Land Use and Economic Development:
Strategies for the Revitalization of Camden
Sponsored by
U. S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development
Objectives
The Urban Technical Assistance Project (UTAP) was invited by former Secretary
of HUD Henry Cisneros and his Special Representative Ms. Maxine Griffith,
to conduct a planning study for the Camden Partnership in the City of Camden,
New Jersey. The study was continued under the current Secretary, Andrew
Cuomo. The aim of the project was to prepare a two-phase comprehensive land-use
study for a segment of the Camden waterfront, with a focus on economic and
community development opportunities and strategies. The first phase of the
project was to conduct a studio within the Graduate
Program in Urban Planning with the charge to prepare a land-use proposal
for the Camden waterfront in the context of its region, inner-city neighborhoods
and districts. The Phase I studio project was conducted during the Spring
of 1997, in collaboration with Rowan University, Institute for Urban &
Public Policy.
PHASE I: A Comprehensive Land-Use Study
of the Camden Waterfront
Context
Camden stands on the banks of the Delaware River opposite Philadelphia,
surrounded by a number of southern New Jersey edge cities and affluent suburban
enclaves. Along with industrial/economic decline, loss of its tax-base and
difficult social problems, Camden has had various false starts at revitalization
that have not lead to any substantial change. Camden is a case study of
present conditions and possible opportunities facing mid- and small-sized,
post-industrial cities that have witnessed decline over the past few decades.
Considerable discussion, and at times intense debate, has taken place as to the use and potential benefit of a significant portion of waterfront property currently available for development. A few major development projects have already been carried out, but all have been questioned as to their economic and social benefit to the city and its residents.
Findings & Recommendations
It became clear that to fulfill their client's charge, the studio had to
develop two sets of recommendations: one encompassing waterfront land use,
design and development; and the other pertaining to the larger framework
of urban revitalization. In brief, the studio's strategic recommendation
for waterfront land use was to redefine the waterfront's role from a strictly
destination-use model to that of a mixed use, family-oriented approach aimed
at attracting both local and regional populations. While the studio's broader
strategic recommendations included:
(1) modifying the policy structures of the federal and state governments
which currently promote the continuation decentralization of the region
so that there is a balance between suburbanization and urbanization--one
that is fiscally, economically, socially, and morally sustainable;
(2) promote Camden as a viable urban center by determining a new role for
the city to fulfill within the metropolitan region, dispelling negative
perceptions of the city and using the creation of a positive image to leverage
capital (Camden is currently disconnected and/or excluded from much of the
region's economic activity);
(3) and, re-establish Camden's physical connection with the metropolitan area through regional planning, improving the city's physical infrastructure, and redistributing the costs of transportation by shifting subsidies to public transportation and improving the local labor force.
PHASE II: Land Use and Economic Development:
Strategies for the Revitalization of Camden
Initiating the second phase of the project, a team of urban experts was recruited to undertake research and analysis of what were deemed essential aspects of Camden's future development. The research team set out to integrate in this study a discussion of land use and economic development. But, as in the instance of the Studio, where the scope was expanded to consider regional matters, the work of the research team was modified to include a closer examination of issues that could lead to specific land use and economic development strategies for Camden. Issues that were explored in the study included labor force segmentation and the impact of welfare reform.
The Central Question
For a city to have its start and its hey-day in the industrial revolution, then to become a symbol of urban strife in the era of the technological revolution, Camden's ability to succeed raises concern. As the central question raised in this context, whether or not Camden can be "saved" became the starting point for organizing the work of the research team. The team's tasks were structured to formulate strategies for land use, human capital, economic infrastructure and governmental policy that would allow this central question to be addressed. The team operated in well-awareness of previous press articles and studies undertaken that have so graphically presented and alerted the world to the urban decay that has devastated Camden. Urban uprising, massive dependency on welfare, high rates of crime and drug abuse, increasing high school drop-out rates, white flight, housing abandonment, corruption in public office are issues that were examined either directly or indirectly. The numerous planning and development initiatives, in spite of best of intent and effort, that have fallen short of their mark were also investigated.
The city has been isolated from the social and economic networks of the region; its people have been set apart by poverty and by the breakdown of its civil society; governmental action has been overwhelmed by the immediacy of crisis resolution; and its urban fabric has been torn asunder. In the face of these realities, the research team put forth the following concepts as a contribution to the discussion that many have already contributed to, with the full realization that it is not this study alone nor those before us, but it is the cumulative process that is decisive and will ultimately save Camden.
As we attempt to demonstrate in this report, it is possible to accomplish a healthy urban environment with social, economic, physical, and organizational attributes that eventually would lead to a sustainable city. Camden has the potential of being a city of choice for all the reasons it has failed as a result of urban sprawl. It is also a city with numerous assets in terms of physical scale, historical factors, natural attributes, and spatial and human qualities that give it locational advantages and identity as a place. To approach these issues, the study is organized into the following chapters: Urban Design and Land Use, Labor Force and Welfare, Economic Development, Governmental Impediments and Opportunities.
Organization
Ghislaine Hermanuz and Claire Weisz, in the Urban Design and Land Use chapter, articulate an urbanism that considers the concept of "work" and access to work as its thematic core and recognizes the village scale as appropriate for the process of recreating neighborhoods.
Chelli Devadutt and Walter Stafford explain the nature of Camden's labor force, and structural obstacles, and assess the impact of welfare reform. Comparative analysis of the County and City provide a reasonable context for understanding the static position that the structure of employment, compounded by other social factors, offers Camden residents. It also speaks to the need for an approach to welfare reform that organize the degrees of intervention and the magnitude of impact that is realistic.
Elliott Sclar offers a discussion that explores Camden's role in the region's economy, the importance of a targeted development plan, and an alternative vision of economic development. He suggests where to start, what is realistic at this time, and where the City could land on the playing field of garnishing economic development within the region through comparative advantage.
Jerome Harris assesses real time policy issues and governmental impediments and opportunities, examining where the current discussion is and what policies' initiatives are related to initiation of the economic development/land use strategy. He suggest ideas of how to make efficient use of existing federal, state, and local policies that can prove to be helpful in furthering the central goal of economic development.