| The University of Miami (UM) is involved with revitalization and community building in the West Grove section of Coconut Grove, Florida. Surrounded by neighborhoods reflecting privilege and reinvestment, West Coconut Grove reveals a history of prejudice and disinvestment. Poverty has increased substantially, with the number of people living below poverty level jumping 59 percent from 1980 to 1990. The unemployment rate increased from 2.89 percent to 13.85 percent during the same period.
West Coconut Grove continues to be threatened both by lack of economic development and by building development that is incompatible with neighborhood need. The deterioration of the commercial area contributes to crime and image problems and the devaluation of residential properties. Because of high taxes, difficulties local residents have in obtaining mortgages, and problems in getting home-improvement financing for aging homes, West Grove has seen a rise in abandonment, absentee-owned buildings, and vacant lots. The age of the housing stock is a serious problem, and a portion of it is deteriorating rapidly.
Increasing rents have resulted in residents overpaying for housing, and using an increasingly large portion of their incomes for rent. UM's revitalization efforts in West Grove are aimed at increasing affordable housing, rebuilding West Grove's primary commercial avenue, and reclaiming the rich history of the centuries-old Bahamian residential architecture of the area.
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