The Shake Upstate Initiative

The Upstate Foundation, through the Shake Upstate Initiative, aims to assist in the coordination of State, regional, and local economic development efforts targeting young-professional neighborhood gentrification.  This goes more towards the "retention" part of our mission.  After, with luck, attracting this new blood to Upstate, we need to develop sustainable communities to retain them.

Shake Upstate will pursue these ends through:

• Working with officials of all levels of government, as well as local non-profits, real estate developers, and utilities, to determine "target communities" in each of our target cities; areas ripe for development and coordinated efforts for young-professional gentrification. 
• Focusing attention of policy-makers and local stakeholders on the development of young professional oriented businesses - stores, living space, restaurants, bookstores, etc. - at the neighborhood level, creating sustainable environments hospitable and attractive to the target demographic.
• Serving as an information clearinghouse for news related to young-professional targeted economic development  in Upstate New York.

 

 

 Downtown Albany, NY (Courtesy)