Planners Are Helping Small Businesses Become Resilient Amidst the Pandemic

When the coronavirus pandemic dramatically halted normal economic
activity in March, many knew small business owners and their
employees would not come away unscathed. But small businesses are
critical to our communities, making up 44 percent of all economic
activity in the United States. Thankfully, community planners are
stepping up in big ways to find relief for these businesses — the
lifeblood of their localities.
In this episode of the podcast, APA public affairs manager Emily
Pasi talks with Angela Cleveland, AICP, director of community and
economic development for the City of Amesbury, Massachusetts, and
Matthew Coogan, AICP, chief of staff for the City of Newburyport,
Massachusetts. Amesbury and Newburyport — the former boasting a
thriving restaurant scene, the latter an engine largely fueled by
tourism — were each awarded $400,000 in emergency Community
Development Block Grant funding via the CARES Act.
Angela and Matt outline the serious need they saw in their
communities’ small businesses before the funding was delivered,
as well as the ways various city departments came together to
lift up struggling enterprises and help them innovate. They
provide advice for planners who want to help their communities
not just stay solvent, but recover stronger.