The central theme in the article entitled "The Role of Corporations in Urban Revitalization" is that corporate America must take an active role in urban community development. Previously, assistance for inner cities was provided primarily by federal government programs, with corporate involvement relegated to charitable contributions aimed at enhancing the corporation's public image. A new model of corporate civic involvement has emerged, however, one which emphasizes a collaborate process that empowers the community.
The critical issue that this article examines is the crushing problem of poverty in America's inner cities. Urban areas are plagued by rampant drug traffic, skyrocketing unemployment, marginal economic development opportunities, and overall deterioration. The conditions in many inner cities are no less devastating than conditions in impoverished Third World countries. With the U.S. Olympics right around the corner, a group of local corporate CEOs approached former president Jimmy Carter and urged him to apply some of the successful techniques that The Carter Center had employed around the world to the problems of urban Atlanta. Carter took a look at the urban decay in Atlanta and was shocked at what he saw. With the support of corporate contributions on an unprecedented scale, the former president inititated a partnership of local neighborhoods, government, and business called The Atlanta Project (TAP).
TAP is unique in many ways. First, the breadth of corporate support has been encouraging. Corporate partners include Ford Motor Company, Equifax, IBM, Home Depot, Marriott Corporation, and Sprint. Academic partners include Georgia State University, Morehouse College, and Columbia Theological Seminary. Second, the corporations and institutions involved have not been content to merely make philanthropical contributions. As one Marriott executive put it, "We would like to get involved in TAP in such a way ...