Revitalization for Whom? A discussion about inequality in Midtown, Kingston, NY

Neighborhood revitalization strategies have shifted over the past two decades in cities across the United States. In the name of efficiency, state and municipal governments have been defunded. Nonprofits address specialized needs, but the safety net for poor, ill, unemployed, and children has been diminished. Kingston, New York’s municipal government relies on a familiar strategy to improve urban conditions, but is it at the expense of marginalized groups living in the neighborhood of Midtown? First, I will examine current revitalization planning and development in Kingston in order to understand whether public and not-for-profit planning and capital strategies in the neoliberal policy framework address community needs. Then, I will introduce the people who make up the Midtown neighborhood. Residents will describe their needs in light of past inequalities and current struggles experienced by the majority African American and Latino residents (Chapter 2). Next I will describe the revitalization process that Kingston has adopted for Midtown (Chapter 3). In Chapter 4 I take the reader on a walking tour of Midtown revitalization projects to understand the vast and varied neighborhood. Chapter 5 considers how neoliberal policy has shifted the relationships, expectations, and roles of municipalities, NGOs, and citizens. Finally, I will argue the economic needs of the city must be balanced by the social needs of current Midtown residents. By understanding these complexities, I show how revitalization must meet the needs of the existing community