ABSTRACT
In conventional economic development programs, locales rely upon a variety of incentives to compete with one another to attract upscale office, research, and commercial properties to downtowns and to suburban commercial, industrial, and research parks. As a consequence of these economic development efforts, public wealth is transferred to established firms, while the economic needs of older, industrial, inner-city neighborhoods already harmed by structural changes in the economy are neglected.[1,2] Scholars and activists argue that an alternative approach toward economic development—one in which concerns with social equity, of helping the poor and poor neighborhoods— predominates.[3,4] Unfortunately, the administrative complexities of implementing equity economic development within disadvantaged neighborhoods can be daunting. Projects tend to be small, provide little publicity for elected officials, and are undertaken in the neighborhoods with which most public officials are least familiar.
