 | Project Community Center for Urban Policy Research Dr. Norman J. Glickman, Director Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey |
Project Community
Center for Urban Policy Research
Principal Investigators and Authors:
John D. Fussa
David A. Lewis
Zofia Nowakowski
Allie Ries
Faculty Advisors:
Norman Glickman, Ph.D.
Renee Sieber, Instructor
Project Manager & Editor:
Stephen Finn
| Project Community Center for Urban Policy Research Dr. Norman J. Glickman, Director Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey |
Project Community is an initiative of the Center for Urban policy Research at Rutgers supported in part by a grant from the Fund for New Jersey and the Ford Foundation, to provide research assistance to New Jersey's community based organizations. Project Community responds to requests for research on community development projects which CBOs plan to implement. The aim of Project Community is to help CBOs further their goal of rebuilding distressed communities. Project Community is part of the Center for Urban Policy Research's 25 years of service to New Jersey's governments, industries and CBOs on matters of poverty, housing, economic development, land use, transportation, technology and the environment.
Project Community draws upon the talent and resources of Rutgers University's faculty, staff and students from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and other disciplines to carry out its mission. An advisory board of nonprofit community development corporations and their representatives exists to make policy recommendations for the Project Community effort.
This report is part of a four volume strategic plan prepared on behalf of the Corinthian Housing Development Corporation to assist the organization in its mission to revitalize its target neighborhood in the West Side Park Community of Newark, NJ. The subjects covered by these volumes are:
The research covered in these reports respond to specific questions asked by Corinthian, and in the case of the education report, the Newark Public Schools as well.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSOur project would like to thank the many individuals who with their time, knowledge, and talents enhanced the quality of this research immensely. Starting from the very beginning, the staff at Corinthian Housing Development Corporation was committed to helping the project. Executive Director Gerald Bishop, Cassandra Dock, Michelle Thomas, and Hal Hamilton were extremely helpful, as were the rest of the staff.
We are grateful for the contributions of the merchants who participated in the survey. Without their time and insights we could have not completed this research. It was their openness, cooperation, and experience that changed our preconceived notions about Newark.
Crucial to the development of the research, our understanding of the study area, and creation of the resource guide were our interviews with the following individuals: Alan Cohen, Project Director, Newark Economic Development Authority; Melanie Dunn, Membership Director, NY/NJ Minority Purchasing Council; Spencer Ferdinand, Newark Division of Economic Development Program; Joel Freiser, Deputy Executive Director, Newark Economic Development Authority; Patricia Greene, Ph.D., Rutgers University; Karen Hiliard, Project Manager, Redevelopment, Department of Development, City of Newark; Brenda Hopper, State Director, NJ Small Business Development Center; Melvin Hunn, Membership Director, New Jersey Retail Merchants’ Association; Damion Jackson, Senator’s Aide, State Senator Lipman; Barbara Kaufman, Executive Director, Regional Business Partnership; Michael Leonard, Former President, Greater Newark Merchants Association; Joseph Maree, Senior Loan Officer, SBA Microloan Program; Harry Menta, Economic Development Specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration; Dora Reddick, Membership Director, International Minority Business Corporation; Jill Schuh, Membership Director, NJ State Chamber of Commerce; Wayne Smith, Councilman, City of Irvington, head of the Black Urban Alliance; Nancy Stultz, Program Manager, Urban Coordinating Council; Ed Tobiason, Executive Director, Minority Business Development Center; Charlotte Tomaszewski, Essex County Regional Coordinator, New Jersey Economic Development Authority; and Richard Zilg, Minority Enterprise Development Program.
The business owners who participated in a focus group deserve recognition for their insightful comments on the survey instrument and the community in general. The participants were: Steve Bostic, Sonnie Cooper, Gerald Brown, Herbert Pyron, DeAthoin Phillips, and Larry Reiser.
The staff at Project Community –Norman Glickman, Stephen Finn, Renee Sieber, and Shannon Darroch-- were all instrumental to the success of this project. A special thanks to our colleague, Michael Frisch for his contributions to the historical data collection and analysis. Also, thanks to Michelle Elliot and our studio colleagues for their feedback, as well as the faculty and staff at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy for their continuing support.
| 
| 
| 
|