Product No.: 03028
Date Published: 10/2003
If you would like to request a printed copy (or copies) of this product, please call DVRPC at 215-592-1800 or email the staff contact listed below. If you would like to request this publication or portion of this publication in another language or format, please fill out a request form.
In December 1998 DVRPC released a report entitled The Future of First Generation Suburbs in the Delaware Valley, which defined the economic disadvantages facing older suburbs. The term "first generation suburb" generally refers to the earliest townships and boroughs to develop outside a region's central city. A second report, published in August 2000, assessed six municipalities that comprise the William Penn School District in Delaware County, an area characteristic of the region's first generation communities. The current study documents demographic and socio-economic conditions in ten first generation communities in Camden and Gloucester counties; identifies the study area's challenges and opportunities; and presents recommendations for revitalization, including broad regional strategies, intermunicipal cooperation and coalition building, and local initiatives. Two case studies are also presented which illustrate potential approaches for addressing problems common in first generation communities: revitalizing an existing residential street to enhance the visual environment and provide buffering between the street and adjacent industrial uses (King Street in Gloucester City) and the redevelopment of a greyfield (the Woodbury Heights Plaza in Woodbury Heights).Geographic Area Covered: National Park, Wenonah, Westville, Woodbury Heights and Woodbury City in Gloucester County, New Jersey; and Audubon, Audubon Park, Brooklawn, Gloucester City and Mt. Ephraim in Camden County, New Jersey
Key Words: "First Generation" suburbs, inner ring communities, z-score, regional tax-base sharing, intermunicipal cooperation, greyfields
Staff Contact(s)
- Karin A. Morris, AICP (kmorris@dvrpc.org)
Translation Request
DVRPC’s publications or portions of publications can be translated in alternative languages and formats if requested. To request translation, please submit the form below. You can also contact DVRPC’s Office of Communications & Engagement at 215-592-1800 or public_affairs@dvrpc.org.
Title VI Statement
In effect as of January 30, 2025
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related nondiscrimination mandates in all programs and activities. DVRPC is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, all programs and activities on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or income level, as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other related nondiscrimination mandates.
DVRPC's website, www.dvrpc.org, may be translated into multiple languages. Publications and other public documents can be made available in alternative languages and formats, if requested. DVRPC’s public meetings are always held in ADA-accessible facilities and in transit-accessible locations whenever possible. DVRPC will work to accommodate all reasonable requests for translation, interpretation, accommodations or other auxiliary services and encourages that requests be made at least seven days prior to a public meeting. Requests can be made by contacting the Commission’s ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins via email at public_affairs@dvrpc.org, calling (215) 592-1800, or while registering for an upcoming meeting.
Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice by DVRPC under Title VI has a right to file a formal complaint. Any such complaint must be in writing and filed with DVRPC's ADA and Title VI Compliance Officer Shoshana Akins and/or the appropriate state or federal agency within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory occurrence. Complaints that a program, service, or activity of DVRPC is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to Shoshana Akins as well. For more information on DVRPC's Title VI program or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, please visit: www.dvrpc.org/GetInvolved/TitleVI, call (215) 592-1800, or email public_affairs@dvrpc.org.