Figure 2: Map of CHDC Target AreaIt is impossible to gain an understanding of Newark without immersing one’s self in the culture, history, and pulse of the city. The largest city in New Jersey is often called the state’s greatest liability, with good reason. However, beneath the surface, one finds as many assets as challenges. The "Newark Mystique" is the perception that Newark is only a dangerous, decaying, and hopeless metropolis. The notion that this city houses a predominantly sinister society with few redeeming qualities is false. While Newark is not the picture of urban health, its numerous assets are surprising to those who are unfamiliar with the real Newark. The study that follows will pierce the veil of misunderstanding that community and civility are lost in Newark and will, instead, leave the reader with the knowledge that there are islands of strength and reasons for hope.
This report was commissioned by Corinthian Housing Development Corporation (CHDC). Project Community was invited into the CHDC target area to identify the assets in the West Side Park area of the Central Ward. The target area consists of a ninety-six square block area bordered by Springfield Avenue on the south, 20th Street and the Irvington border on the west, South Orange Avenue on the north, and Bergen Street on the east (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Newark in Relationship to Target Area of CHDC
The following research by the economic development team is an analysis of the area’s main commercial corridors, Springfield Avenue and South Orange Avenue, referred to in this report as the study area (Figure 2). The two Avenues have a long history as important retail hubs, but have been trapped in a cycle of decline for three decades. The economic development team’s primary objective is to examine these corridors and provide CHDC with an analysis it can use to plan redevelopment efforts.
Figure 2: Map of CHDC Target Area
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