Community-Centered Urban Redevelopment: Case Study of Carlisle, PA

Carlisle, a Central Pennsylvania borough positioned twenty-five miles west of Harrisburg, has a deep and rich history through the American Revolution and Civil War until today. Especially during the Industrial Revolution and the latter part of the 20th century, many factories provided a majority of the jobs in the town and were the economic foundation for the community.

However, as seen in countless other communities across the country, these factories fell away and left the town in quick succession due to widespread deindustrialization and globalization: the International Automotive Components factory closed in 2008, the Tyco Electronics factory in 2009, and the Carlisle Tire & Wheel factory in 2010.

The Borough of Carlisle was faced with an enormous challenge yet an enormous opportunity in how to develop the three brownfield sites on the northern side of town. In 2013, after a long and deliberative process, the Carlisle Urban Redevelopment Plan was published, and is an interesting case study to highlight how the CED-SS model can and has been applied in urban communities.

As we’ve stated before, the policy intervention is the key entry point to our model, motivated by prevailing factors in the community. In Carlisle, the closing of the factories eliminated over 1,200 jobs and left the sites with contaiminated groundwater and soil; the community saw that there was an opportunity and rallied around developing the former factory sites.

This was where the urban redevelopment plan came in. It was started to “serve as a framework for the redevelopment of thse three sites in a thoughtful and cohesive manner which considers their neighborhood context.” Community engagement was central to the entire process, and improving the general well-being of the community as a whole was at the center from the beginning:

“The key aspect of this effort is the fact that the Borough is not responding to development proposals, but instead taking a proactive role in working with property owners to assure that the redevelopment of the three former industrial sites maximizes their potential with regard to job creation, tax revenue generation, and community enhancement – all while complimenting the existing downtown and melding with the character of the surrounding neighborhoods and communities.”

Looking at other examples of urban redevelopment plans from around the country, this explicit consideration of factors beyond pure economic motives (attracting more business investment, improving the tax base, etc.) is unique and in line with how policy interventions should be oriented through the CED-SS model because it focuses on the collective benefit of the community than only of business interests or specific sections of the community alone.

“Considering the magnitude of reinvestment and transformation that would occur [during the redevelopment of the brownfield sites], Carlisle officials want to ensure that the formation of a vision and goals for the project and the specific ‘tangible’ outcomes are based on broad community desires for the future of the neighborhoods and the downtown.”

Along with making sure that the policy intervetion is in line with community desires, it also is aimed at improving the community capital stocks present in the city. In the case of Carlisle, the urban redevelopment plan directly address the physical capital in the northern part of the Borough, as it focuses on what physical structures will replace the former factory and current brownfield sites.

Included in the plan are also potential development projects to improve infrastructure and transportation generally around all three sites. Property owners and community members also expressed interest in seeing:

• market-rate residential housing
• senior assisted living
• office space
• mixed-used neighborhood retail
• food-oriented businesses, “in town” grocery store

While all of these fall under the physical capital stock, the redevelopment would also improve economic capital (improved access to healthy foods and possible new jobs), social capital (new housing units could bring new diverse dynamic to community), and human capital (decreases exposure to harmful health effects of brownfields). A lot of these development ideas and proposals directly target many of the residual issues facing urban communities that we discussed last post, as well.

All of these improvements to the Carlisle community and its community capital stocks lead towards providing opportunities for all, which we defined originally as requiring:

“a fundamental change in the governing philosophy of a community, a shift in perspective on local policymaking, in order to reach for the full potential of everyone together. A focus on the collective benefit rather than the individual benefit.”

As I said above, this sort of “fundamental change” is a clear break from conventional economic development practice and is, unfortunately, a rare example in common local urban policymaking of embracing a building a culture of opportunity for all.

The overraching aim for the CED-SS model, and, in fact, the Carlisle Urban Redevelopment Plan, is the improvement of quality of life over time. The Borough, actually, published a Community-Wide Vision Statement in its Comprehensive Plan in 2002 that read:

“Carlisle: a premier town with a strong sense of community identity and an excellent quality of life, which makes it a superb place to live, learn, work, visit, shop, and play.

• A Balanced Community: A small town in spirit and a small city in amenities. The historic and quaint charm of the past centuries, evolving to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Preserving our natural resources while promoting smart growth.
• Forward looking and responsible in community and economic development.
• A caring and engaged community, with unity in diversity.”

In its 2013 Urban Redevelopment Plan, the Borough released a “Vision for Carlisle’s Northern Quadrant Redevelopment” that harkened back to the 2002 statement:

“Improving the quality-of-life and the sense of community for the citizens within the Northern Quadrant Neighborhoods in a manner that is consistent with the Borough’s Community-Wide Vision Statement, through the sensitive investment in redevelopment and improvements which ‘mesh’ the new with the old to form well-functioning and desirable ‘places’ for the enhancement of the entire Carlisle Area.”

In both of these statements, the long-term improvement of quality of life for members of the Carlisle community as a whole lie at their core and are the most important metaphoric lamp unto their feet: the overraching goal for all development initiatives, including the redevelopment of the brownfield sites, aims to improve the quality of life of everyone in the community, not just a select and annointed few.

And that’s what the CED-SS model is all about. That what’s developing towards social sustainability looks like, ladies and gents.