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Alliance Program/Community Relations

How Did Alliance Get Started?

In 1996 the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) began exploring ways to create long-term alliances between its members and local officials. During that year, ICSC’s Small Center Committee hosted two symposia. These were held in Long Beach, CA and West Conshohocken, PA. These symposia were designed to encourage local government officials to get more involved in ICSC and to acquaint them with developers and retailers who could bring retail jobs and tax revenue to their communities. An additional Small Center Symposium was held in January of 1997 in Rosemont, IL where ICSC partnered with the American Planning Association and the Chicago Association of Neighborhood Development Organizations. Following the meeting, J. F. Boyle, Jr., City of Chicago’s Commissioner of Planning and Development concluded, "The bottom line is that by matching retailers and developers with the neighborhoods that need their services the most, we are creating a climate in which all sides benefit."

Then ICSC President John T. Riordan saw the Alliance Program as an opportunity to bring about a greater understanding of the positive economic impact that the shopping center industry has on communities across America and to provide a forum to initiate dialogue and develop key working relationships between developers, retailers, brokers, lenders, and local government officials. This is achieved through educational and networking opportunities at regional Alliance meetings, as well as through out-reach efforts with national and local associations.

The first of these meeting, held in 1997, were organized in cooperation with public sector partners, and over 657 individuals from the public and private sectors came together in these forums that were designed to address issues of mutual interest. That same year almost 500 community leaders became members of ICSC and, ICSC began working closely with the U. S. Conference of Mayors and the Council for Urban Economic Development to create strategic coalitions.

The Alliance Program has grown exponentially since its inception and meetings have been held all across the country in communities large and small. Furthermore, attendance of public officials and community leaders has also grown dramatically at regional Deal Makings, and Idea Exchanges and at ICSC’s Spring Convention in Las Vegas were public officials promote their cities and communities to bring often-elusive retailers to their residents. In addition, ICSC widened its outreach efforts to the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the National Congress of Community Economic Development, International City/County Management Association and the National Association of Neighborhoods not to mention partnerships with numerous state municipal leagues and economic development associations.