NEWBURGH – Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress has released its second Urban Action Agenda report looking at ways to promote revitalization and growth in urban areas in the nine-county region.
The report notes working together, urban areas can be rejuvenated with targeted strategies to help them grow, said Pattern President Jonathan Drapkin.
“We think a regional approach is the best way to go in terms of best practices are shared from one community to the next, mayors are in communication, department heads are in communication. There is an opportunity to lift the urban areas as places to live and at the same time, preserve open space throughout the Hudson Valley.”
Drapkin said most of the cities have experienced some level of a rebirth.
“That includes Kingston and Middletown, who were both winners of the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, to Poughkeepsie and Newburgh, which are even making progress in terms of new residents, new businesses, rehabilitation of old buildings; it’s coming back; it takes time.”
Among the report’s findings are communities saving money by converting to LED street lighting; the lack of health insurance increases for residents with lesser education levels; renters are facing an affordability crisis; public school enrollment is down in the region; and while many communities are spending less on law enforcement than they did 10 years ago, crime rates have fallen.
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