Option 2: Revitalizing Poor Neighborhoods

Section I:
Develop a plan for a starting a business of your choice that will help to revitalize an economically struggling neighborhood, while still being a profitable venture. Provide detailed accounts of your business plan and how you will meet the goals you choose from those below. Use the readings to justify and enhance your plan. You may also find the Urban websites (see the main GEO367 website) helpful in seeing what various think-tanks and research institutes are doing.

If it helps you, think about Buffalo's neighborhoods: South Buffalo, the East Side, the lower West Side, Blackrock/Riverside, etc. You may choose a real place to set this in or come up with a conceptual model that might be applied in various contexts.

Remember not to make the faulty assumption that all poor neighborhoods are "minority" areas! Some are, some are not, and many have mixed ethnic/racial groups.

Possible Goals:
Economic development of poor neighborhoods
Employment opportunities for local residents
Breaking down existing occupational segregation of race/ethnicity and gender
Enhancing "social capital" (support networks) and community cohesiveness
Linking poor neighborhoods to larger regions (economically, socially, politically, etc.)
Promoting "basic" economic activities (i.e. not dependent on local money only) to enhance the "export" industries of the neighborhood
Building on the local strengths and characteristics (identity, ethnic background, industrial history, etc.)
Others?
 

Section II:
Use these questions to structure your discussion …
How will your business plan allow the achievement of your goals?
How will your business create opportunities and contribute to a revitalized neighborhood while still being profitable?
Can business growth in poor areas promote social and spatial justice? How?
 

The paper should be 8-10 pages in length (double-spaced, proof-read, spell-checked, etc.). Make sure you use proper citations for your sources and include a full bibliography at the end of the paper.