Empowerment Zone boundaries in Chicago. To view or use these files, compression software and special GIS software, such as ESRI ArcGIS, is required. The Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities program (EZ/EC) is a Federal, State, local government partnership for stimulating comprehensive renewal--particularly economic growth and social development--in distressed urban neighborhoods and rural areas across the nation. For more information, go to http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/economicdevelopment/programs/rc/.