Costly chains cheapen New Haven

University Properties, the branch of the Administration that owns and leases the Broadway storefronts, has been making some rather uninspired business choices, and they seem to be neither pleasingthe Yale student body nor improving the area in substantial ways. They are certainly not helping New Haven's bid to regain the status of a destination city. Any moderately large urban area in America has the stores that we now have, and any moderately interesting urban area also has a number of unique attractions that draw attention from the rest of the world. New Haven is distinguished by its food and its arts scene to some extent, but these two features are not strong enough to really put the city on the map. I've met a lot of people from all over the country who have never heard of New Haven. The University is clearly the most famous landmark, and it does consistently draw crowds of awe-stricken tourists to the city, but it is hard to imagine that the campus' environs make a big impression, especially compared to other top schools around America.

For years, the most common general perception of Yale's hometown has been that it's economically depressed and crime-ridden. And it is, in parts. Because it is a world-class institution, the University does bring in a certain number of people and dollars, and that boosts the economy—to an extent. But the Administration could do itself and its neighbors a favor and make a concerted effort to turn the whole city into a livable, prosperous, interesting location.

This is the stated purpose of the Broadway redevelopment, but I doubt the desired effect will be achieved with the methods used so far. The theory behind bringing such stores as J.Crew and Urban Outfitters to Broadway is that suburbanites with bulging pockets will be drawn downtown by familiar favorites and will then be lured into spending money at other, locally owned businesses. Maybe—if for some reason they decide to forsake the nearby outlet malls that have both better prices and greater selection. But what about New Haven residents, many of whom can't afford to live anywhere else? Can they shop on Broadway?

Wherever it comes from, money spent at these stores is not money spent on New Haven. The entrepreneurs behind these ventures are, in most cases, not even from the area, but come from corporations based in some place like Lynchburg, Va. Their investment here is for their own profit. They have no compelling reason to care about their workers or the community.

CHIP LOCKWOOD Will J. Crew add to Broadway's mass appeal?

The employment opportunities that they offer to the local populace are mostly low-skill, low-wage, no-growth part-time jobs. Meanwhile, the high-priced, mass-quantity merchandise they sell is putatively pitched to a group of consumers from other towns whose only interaction with New Haven is at the point of sale. Is Broadway, the centerpiece of the city, meant to become just an open-air mall?

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