Publisher's Synopsis
The hopeful re-emergence of auto communities is fueled by hard work at the local level, and also due to a dedicated effort by the White House, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), the Department of Labor, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other federal agencies. Auto community revitalization also is being driven by state governments, and by other partners, including the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust, the Manufacturing Alliance of Communities (MAC), the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), The Funders' Network for Smart Growth & Livable Communities, the Surdna and Ford Foundations, regional and community-based foundations, and other organizations. This Roadmap for Auto Community Revitalization, developed under the partnership between EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, the Department of Labor's Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers, and the Manufacturing Alliance of Communities, provides resources and information for local communities that are affected by the recent restructuring of the U.S. auto industry. As these cities and towns move forward with efforts to rebuild sustainable and economically vibrant communities, this roadmap can provide useful information about the sources of funding and technical assistance currently available to communities with historical ties to the automotive industry, or "auto communities." This roadmap also provides many stories describing the experiences of auto towns, large and small, throughout the United States. These efforts were led by the mayors, city managers, economic development directors, and other elected and appointed officials who are driving auto community revitalization on the local level. These communities learn many lessons as they travel the long road to community revitalization. While every auto town is different, their stories can provide a roadmap for other cities, towns, and communities as they travel a similar path. In recent years, about 350 auto manufacturing and supplier plants have closed.1 Localities that traditionally relied upon the automotive sector for local jobs and property-tax revenue face significant challenges as they work to revitalize their communities and rebuild an economic base. Many of these auto communities experience significant job losses, decreased tax revenues, and sometimes population flight, at the same time that they must grapple with the challenges posed by the presence of idled and contaminated plants or "auto brownfields."
