Community Revitalization Desktop Guide

step one: identify key economic and physical assets Asset identification helps a community to define its strengths and then to preserve, improve and market them, in order to attract new investment. Every Pennsylvania community or region has a pool of assets - land, resources, destinations, businesses and institutions - that if cleverly linked and grown can fuel revitalization. – Kenneth Klothen, Deputy Secretary for Community Affairs and Development 57 smaller cities listed their top three assets in a recent survey. Distinctive historic buildings, a waterfront and a daytime workforce were ranked most often as a top asset.2 Pennsylvania’s core communities from Wilkes-Barre to Washington have brought their citizens and leaders together to identify their municipality’s assets and opportunities. With a clear understanding of their strengths and challenges, these places have gone on to create detailed redevelopment action plans. The physical and economic assets that have come up repeatedly at these visioning sessions and that are cited by community revitalization experts across the country include: Waterfronts: Cities are making significant use of river or lakefronts to reinvigorate their economy and revitalize their towns.3 Waterfront redevelopment has received a great deal of credit for helping transform big-city downtowns such as Chicago, San Antonio, and Baltimore during the last three decades. Urban experts agree that waterfront renovation “can help kick-start” wider redevelopment but caution that projects must be well planned and fit the community’s need for recreation, retail, tourism or housing. Otherwise, they may fail, as Toledo, Ohio’s upscale Portside Festival Marketplace mall at Maumee River has. Modeled after the successful Baltimore Inner Harbor malls — in “blind faith that what was good for Baltimore would also be good for Toledo” — Marketplace closed in five years. Small-city downtown assets Number of Cities Listing as one of Top Downtown Strength/Asset Preservation/Architecture/Heritage Waterfront/Riverfront Daytime Workforce Retail/Service Mix Government Center Strong Downtown Association Central Location Strong Retail Availablity of Land/Buildings Parking University Parks/Open Spaces Civic/Convention Center Main Street Approach Transportation Community Spirit/Commitment Three Assets (n – 57) 24 13 12 11 10 7 7 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 Lock Haven (Clinton County) 9 GOAL ONE: CHOOSE ONE ASSET-RICH REDEvELOpmENT AREA step one: identify key economic and physical assets

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Community Revitalization Desktop Guide

PA Community Revitalization Desktop Guide Table of Contents How To Attract High Impact Investment to Core Communities Goal One: Choose One Asset-Rich Redevelopment Area Interviews with Pennsylvania Mayors Goal Two: Prepare Redevelopment Area for Market Interviews with Developers who Have Invested in Pennsylvania Cities and Towns Goal Three: Welcome Investment Interviews with Developers who Have Invested in Pennsylvania Cities and Towns Goal Four: Apply Strategies That Work Conclusion

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