Partnering with communities  

       "It will take a combination of a new government center and visitor oriented retail and entertainment to spark the town back to life. Put those things together, along with new housing, and you catalyze a vital town center. There's so much work to do here, but the potential is extraordinary."
-Peter Calthorpe, nationally known architect and urban planner  

"A realistic, doable strategy like this, the hard work and support we're seeing from business and community leaders, plus the support of government organizations, are the essential ingredients for a beautiful, economically vital Bremerton in which we can all take pride."
-Lynn Horton, Mayor, City of Bremerton  

The turn-around strategy is a series of pragmatic steps that build on each other, mixing housing, offices and retail together to create activity around the clock - a "24-hour city" concept that has proved to be the recipe for safe, healthy cities.

Key to making this strategy work is a strong collaborative effort, says Port of Bremerton Commissioner Cheryl Kinzer. "It's exciting to see how much can be accomplished when business and community leaders and government organizations work together on a common goal."

"People in Bremerton are not asking for a handout and are not counting on some deep pocket developer to fund a giant, unrealistic project," explains Bremerton Chamber of Commerce President Ed Wolfe. "Instead, everybody is working together on a solid realistic strategy to turn things around."
 

 Suisun City,
California

Population
27,000, with 210,000 within a 10-mile radius

Location
In Northern California's fastest growing county

Challenge
A quality of life survey in the Bay Area ranked Suisun City dead last. The city's center was a ghost town, with businesses failing on Main street.

Solution
A determined group of business and government leaders developed a feasible redevelopment plan, which included a marina, boardwalk, and government center.

Results
Seven years later, the Sacramento Bee applauded Suisun City's success in turning itself around: "There's no miracle to Suisun City. All it shows is that an American town, however dilapidated and besieged, can revive."