Regional Plan Association (RPA) is America’s oldest and most distinguished independent urban research and advocacy group. RPA prepares long range plans and policies to guide the growth and development of the New York- New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region. While RPA’s traditional boundaries include the 31 counties of the tri-state metropolitan region, the organization seeks to share its experience with metropolitan regions throughout the three states. This study in Camden is the first step of a long-term initiative to collaborate with municipalities and stakeholders in South Jersey.
With this project, RPA has evaluated Camden’s capacity to implement land use and redevelopment plans based on previous experiences. From this evaluation, the report makes recommendations to the public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors to improve urban planning outcomes over the next decade. These recommendations are organized in the following four strategies:
Support the City’s prioritization of redevelopment areas. By directing redevelopment dollars toward neighborhoods that have a proven capacity to plan and implement projects, Camden can prevent wasteful spending and capitalize on past investments in the educational and medical facilities and the waterfront. In addition, the recommendations propose building capacity for community groups in emerging neighborhoods.
Reduce the costs of development in priority areas. Because redevelopment in Camden is expensive and risky, this strategy proposes specific recommendations to reduce the costs of acquiring land, updating costly infrastructure, and obtaining permits. This section also proposes reforms to the PILOTs paid by private companies to reduce the property tax rate.
Revitalize commercial corridors. To bring life back to the priority neighborhoods of Camden, decaying commercial corridors need to be rehabilitated. The recommendations in this section specifically address unattractive facades, vacant storefronts, vacant land, and blighted buildings.
Engage the region for support. Camden is well located to gain resources from Philadelphia and the New Jersey suburbs. This section provides opportunities for the surrounding communities to assist Camden through smart growth, transit, affordable housing, and shared services.
To inform this research, RPA spoke with stakeholders in Camden, reviewed previous plans, visited redevelopment sites, and referenced best-practices in cities that face similar barriers to success. While Camden faces a unique set of obstacles, it also boasts many resources which can attract and guide redevelopment.
