Empowering Neighborhood Revitalization

This report focuses on the participation of community-based organizations, private actors, and non-profit organizations in the revitalization strategies of three neighborhoods, based on three case studies, ones in which multiple actors are working together in a participatory planning process in a neighborhood, and where the local communities have been especially proactive in driving urban revitalization: Old North St. in St. Louis, Missouri; University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio; and East Liberty in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

The report begins with an overview of the main challenges of French urban policy and the reasons why initiatives from so-called “legacy cities” could be of interest.

 

The second section clarifies the different processes in the three neighborhoods through a detailed description of the initiatives: the actors involved, their interaction, the strategy they followed, and their results. Each initiative is illustrated with the example of a key ongoing or completed program.

 

The final section summarizes the common characteristics that account for the success of the studied examples and explores the conditions of their transferability in France. Some targeted policy recommendations for the French context are included.