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King’s debuts first sanctioned track and field program

Would it be a good idea to &#8230;&#8230; rethink how to revitalize the area&#8217;s old neighborhoods?Throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania, in pockets of certain communities where mining families and factory workers once lived, the old homes still stand, but barely. This aging housing stock often goes through a familiar downfall: first used as homestead, then converted to rental unit, then abandoned.Cities including Wilkes-Barre, Nanticoke and Pittston cope with the blight left behind.Conventional wisdom calls for keeping up appearances &#8211; addressing the looks of a place, or an entire block, by spending tax money to make repairs or upgrade facades &#8211; for as long as possible, then bringing in the bulldozer. A relatively new law in Pennsylvania, which allows &#8220;<a href="http://www.housingalliancepa.org/node/1054" target="_blank">land banking</a>,&#8221; is likely to quicken the pace at which vacant structures get leveled.Successful redevelopment, however, might hinge on more than putting up new bricks and mortar, according to the authors of <a href="http://icma.org/en/results/sustainable_communities/resources/blogpost/4428/Local_Governments_Must_Engage_Residents_to__Transform_Distressed_Neighborhoods" target="_blank">a report </a>recently published by the <a href="http://icma.org/en/icma/home" target="_blank">International City/County Management Association</a>.&#8220;Local governments must engage residents to transform distressed neighborhoods,&#8221; proclaims a news release that the Washington, D.C.-based association issued last week to tout its report. It outlines a more comprehensive approach to improving public housing and subsidized rentals, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods.&#8220;Planning for the physical appearance of a neighborhood is important, but equally important is engaging citizens to learn what programs and services they need,&#8221; Cory Fleming, one of the study&#8217;s authors, stated in the news release.In short, urban planners in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties should not only look at the conditions of the places people live, but the people living in those places.What opportunities do they have nearby? What are they lacking?The late Jane Jacobs, a Scranton native and activist who challenged prevailing notions about urban renewal in the 1960s, might not have uttered the phrase &#8220;couch surfing&#8221; &#8211; today&#8217;s term for the practice of living with friends and relatives because you can&#8217;t afford quality housing. But she certainly recognized the shortsightedness of razing the neighborhoods that low-income individuals call home.What is our region&#8217;s plan for keeping a decent roof over people&#8217;s heads?Is there a plan?Give us your feedback by sending a letter to the editor or posting comments to this editorial at timesleader.com.Likewise, tell us your ideas for improving the community and making area residents&#8217; lives better. Maybe we&#8217;ll spotlight your suggestion in a future editorial and ask readers, &#8220;Would it be a good idea to &#8230;&#8221;

Our Opinion: Don’t overlook residents’ needs when planning neighborhood revitalization