Newark, Decline and Avoidance, Renaissance and Desire: From Disinvestment to Reinvestment

After more than fifty years of neglect and disinvestment, economically distressed urban neighborhoods have become the targets for reinvestment. This article is an exploration of the changing context of urban revitalization using Newark, New Jersey, and two of its neighborhoods. A key argument is that the 1990s and early 2000s mark a particularly significant moment in history for U.S. cities. First, cities are seeking a competitive position within a global economy. Second, neoliberal urban policy and a decentralized and partially dismantled welfare state leave local government with few redistributive resources, providing legitimacy to redevelopment that deconcentrates poverty and attracts middle-class residents. Third, dramatic rent gaps exist in their most impoverished neighborhoods. Local governments increasingly view housing development as an economic development strategy in which gentrification is the preferred pattern of redevelopment. This approach does not benefit low-income residents. However, unlike earlier periods, community-based resistance to neoliberal policies is muted.