Brockton is a mid-sized Massachusetts city located 25 miles south of Boston, and is a former hub for leading shoe manufacturers. Over the past few decades, the city’s historic neighborhoods struggled from the effects of urban renewal and neglect from long-departed property owners. While Brockton became a focus of state- and locally-led redevelopment efforts, these isolated investments failed to “move the needle”: follow-on investments didn’t occur, and perceptions of the city and its safety continued to decline.
