PROJECT COMMUNITY

Project Community

Program/Organization Name: Project Community
Address: c/o Stephen Finn, 33 Livingston Avenue, Suite 400, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1982
Phone: 908-932-3133
Fax: 908-932-2363

Academic Department Affiliation: Center for Urban Policy Research
Contact Name: Stephen Finn
Title/Position: Director
Phone extension: 534
E-mail Address: stfinn@rci.rutgers.edu

Purpose: Project Community utilizes faculty from CUPR and other Rutgers schools with graduate students from the Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy to provide research to Community Based Organizations on community development topics researched by their groups. The research will help these CBOs to implement community development projects. Project Community also serves as a liaison to community based organization in the state and a clearinghouse for community development information.

Community Service Area(s): Economic Development, Housing, Community Development Research
Target Population: Youth, Adults, Elderly
Service Providers: Graduate Students, Faculty
Fee: No
Eligibility Restrictions for Services: Only three research projects are chosen each year

Community Service Projects:

1995

For the Affordable Housing Network of New Jersey (AHN), Project Community completed an economic impact study on a proposal by the AHN for the state to pass a $290 million bond issue to build affordable housing and create jobs. The study entitled, Economic Analysis of the New Jersey Housing and Jobs Initiative, found the bond issue would create between 8,500 and 12,000 jobs and significantly impact state and local revenues by tens of millions of dollars. With the help of this research, AHN will propose to the Legislature and voters to place this bond issue on the ballot for November 1996 for passage.
Project Community completed two research projects for the New Jersey Community Loan Fund related to economic development lending. The first study, Target Population Analysis, collected and analyzed 1990 census data for twelve variables to measure poverty and labor force characteristics for New Jersey down to the county level. Project Community undertook a second, and companion, research study for CLF, the Paterson Business Survey, which would further the CLF's knowledge of the business climate and lending environment at the local level. The Paterson Business Survey was an exploratory survey of 25 businesses in Paterson to uncover the experiences of business firms in getting loans for start-up and expansion. The research also included a literature search of lending to small businesses by both for-profit and community-based financial institutions.
A door-to-door survey of residents in the Valley neighborhood of Orange, NJ was completed for a community-based organization called HANDS. The research findings listed in the report, From Building Housing to Building Community examined the neighborhood's revitalization needs by finding out what the residents' concerns were, and their willingness to become involved with HANDS to promote community revitalization.

1996

A market retail analysis was completed for the organization called Brand New Day, which operates in the Elizabethport section of Elizabeth. This research examined the spending power of this neighborhood and its retail preferences to help Brand New Day decide what businesses to include in its economic development projects and was compiled into a report titled A Retail Market Analysis for Elizabethport .
In Newark, a community-needs assessment of a portion of the Roseville neighborhood was conducted for the Hispanic Development Corporation to help this organization identify the needs of residents and capitalize on the strengths of the neighborhood. The report is entitled Roseville, Newark: Revitilizing a Community

