Regional clusters and jobs for inner city workers: the case of transportation, distribution, and logistics

Abstract

This article examines the usefulness of a particular type of industry cluster – transportation, distribution, and logistics (TDL) – for linking less-skilled workers in the inner city to job opportunities that exist in a larger regional economy. The findings are based on case studies of cluster-based development in three metropolitan regions: Indianapolis, IN, Louisville, KY, and Memphis, TN. These regions are known for their high concentrations of TDL firms. The TDL cluster was selected as the focus for this study because it potentially offers substantial employment opportunities for low-skilled workers at the entry-level and might be able to accommodate those that are hard to employ. The article discusses what these regions have done to leverage TDL to provide jobs for inner city workers and identifies some of the factors that either enhance or constrain the cluster's usefulness for that purpose.

Keywords:

• regional development
• economic development
• community-based organizations
• workforce development
• social capital