HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo

The nation has made great progress in the past four years: 11 million new jobs were created; unemployment and inflation remain low; the economies of many cities, such as Detroit, have improved dramatically; poverty has dropped for two years in a row; violent crime has plummeted in major cities; states and cities are in good fiscal shape; and welfare dependence has declined by 2.4 million people.

But many neighborhoods, cities, and people have yet to benefit from Americas growth and prosperity As we move into the 20th century, our great challenge is to reclaim broken lives and rebuild neighborhoods that were bypassed by the American Dream. Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities can help us meet this challenge.

These pages on the World Wide Web are designed to help citizens, nonprofit groups, businesses, and local governments learn about what is happening in Zones and Communities all across America, including their own. If progress is rapid, local partners in the community rebuilding process should know about it and share in the success. If progress is stalled, they have all the more reason to be aware of it, so that they can help overcome obstacles that block their community's prosperity, As we enter the new millennium, success in solving long- standing problems in America's cities will come from a new partnership between an informed citizenry, a reinvented government, concerned community groups, and local businesses of every size . Sharing the progress of America's EZ's and EC's is a good step in that direction.

President Clinton has proposed a second round of Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities because the gains we've seen so far, when public and private resources are focused on problems the community itself has identified, are encouraging. In these Web pages, you'll see the great progress that many cities selected in the first round have made; and in all cases you'll see a vision of communities striving for their full potential.

We welcome your ideas and thoughts on the EZ/EC home page. Please let us know how we can improve the information provided. And local Zones and Communities would welcome feedback and support as they work to restore hope and opportunity to their distressed neighborhoods and reclaim their share of the American Dream.

Andrew Cuomo
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

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