University of California Transportation Center

This article focuses on the commercial strips of the American inner city, many of which are currently characterized by major decay and disinvestment. After a brief historic overview of the evolution and decay of inner-city commercial strips, the article turns to fieldwork research. The study uses case studies from Los Angeles for an assessment of the current economic environment of inner-city strips. Drawing information from surveys of inner-city residents and merchants along three corridors and focus group research with merchants along a fourth corridor, the article reports the perils and potential of business development along the strips and outlines suggestions for economic improvement and community development.