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Building for the Future: A Look Ahead to 1997-98

ESLARP's primary goal is to improve the quality of life in East St. Louis through research, teaching and outreach activities provided by UIUC students and faculty. ESLARP seeks to achieve this goal by:

• 1) Supporting the community development efforts of East St. Louis neighborhood-based organizations and municipal agencies;
• 2) Enhancing the planning, development and management capacity of the city's non-profit organizations and governmental agencies;
• 3) Training a new generation of civic leaders and university students skilled in participatory approaches to community planning and design;
• 4) Pursuing basic and applied research on urban policy issues confronting the East St. Louis community.

ESLARP's Executive Committee, in consultation with neighborhood leaders and municipal officials, has identified the following program priorities for 1997-1998 academic year:

• 1. Continued neighborhood planning assistance- UIUC students and faculty will assist Emerson Park residents in updating their 1990 Neighborhood Improvement Plan.
• 2. Ongoing student volunteer services- More than 600 students will be recruited to help neighborhood organizations and non-profits complete locally identified community improvement projects.
• 3. Increased technical assistance- The NTAC will add two full-time professionals to assist community organizations plan, design and manage new physical development and social service initiatives.
• 4. Expanded leadership training- The NTAC will sponsor four intensive training programs for local non-profit board members covering: non-profit management, fundraising, faith-based development and affordable housing.
• 5. Community-based housing initiative- ESLARP will help local organizations involved in housing devise a city-wide affordable housing strategy in cooperation with the Enterprise Foundation.
• 6. Local economic development- ESLARP will complete a local economic development model which will assist municipal officials in identifying the most cost-effective job generation projects and will cooperate with representatives of the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to expand their regional jobs initiative into Illinois.
• 7. Support for municipal planning- ESLARP will provide training and technical assistance to residents participating in the activities of the newly-established East St. Louis Planning Commission.
• 8. Continued applied research- ESLARP faculty will research the cost savings potential of alternative East St. Louis land use and urban design plans as well as the employment generation and landfill savings potential of a municipal building demolition waste recycling program.
• 9. Access to advanced computer technologies- ESLARP will expand its East St. Louis Geographic Information Retrieval System and develop additional public access computer sites in the community.