Neighborhood viability, change and public policy: The case of Wilmington's East Side, 1950--1990 (Delaware)

The preservation and redevelopment of deteriorated sub-areas of communities have been a continual problem to policymakers who find themselves faced with issues ranging from physical blight to social degeneration. Between 1950 and 1990 many policies at the federal, state and local levels were implemented in an attempt to address problems of urban revitalization. While there have been some successes, there have been significant program failures, and problems persist despite public intervention.; Of particular concern to the study was the loss of certain socio-cultural elements of urban sub-areas that contributed to their viability and their sense of community. The study sought to determine the impact of public programs from a holistic perspective, which included not just the traditional evaluation of physical and economic program impacts, but also an assessment of socio-cultural aspects of communities that are deemed significant to residents' lived environment. These indigenous viability factors have historically not been considered in the development of redevelopment programs, either because public policymakers have not understood their importance, or because they have found them economically infeasible to address. Their importance to the success of redevelopment programs is a significant missing factor in the policymaking process.; To examine the importance of this missing link, the study conducted historical research on the East Side of Wilmington, Delaware, a community that exhibited significant levels of viability in the early 1950's. Several long term-residents, community leaders, and public officials were interviewed to reconstruct the community as it existed in 1950 and to gain a better understanding of residents' perceptions about what constituted a viable community. This research then assessed the impacts of changes that occurred to the community over a 40-year period that were the direct or indirect effect of public policies.; The study used a process identified as a "framework for analysis and benchmarks" to measure the effect of public programs and to define a viable community. The results of the study show that socio-cultural elements of deteriorated sub-areas, which contribute to their viability, could be maintained and preserved providing a more diverse and historically based living environment if the "framework for analysis" were applied. Accordingly, this study recommends that the model for the research be more broadly adapted and used in the development of urban revitalization policies.