Our Model

The Urban Excellence model offers alternative wealth-building strategies for historically underrepresented owners and investors of land and buildings.

Why Urban Excellence?

An expert in urban development and municipal housing policy, Dr. Brittany Lewis created this innovative business model in direct response to the barriers she faced as a Black queer homeowner and developer.

Beyond the dramatic racial homeownership gap created by generations of racist and exclusionary policies and practices, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) households and businesses who have become owners and investors face additional and increasing challenges in the modern economy. As property taxes and other costs soar, BIPOC homeowners — especially elders and members of the LGBTQ community — are increasingly losing their homes and the primary vehicle of creating generational wealth for their families.

Meanwhile, BIPOC entrepreneurs who have the ingenuity and skills to expand housing opportunities lack access to the resources and capital to fully envision and execute their visions.

Through our work, we enable historically underrepresented owners
and investors to:

 

1

Create multiple revenue streams

2

Develop long-term financial stability

3

Build generational wealth

How We Do It

Black and brown people have solutions to all things. But those solutions are overlooked or appropriated because we too often lack the resources or support to turn our visions into material reality. This extends beyond policy solutions to the physical creation of space. Urban Excellence is the embodiment of Black ingenuity and knowledge across sectors bringing an urgently needed model to life.

Urban Excellence acts as the developer—from designing a project to final completion—and we unite a diverse group of local tradesmen to create unique urban spaces in Minneapolis and beyond. 

Urban Excellence further supports BIPOC wealth building by hiring only BIPOC craftsmen and women, laborers and small business owners to provide services, equipment, and expertise. From purchasing and installing the HVAC systems to designing and installing patio bricks, purchasing flooring and carpentry materials, Urban Excellence intentionally chooses to support Black-owned businesses when building properties.

Our Impact

Properties developed and managed by Urban Excellence are available as flexible, short-term rentals for traveling professionals, retreat groups, out-of-town families, or local members of Minneapolis. 

If you’re looking for a rental experience rooted in community well-being and social impact, view our available rental properties: