, and organizations working on real estate, policy, and neighborhood development.
Speaking & Training
Keynotes, panel discussions, and training on how development decisions shape neighborhood outcomes. Grounded in real projects and decades of practice.
Speaking topics
- Power, policy, and neighborhood outcomes
- Land control, capital, and economic displacement
- What neighborhood-scale development looks like in practice
- Development decisions: who benefits and who bears the costs
Advisory
Senior-level guidance on development strategy, project review, risk identification, and decisions that affect project outcomes.
Work with Brinda ↗04 / Bulk & institutional orders
One book.
A larger conversation.
Bring How to Lose a Neighborhood to your team, classroom, board, or next program.
Bulk & institutional orders
Contact Brinda for pricing and availability.
Consider the book for:
- Personal reading and understanding neighborhood change
- Neighborhood resident groups and book clubs
- Emerging developer education and discussion
- Staff and board discussions
- University courses and reading groups
- Conferences and professional programs
- Training and facilitated conversations
05 / Questions
Before you order.
Where can I buy an individual copy?
Purchase the book at Kornr Store, 6224 16th Street, Detroit, MI 48208, for $24.99, or online for $29.99, including shipping within the USA only. Choose pickup at Kornr Store or USA shipping using the purchase buttons above.
Can my organization order multiple copies?
Yes. Email bddevine@gmail.com or call 248-219-6685 for bulk pricing and availability.
Can I invite Brinda to speak or lead a training?
Yes. Complete the inquiry form with your organization, engagement type, date, location, and budget. Open the inquiry form.
Book launch / Detroit
A neighborhood gathering.
May 16, 2026 · Kornr Store, Detroit. Friends, neighbors, and readers gathered to celebrate the release of How to Lose a Neighborhood.
YouTube channel
Continue the conversation.
Visit the How to Lose a Neighborhood YouTube channel.
Watch & subscribe on YouTube ↗How to Lose a Neighborhood