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Great Streets Need <br />Great Champions <br />very revitalization project needs a champion —someone to initiate the <br />process, fight to ensure it is done right, and follow through to completion. <br />This is particularly true for rebuilding neighborhood retailing because of the <br />length and complexity of the undertaking. In most situations, the champion will <br />be a person (or a group of people) who is a committed, responsible stakeholder <br />who recognizes the problem, has dreams of something better, and has the pas- <br />sion to overcome obstacles to achieve results. Without a champion, retail revi- <br />talization efforts will most likely get lost among competing needs in a commu- <br />nity when it comes time to fight for attention and Limited resources. <br />In some quarters, neighborhood revitalization efforts are seen as inherently <br />public responsibilities that should be led exclusively by public representatives, <br />because the private sector is often seen as unwilling, uninterested, or unable to <br />do the job itself. Others believe that if a market exists, the private sector will <br />find it and, without government help, Lead the way through its own entrepre- <br />neurial efforts. ULI believes that, in most cases, neither extreme is an effective <br />approach. <br />King Street, <br />Alexandria, Virginia. <br />2 <br />