Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

In early 2017, DCA conducted an evaluative study of NRTC’s progress in achieving housing and economic outcomes in the 29 neighborhoods participating in the program since 2005. The study found that NRTC had been successful in improving neighborhood home values, consistent with the findings of other studies on the impact of neighborhood revitalization programs. Its impacts on other outcomes, such as job creation, income gains, labor force participation, and lower unemployment were limited and confined to only a few neighborhoods. Overall, the NRTC program was found to be most effective in sufficiently funded neighborhoods with significant assets.

While extensive in scope, this study relied exclusively on quantitative indicators of neighborhood progress measured by Census data. The study could not measure resident perceptions of neighborhood progress and quality of life. It could also not answer why some NRTC neighborhoods were so successful in turning around neighborhood conditions nor identify the factors contributing to the program’s ineffectiveness on housing and economic outcomes in the remaining neighborhoods. Additional qualitative research is necessary to firmly establish causal mechanisms between NRTC-funded interventions and observed improvements in neighborhood outcomes as well as gauge NRTC’s impact on outcomes as directly perceived by residents. The goal of this study is to examine the conditions surrounding NRTC implementation and their influence on the success or failure of the neighborhood revitalization effort. In addition, the study will assess the success of the program in improving important outcomes as perceived by residents.