Neighborhood Initiative and the Regional Economy

Abstract

This article analyzes the limitations of the neighborhood development model, particularly as it relates to the challenges of inner-city household poverty. By placing the problem of inner-city poverty within a regional economic context, the article examines the connection and disconnection between the traditional service and real estate activities associated with community development and the requirements of increasing income security and asset accumulation. Using an example from Philadelphia, the article argues for a form of community development that works at the intersection of regional development and neighborhood revitalization. A key focus of this kind of community development involves an understanding of the requirements and possibilities of workers, and the strategies required to link them to nonneighborhood economic opportunities.