In 2009, Pennsylvania State Senator Pat Browne passed a bill that created a special taxing district to incentivize new development to support the attraction and growth of businesses in Allentown, a once vivacious industrial city that sits just Northwest of Philadelphia. The area, designated a Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ), has so far benefited from the tax incentive’s unique structure and attractiveness to the private sector. Read More

Strengthening the manufacturing industry has been widely covered in mainstream media, largely in part to the 2017 presidential election. While these stories continue to dominate headlines, “megafactories are the exception today,” explains Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. Read More

Despite the proliferation and growing support for incubators and accelerators, especially in the technology sector, data and research measuring their performance is surprisingly limited. Some incubators and accelerators simply don’t capture any data on their programs or the businesses they support. And those tracking robust performance metrics often lack benchmarks ... Read More

As 2016 draws to an end, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect back on what has helped drive awareness and progress in underserved communities around the country. With that spirit in mind, we’ve rounded up the most-read blogs of 2016. These posts exemplify the initiatives, innovation, and dedication that continues to spread growth and prosperity in America’s inner cities. Read More

Learn how MeritHall, a 2016 Inner City 100 winner and business with more than $5 million in annual revenue, got an unlikely start in Detroit. Read More