Urban Impact

Urban Impact, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and promote business and tourism for the 4th Avenue Historic District, the center of black-owned business activity downtown during the decades of segregation. The executive director is Nathan Hicks and the group's offices are located at 319 17th Street North, at the corner of 4th Avenue.

After Birmingham's segregation laws were overturned in the 1960s, the district began to decline as businesses moved out to other areas of town and building owners declined to reinvest in the area. Urban Impact was established under contract to the city to manage a land bank which allowed business owners to purchase property in the area and to help overcome the problem of absentee landlords.

In addition to its economic development role, Urban Impact promotes tourism in the Civil Rights District by producing informational materials and coordinating tours, and organizes the annual Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival. As part of its efforts, the organization worked to put the district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

References

• Jackson, Aziza (February 15, 2010) "Urban Impact". Pavo

External links

• Urban Impact website