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THE HARLEM URBAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

The Harlem Urban Development Corporation (HUDC) was formed in July 1971 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Harlem community and the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC).

HUDC is a wholly owned, incorporated subsidiary of UDC, with its own Board of Directors selected from the community to determine the policy of HUDC. This public benefit Corporation was created to plan, develop and finance housing for low, moderate, and middle income families; to assist commercial and industrial development; and to provide needed educational, cultural and other civic facilities in the Harlem area.
HUDC has completed nine residential projects at an estimated development cost of $158,287,000. This includes the completion of 3,156 publicly assisted dwelling units, and the startup of 43 dwelling units in Round I of the Section 312 program and of 129 units in the Demonstration Tenement Rehabilitation Program. Furthermore, a 1,400-seat school has been erected and a $4,000,000 parking facility is under construction. The total estimated cost of all HUDC projects is $162,287,000.
The International Trade Center fits into an overall revitalization strategy for the Harlem community outlined in the HUDC Harlem Two Year Development Plan. Other supportive commercial projects in the plan include the establishment of a public market, completion of a 400-car municipal parking facility, and the restoration of the Loew's Theatre, as a multi-purpose performing arts center. 

The primary emphasis on the International Trade Center will be on the development of trade between Third World nations and the United States. The development program is intended to support this emphasis and will include a 500-room first class hotel, a 3,000-seat conference center and a 400-space parking garage which is presently under construction. These facilities will be physically and functionally related to create a national and international business and tourist complex.

This unique mixture of development components which make up the Center will give African, Latin American, Caribbean, United States and other business firms the opportunity to increase their international trade and investment operations. The Center will also contribute to the promotion of tourism between Third World nations and encourage an exchange of cultural and historical information. Further, it will include educational programs and events designed to bring the international community together for social as well as business purposes.

In addition to the International Trade Center's contribution to the economic well-being of the city and nation, it will have a direct and positive impact on the economy of Harlem. As a community with a very high unemployment rate, Harlem will benefit substantially from the numerous services and jobs the International Trade Center will generate. The Center will also act a catalyst for the successful implementation of other commercial projects.

Interior Design
HUDC welcomes input and suggestions from participating nations in the creation of an attractive and appealing facility. The International Trade Center will be designed to accommodate the needs of all nations. The proposed structure will be a facility containing three separate but interrelated components.

First Component
The first component of the Center will highlight a retail shopping mall. This space, of approximately 90,000 square feet, could carry a host of items such as clothing, ethnic foods, and the arts and crafts of participating nations for direct sale to the public.

Second Component
A tourist/information display complex of approximately 40,000 square feet will operate on the second unit of space. This area of the Center will provide tourist information on participating nations, as well as information on the countries' major products and business opportunities.

Third Component
The upper levels will house office accommodations and trade display facilities containing about 375,000 gross square feet for the promotion of major investments in industrial, factory and wholesale activities.

Transportation
The International Trade Center will be centrally located and easily accessible to all forms of transportation. The site is located in the "hub" of the 125th Street Corridor, a major Manhattan thoroughfare.

The crosstown and north-south bus routes have depots conveniently stationed on 125th Street. All of the primary subway lines serving New York City have station entrances on this central business street. The proposed site for the Center is adjacent to a major subway stop. More than 2.5 million people go through its turnstiles annually. This subway stop will have an entrance leading directly into the Trade Center.

Another appealing transportation advantage is the fact that Harlem is only one half hour from LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports; 20 minutes from Wall Street or any other area within Manhattan; and 10 minutes from New Jersey by way of the George Washington Bridge, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and the Triboro Bridge which leads the way to Queens and Long Island. In short, the site is easily accessible to all of the areas mentioned above as well as within walking distance of Columbia University and the City College of New York.

Building Bridges
Such conditions have prompted the leadership of Harlem's Black and Hispanic communities to seek the

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