WKSU News: University Park ripe for change
Deborah Shufrin of Boston's Initiative for a Competitive Inner City says Akron is ready for investment.
By WKSU's Kabir Bhatia
(Listen to Story) Boston and Akron are miles apart in size and prestige. But Deborah Shufrin of Boston's Initiative for a Competitive Inner City told an Akron audience both are ripe for increasing investment. WKSU's Kabir Bhatia spoke with her before a session sponsored by Akron’s University Park Alliance Tuesday night.
Deborah Shufrin served on Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s economic development cabinet. She acknowledges that getting Harvard grads to stick around after graduation may be an easier sell than convincing a 22-year-old to buy a condo in University Park. But she says quality of life can be built and marketed so those 22-year-olds want to stay. Adding that usually means a robust job market, affordable and attractive housing, easy access to cultural institutions and a short, possibly car-less, commute. With that in mind, what has Akron done right so far?
