Sometimes an instigator is a good thing, and that is the case with community activist Kathleen Mitchell's recent effort to focus attention on New London's Hodges Square.

The small retail district and adjacent neighborhood in East New London is an important gateway to the city, funneling traffic from Route 32 and Interstate 95. But since urban renewal in the late 1960s demolished many of the homes and businesses there, and construction of a twin span to the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in the mid-1970s created concrete barriers separating the neighborhood from the nearby downtown, well, East New London has declined.

"And that's just not fair," said Ms. Mitchell, who organized a meeting in the neighborhood last week that brought together community activists, city leaders, business people, and residents who discussed ways to re-energize East New London.

A portion of the area is included in a so-called Enterprise Zone, and therefore eligible for various programs and incentives, something many people who live and work in the neighborhood were unaware of, Ms. Mitchell said.

Her goal is to help the businesses and residents there organize to go after the tax incentives and exemptions, and other municipal support, that they are eligible for. Hodges Square has gotten short-shrift for too long, she said, and is worthy of more attention.

It is hard to disagree with the need to better integrate East New London with the rest of the city. Reconnection was the upshot of a report done last year by the University of Connecticut's Community Research and Design Collaborative Program - Re-Connect New London 2010 - that studied the area and suggested better pathways, bridges and sidewalks to link East New London with the adjacent downtown.

The neighborhood is what separates the rest of New London from the Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut College and the Lyman Allyn Museum. It is where Riverside Park and the historic Old Town Mill are located.

There are thriving businesses in Hodges Square, including the Portuguese Fisherman, where last week's meeting was held, and Mr G's, a city mainstay for decades.

Shining a light on East New London is a good idea. It has politicians and policymakers talking and has motivated the people who live and work there to learn more about opportunities to improve their properties and neighborhood.

Ms. Mitchell deserves credit for helping get the discussion started.