Revitalizing Youngstown

Youngstown, Ohio, at one time was a major industrial center located roughly half-way in between two larger industrial cities: Cleveland and Pittsburgh. In the 1970s, the steel industry began to sharply decline, sending jobs and the corresponding population numbers elsewhere from each of those cities. While Cleveland and Pittsburgh have reinvented themselves, particularly around healthcare/medicine and education, Youngstown continued to struggle.

Currently, there are pushes underway to turn around Youngstown and make it into a vibrant commercial and economical center it once was. Many neighborhoods are undergoing a renewal and revitalization by identifying key commercial corridors and building a neighborhood around them. One neighborhood in particular, Idora, will rebuild itself around the Glenwood Avenue corridor, a corridor which will look to incorporate numerous commercial uses to complement the existing residential units. Similar projects are underway in several other parts of the city. For the most part, these projects' goals include:

• Improving the streetscape to encourage more pedestrian activity and promote overall safety of the neighborhood
• Encourage local business growth and development
• Encourage new business growth and development (i.e. new grocery stores)
• Establish a solid and sustainable local economy
• Increase and improve the housing stock
• Preserve and enhance the character of the neighborhoods

For additional information, you can check out the neighborhood development corporation's website at http://www.yndc.org/.