1997

A study on women's access to mortgage credit called Women's Access to Mortgage Lending in New Jersey, using Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Data and focus groups, was conducted for the New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA), the state's largest consumer coalition. NJCA operates a mortgage counseling program offering below market mortgages for low and moderate-income people through community reinvestment agreements with several of the state's major banks.
The Strategic Revitalization Plan (Plan) was completed by fourteen graduate students through a collaborative planning studio sponsored by the Department of Urban Planning and Policy Development and the Project Community initiative of the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University. The Plan received the 1997 Outstanding Comprehensive Planning Award from the American Planning Association's New Jersey Chapter in recognition of the student's service to this distressed community. The Plan was completed at the request of the Corinthian Housing Development Corporation, which has developed 45 units of affordable housing in this neighborhood and is about to start construction on 49 more homes. Corinthian was interested in developing a comprehensive approach to rebuilding their community. The students worked with Corinthian to develop a strategic plan for a 96 block portion of Newark's Central Ward (the city's poorest neighborhood and one of the nation's poorest as well) covering economic development (Volume 1), schools (Volume 2), residential development (Volume 3), and opens space/crime (Volume 4). Combining participatory planning and technological expertise, the students developed a plan which includes strong local input and sophisticated databases to enable Corinthian to guide the revitalization of its neighborhood.
Extensive primary and secondary data were collected and compiled into databases integrated with Arc Info and Arc View mapping software. For the economic development study, surveys and physical inventories were conducted to document conditions and business needs along the two main, albeit distressed, commercial corridors in the area: Springfield and South Orange Aves. Researchers went door-to-door and recorded the condition and existence of every structure and parcel on a two mile stretch of these roads (terminating at the Irvington border). Owners of neighborhood businesses were surveyed about their characteristics and needs for technical assistance. The results found "Islands of Strength" -- businesses which serve to anchor these corridors, and which will help Corinthian to create Special Improvement Districts. Most businesses had been in operation for over six years and some for more than twenty; many owners lived in the neighborhood or elsewhere in Newark; and most of the businesses employed local residents.
The residential development study focused on the best residential mix for future Corinthian developments, including surveys of current and future residents. An important product of the research was a database which included occupancy status and ownership of land in the area. The information was taken from tax assessors data. This database was also integrated into mapping software. The databases and mapping capacity developed for the economic and residential portions, as shown by the maps featured in the reports, has enabled Corinthian with a simple "point and click" to display the locations of every vacant parcel, with ownership status, in the neighborhood. Corinthian, with the same ease, is able to show the dispersion along the commercial corridors of every type of major commercial tenant such as auto services, food services, and houses of worship.
Two other important studies were also conducted. Volume 2 of the Plan focused on the three schools in the neighborhood. Parents and educators were surveyed about the various programs offered in the schools, levels of parent participation, and ways to involve more parents in school activities. One of the strengths found in the schools was an array of programs to support children and parents such as after-school programs at all three schools (one program was open till 9:00 p.m.). Volume 4 examined the West Side Park, a county owned facility, and assisted in gathering information to develop a conservancy to restore this scarce open space resource tarnished by years of neglect. The study surveyed local residents about crime activity and park usage. A significant finding was the support of an overwhelming majority of residents surveyed to become involved in the park's restoration. The research played a key role in helping Corinthian get federal funding to improve safety at the park and provided information for a $1 million proposal to the state to restore the facility.

A companion study to the SRP, the West Side Park Neighborhood: A Historical Perspective, documents changes in the socio-economic status of the area since the 1950's. The work also includes photos and descriptions of historical places in the neighborhood dating back to the early twentieth century.

1998

1998 Project Community returned to the West Side Park neighborhood of Newark's Central Ward to complete a three-part study for the New Community Corporation and the Corinthian Housing Development Corporation. The research explored from several perspectives the feasibility and viability of establishing a special improvement district along Springfield and South Orange Aves, two of the neighborhoods main commercial corridors. Part I of the report, A Comprehensive Analysis of West Side Park, collected neighborhood data and information about the business community. The research topics covered in this first part included: updating and expanding upon last year's inventory of physical conditions; assessing the current tax burden of businesses; determining what kinds of assistance businesses are already receiving and their additional needs for marketing/promotion, accessing information/networking, obtaining financial resources and ensuring security; and finally, understanding how merchants prioritize these needs.
In Part II, a Strategic Framework for Commercial Revitalization, the report provides a framework for developing a neighborhood based effort to support the business community, attract financial resources and promote investment. The research includes an extensive survey of 23 special improvement districts (SIDs) and case studies of 4 SIDs in four cities (Elizabeth, Fort Lee, Trenton and Grand St. in Brooklyn), to determine what services are offered to help local businesses and residential consumers that may be transferable to the Central Ward. Part II also includes a description of current resources within Newark, alternative funding sources, technical assistance providers and governmental programs that the West Side Park neighborhood can access to implement a revitalization plan.
Part III of the study, Commercial Revitalization Plan for Springfield and South Orange Aves, provides a set of specific recommendations and a schedule for community-based organizations to use to sponsor and initiate a commercial revitalization effort for the commercial corridors. Part III synthesizes the information from the first two parts of the study. Among the topics covered is an answer to the question of whether a SID is an appropriate mechanism for the West Side Park commercial district and recommendations as to how New Community Corporation's business incubator can build capacity among existing and new businesses.

Program(s)/Organizations Worked With, Within Rutgers: Center for Social and Community Development, Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy, School of Business, CASE

Program(s)/Organizations Worked With, Within the New Brunswick Community: Renaissance CDC (First Baptist),

Government and Foundation Grants Successfully Acquired For Community Projects: Fund for New Jersey, Ford Foundation, HUD Community Development Work Study Program

Resources Available For Community Service in New Brunswick: Write proposals/grants, Technical assistance (research on community development projects)

New Initiatives and Service Expansions Interested In: Work with community groups and public housing tenants on community revitalization issues. Collaborate with the university local government, private and non-profit sectors to coordinate community development efforts and apply for grants.

Recent Handbooks/Guides:

Additional Information: