Direction of the Community Development and Local Revitalization during the Period of Population Decline

Ju-Seong Han

doi:10.26863/jkarg.2021.8.27.3.279

Direction of the Community Development and Local Revitalization during the Period of Population Decline

Journal of The Korean Association of Regional Geographers ◽

10.26863/jkarg.2021.8.27.3.279 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 279-295

Author(s):

Ju-Seong Han

Keyword(s):

Community Development ◽

Population Decline

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Historic preservation as a community development tool in legacy city neighbourhoods

Community Development Journal ◽

10.1093/cdj/bsy035 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 581-604

Author(s):

Kelly L Kinahan

Keyword(s):

Community Development ◽

Real Estate ◽

Historic Preservation ◽

Population Decline ◽

Economic Restructuring ◽

Tax Credit ◽

Development Tool ◽

Real Estate Developers ◽

Physical Assets ◽

Legacy Cities

Abstract For legacy cities, population decline and economic restructuring contributed to the challenges facing their built environments including low demand, oversupply, and high rates of vacancy and abandonment. Amidst this backdrop, there is intense pressure for demolition, yet legacy cities also possess rich stocks of historic resources that can potentially serve as physical assets for community development. Market-based historic preservation incentives such as historic rehabilitation tax credit (RTC) programs are important tools for facilitating reinvestment in legacy cities. These tools are also criticized for primarily benefiting the real estate developers spearheading these projects or creating inequitable neighbourhood change. This research analyzes federal historic RTC projects in two St. Louis, Missouri neighbourhoods – Lafayette Square and Midtown Alley – between 1997 and 2010 and asks: in what ways do investments supported by historic tax credit programs function as a tool for legacy city community development? Through interviews and document analysis, I find that historic tax credit projects support neighbourhood stabilization by minimizing vacancies and shifting redevelopment approaches away from demolition and towards preservation. These projects help build capacity among real estate developers to take on historic preservation redevelopments in other neighbourhoods. However, residents and community-based organizations are often disconnected from these projects, limiting their usefulness as a community development tool.

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