Blog: Urban Revitalization
The Inner City 100 Awards leads to a friendship and then a $25 million joint venture
Bo Menkiti, CEO of The Menkiti Group, and Antwanye Ford, CEO of Enlightened, Inc., now share more than an entrepreneurial spirit and Washington D.C. as their company headquarters. Read More
Detroit revitalizes neighborhoods with green infrastructure and workforce training
Detroit’s underground sewer and water infrastructure is inhibited by aging and a lack of routine maintenance, yet rebuilding it would cost millions, or even billions, in funding that the city cannot afford. Instead, Detroit, like many other cities interested in resiliency and climate change, is turning to a more sustainable approach: the integration of “green infrastructure.” Read More
Allentown’s special tax district too attractive for investors to ignore
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
For companies thriving in the manufacturing industry, “megafactories” are the exception
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
Revitalization of Birmingham, AL spurred by historic preservation
An encouraging revitalization of Birmingham, Alabama is happening, spurred by an unintended consequence of industrial collapse. As in many other cities during the 1970s and ‘80s, industrial and manufacturing jobs moved out of the urban core and took residents along with them. Read More