ABSTRACT

This chapter stresses two major themes. First, despite attention accorded inner city problems in the northern hemisphere during the recent recession, not all transition zones are depressed or blighted. Second, much interest has followed the development in Europe and North America of enterprise zones. The chapter proposes 'nursery' areas in which conditions could be varied to approach or, in certain cases, replicate those of an 'enterprise zone'. The present enquiry seeks to redress this neglect by reviewing business development strategies for inner city areas. Planning and administrative procedures are greatly simplified and expedited. Finally, certain customs benefits may be offered. In the United States, the Urban Jobs and Enterprise Zone Act of 1980 sought also to improve inner areas for business development by reducing tax burdens on firms locating in depressed neighbourhoods. The first ranking variable was head/branch office status, followed by interviewers' assessments of the incidence of car parking congestion, and then the plot ratio.