| Once the industrial heart of the Connecticut River Valley, the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, faced a dramatic economic decline during the 1980s, when its manufacturing labor force dropped by 32 percent. Today, the city's poverty rate is more than double the State average. A consortium consisting of Springfield College, American International College, and the Springfield Technical Community College is now working with local residents and the City Planning Department to empower three city neighborhoods. Through a collaborative COPC, the colleges are working to help build the capacity of the Old Hill, Upper Hill, and Maple High/Six Corners neighborhoods, to provide residents with greater access to education and training, and to increase the availability of fair and affordable housing. COPC activities are building on community planning efforts that have been underway in Springfield since 1994. At that time, the city demonstrated its commitment to community revitalization by completing strategic plans for each of the city's 17 neighborhoods. The neighborhood plans evaluated land uses, infrastructure needs, community facilities, demographic trends, and other pressing concerns expressed by residents of each neighborhood.
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