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Fitchburg Rising?
Mayor Lisa Wong inherited a big job when she won Fitchburg's mayoral election last year. An old mill town with closed factories, a crime problem and a record number of foreclosures are just some of her worries.
The 28-year old Wong has a plan, and Radio Boston heads to Fitchburg to find out what it is.
Guests:
- Fitcbhurg Mayor Lisa Wong,recently elected to her office, she's promising to turn things around. She hosted our web chat, you can read its transcript here.
- Robert Forrant, Professor of Social and Economic Development at UMASS-Lowell
- Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, He's also President of the Massachusetts Mayors Association.
- Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzerella
To find out more about efforts to revive old mill cities across the state, see these two studies:
- Mass Inc.'s Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities
- MIT's Voices from Forgotten Cities
Web Extra: Once held as the national model for urban revitalization, Lowell, Massachusetts is entering a new phase. Old mill buildings have been revamped, the downtown is thriving, but the job base is thin. The overall economy is still fragile. Radio Boston's Meghna Chakrabarti spoke with Lowell City Manager Bernard Lynch about the city's next steps.
This program aired on February 8, 2008. The audio for this program is not available.