Collective private urban renewal in New Bedford's historic district

Abstract

This thesis examines the waterfront historic district in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It is, hopefully, the beginning of a process of collective private renewal that may lead the revival of the district as a vital element in the city's recovery. It describes the problems and some of the potential of an effort by an organized group of citizens to renew their community - an alternative to renewal by the government or by large developers. Two themes run throughout the thesis. The first is the city itself: how any attempt at planning for the district must acknowledge its relationship to the city. The second is the role the "professional" plays. This thesis is the work of a "location-oriented change-maker," a person whose first allegiance is to a location and its problems and secondly to a profession that might be involved in solutions to the problems. The thesis begins with a history of the district, which was the city in the days of whaling. It then discusses the problems that face the people of New Bedford today and the plans the city has for her future. The second part of the thesis is a description of the historic district and its people and concludes with a discussion of what it might become and how. Physical implications are included in the appendix.