Main Street revitalization practitioners, community developers and others who gathered in Philadelphia October 8-10 at LISC's Urban Forum II listened to a presentation on the state of community development today given by Charles Buki.

An excerpt follows:

"Just because today our status quo is better than it was when the modern community development era began does not mean it is good enough. Are things better in the South Bronx than before Ed Logue went in against the advice of the New York Times? Yes. Are things as good as they can be? I don't think so.

To accept the status quo in our field today – if not always of the conditions we face than of our response system - would be to deny the reality of our need to improve. Such a denial would be to act in a way wholly inconsistent with the core values that established this field in the first place.

Are we as good a field as we can be? Should we accept the status quo today?

In my view, no. Not even close.

Hartford, CT today looks like it has for forty years – poor, decrepit, dangerous, forbidding. Just like North Philly and Camden and Trenton and South Central and West Oakland. Is this our fault? No. Have we made enough of the right difference? Not likely.

We have more programs but not better communities.

We have more housing but not better communities.

We have more grocery stores but not better communities.

We have more CDCs but not better communities."

Related Link: Keynote Address at Urban Forum II - Commercial Corridor Revitalization

For more information contact:

Charles Buki
czb
308 Summers Drive
Alexandria
VA 22301
us

Phone: 7039800447
Fax: 7039800447
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.czb.org