This project represented the UB Center’s first community economic development project. Funded by the Ellicott District Task Force, this was the marketing phase of a larger project to revitalize the Towne Gardens Plaza. Our study was to conduct a market study of the Town Garden community and to design a retail mix for the plaza based on our findings. This was the first project in Buffalo to demonstrate that a viable economic market existed in the inner city. This project resulted in the construction of the Towne Gardens Plaza, which still exists today. Most significantly, the study gave us insight into the role that retail plazas and commercial corridors play in the development of inner city neighborhoods. The study also made us keenly aware of the problems that accrue in neighborhoods when they are food and service deserts.