Throughout the nation, although we struggle to find the funds to support our passions, it is clear that communities have come together in support of each other.  In The San Diego Union-Tribune, the local community North Park has made a comeback and has now become a bustling neighborhood.  This area once held empty storefronts and was for the most part quiet, but now it has a lively nightlife and stylish eateries.  The urban renewal of this community was brought on by independent business owners and by community activists like Elizabeth Studebaker and Roger Lewis.

Studebaker, executive director of the nonprofit North Park Main Street, and Lewis, chair of the North Park Project Area Committee, are the dynamic duo for community redevelopment and preservation of the area’s Art Deco and Craftsman architectural heritage.  The two participated in a Q&A session with the Tribune, weighing in on what it takes to revitalize a dead neighborhood.  A couple of their questions and answers included:

Q: What do each of your groups do?

Studebaker: First and foremost Main Street is a small business advocacy group. We also help small businesses with a lot of issues, such as installing a sign or getting a permit for outdoor sitting. We deal with infrastructure, writing grants to install bicycle racks or plant trees, things that make residents and visitors feel more comfortable. And our other mission is historic preservation, we have a lot of old buildings that we want to see renovated and protected to keep the identity of the community.

Lewis: Our redevelopment area was started in the late 1980s but didn’t really get funding until 2000. The PAC advises the city on what projects the North Park community feels are best for revitalizing the area.

Q: Is there something in the demographics of North Park that makes redevelopment work?

Studebaker: South of University Avenue is a lot different from north of University Avenue. Its multi-family residential to the north, and single family to the south; there is different ethnicity, education, economics, everything – and it’s a major dividing line. But there is now a lot more involvement from people north of University, where it used to be that all the decision makers and vocal people were from south of University. And that’s good for redevelopment groups because we aren’t just hovering around saying ‘I wonder what we should do?’ - there is enormous input from a variety of people.

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