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Village of Brooklyn, IllinoisCommunity and Economic Development AssessmentBy Meg GlynnTable of ContentsAcknowledgements................................................................................................... 4Executive Summary.................................................................................................. 5Introduction............................................................................................................... 6I. Institutional Memory: the History of the Project........................................... 9Introduction to Brooklyn.................................................................................. 9The University’s First Involvement with Brooklyn......................................... 10The University’s Re-Introduction to Brooklyn................................................ 11SWIDA............................................................................................................. 11The New Mississippi River Bridge.................................................................. 12Grant Endeavors............................................................................................... 13Riverfront Property Emphasis.......................................................................... 13II. Economic Development Strategies................................................................... 15The Brooklyn Business Center Economic Development Plan......................... 15Implementation of the Adopted Plan............................................................... 15Economic Development Plan or Modern-Day Urban Renewal....................... 16Previous Comprehensive Plans........................................................................ 16The New Mississippi River Bridge May Not Happen..................................... 16III. The Role of the University............................................................................... 18Community Participation Absent..................................................................... 18Communication................................................................................................ 18Linkage: Between CBOs & the Brooklyn Revitalization Committee.............. 19Starting Small: Establishing Working Relationships....................................... 19Summer Jazz Festival....................................................................................... 19Lovejoy Alumni Association Reunion/Family Reunions................................ 20Spring Bling..................................................................................................... 20Janey B. Goode Site......................................................................................... 20Underground Railroad History/Legacies of Hope/Confluence Trails.............. 21Signage for Historic Sites................................................................................. 22Brooklyn Cemetery.......................................................................................... 22Stites Park District............................................................................................ 23Placing Brooklyn into a Larger Context: Regional Planning........................... 23Identifying Community Values........................................................................ 23Creating a Community Land Trust................................................................... 23Further Research: Boundaries, Riverfront, Case Studies................................. 24Spring 2007Page 2 of 27