# Data Equity Cohort member success story - Carlos Robles-Shanahan - Success story written by [Anjulie Rao](https://www.anjulierao.info) - Photos taken by [Stephanie Jensen](https://sjphotos.net) Facing a city where big-name developers are planning swaths of land, [Duo Development](https://www.duodevelopment.org) stands as a force for change. Led by Carlos Robles-Shanahan and his brother, Rafael Robles, Duo works with community-based organizations that are looking to bring changes to their neighborhoods through consulting on design projects, real estate development, and education, with an explicit focus on five core values: Ethics, culture, technology, economics, and ecology.  As consultants, they have worked with clients like Esperanza Health Centers during the organization’s recent campus expansion, wherein Duo was contracted to evaluate community needs; information that would later be applied to expand and tailor Esperanza’s programming and physical expansion to community needs. Their real estate development practice is just getting off the ground, but they are focusing on equity and ethical practices to serve disinvested communities. And, their education arm, which Carlos calls, "Ventures," teaches residents of disinvested neighborhoods the process of getting a building built or redeveloped, providing tools and resources to launch these projects. As of spring 2022, Duo has gradated more than 150 individuals through their Ventures program.  When Carlos saw the Cityscape's application to recruit members for the Data Equity Cohort (DEC), he was intrigued; on an initial inspection, the platform seemed to provide the types of data Duo requires for their real estate and consulting services. "We looked at Chicago Cityscape as a tool and they seemed to have a lot of good information, like, a one stop shop for the data that you need in any real estate development. And then since they had that social impact mindset that was aligned, that's definitely what sold us on it," said Carlos. The tool that Duo primarily uses is the Property Report, which he notes has been essential for their consulting work and burgeoning real estate practice. "It really gives us a good look into what's around the neighborhood, and incentives that are good for the property at hand," he said, and is particularly key in, "doing due diligence, using that tool and then confirming it on the relevant sources, like with the city. It saves a lot of time," he adds. One of their ongoing consulting projects is in Belmont Cragin, where they are working with a housing organization that is looking to build capacity, be more community oriented, and innovative, he said. Using human centered design and design thinking methods Duo is guiding the organization through the development process. "It's a bit like solving the design challenge at hand, but guiding them through it so that they can sort of take those methods and use them afterwards," he said. Using the Property Report, Carlos was able to clearly identify new developments coming to the Belmont Cragin neighborhood to better attune their interventions to the gaps in projects that are being developed.  As for their real estate practice, Duo is getting ready to buy their first property for redevelopment. Cityscape, he said, has been helpful in that process. "To be very agile on that due diligence really quickly; to see what are the incentives that we could use? Like, what's everything that's going on there? And then we would do more labor intensive research, like going to the property. But Cityscape expedited the initial research." As a part of a cohort, Carlos has also found the connections helpful: Through his time with the DEC, he became connected to the Chicago Community Trust, which he said has been very valuable. He also finds that the relationships built within the cohort itself has validated his sense of purpose and drive. "I think it's always been really nice to see what people are doing. And it's very encouraging to see all the people that actually care about ethical real estate development."