April 24, 2009
Planning Potential: Graduate Students Bring Neighborhood’s Plans to Life
The Swansboro Neighborhood Revitalization Plan was completed by 39 graduate students within the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Students of the class have been tasked to work in cooperation with community stakeholders to analyze current neighborhood conditions and generate goals, objectives, and strategies for improving the neighborhood.
Under the guidance of two outstanding associate professors, Dr. Gough and Dr. Suen, students organized, researched, and developed a new Swansboro neighborhood plan as part of their Studio I course throughout the 2009 spring semester. Further assistance, information, and guidance was also provided by current Swansboro residents, business owners, and civic leaders, representatives from Richmond’s Neighborhoods in Bloom program, as well as individuals representing the city of Richmond’s Department of Community Development.
The purpose of this plan was to join with the Neighborhoods in Bloom program to revitalize the Swansboro Neighborhood. The program assists potential businesses and business owners and is designed to promote economic community development in five of the City of Richmond’s targeted areas. The student’s goal was then to study each sector to discover exactly how these strategies could be implemented into the community.
The students were broken into different groups to study a specific sector: transportation and circulation, social character, economic development, and urban design. Each group conducted a survey of existing conditions to serve as the foundation throughout the plan. Data used in determining these current existing conditions were collected and developed by the graduate students through personal interviews with neighborhood residents and leaders, direct observations, surrounding neighborhood influences, United States census data, and communication with City of Richmond staff. The information collected served as the backbone for further analysis of the current Swansboro neighborhood.
Through further communication from community input, as well as detailed analysis of Swansboro’s existing conditions, students created and developed appropriate goals and objectives that address the needs and current state of the neighborhood. Furthermore, implementation strategies were developed throughout this process to help direct actions taken by city officials and Swansboro residents. These implementation strategies also contain information regarding responsible parties and relative costs for implementation.
Stay tuned for more on the neighborhood revitalization plan…
This is the first installment of a series about neighborhood planning in the City of Richmond, and more specifically creating a neighborhood revitalization plan for Swansboro. One of the most important elements resulting from this planning process is that it can serve to start a conversation about the neighborhood’s hopes for the future of their community. This collaborative effort has led to a prospective plan that will be presented locally as an effort to engage a community and its residents. The presentation will be open to the public and provides a chance to learn about neighborhood revitalization. The opportunity to work in the local community has been an incomparable learning experience. We think this project is pretty darn interesting, and hopefully you will agree.
-Victoria Price
Contributors: The whole class and professors, but specifically, Giles Harnsberger- hand drawings, Melissa McDonald- executive summary, Brad Basquette- executive summary, Victoria Price- introduction
Nice but where are the coffee shops? or the Upscale 7-11?
It is refreshing to view a project where optimism, intelligence, and altruism converge.
Actually the plan encourages economic growth and commercial revitalization on a local level.
Sorry ShockoeBottomDweller…as a student who worked on the project and as a person who wanted the community to thrive without being a ‘Carytown’ look-a-like or a gentrified community, there is NO need for coffee shops or Upscale 7-11′s. Come to our presentation to see what we have done. Neighborhoods in Richmond NEED to have their own identity.
May 5 @ Swansboro Elementary School 4pm
Where are the thermal solar panels for residences’ hot water heating?
Contributor Correction: Melissa McDonald and Brad Basquette created the executive summary. Thanks again to all.
Well Studio Student I was not thinking of “Carytown.” The 7-11 was a joke but unless you want to copy every suburb in Hampton you do need a community center that you can purchase things. Unless your assuming everyone will just commute elsewhere for everything. I am aware of a need for identity I am also aware you need a central non threating place to be able to have people bond and get together. That helps with Identity. You might find a person who has lived in more than his fair share of Suburbs and cities might know a thing or 2 on how they run.
Mr. Burger,
Be advised that in 1982 the supreme court ruled that the permanent physical occupation of another’s property, authorized by the government, is a taking for which just compensation is due under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution.
However, I am not negating the merit of environmentally sensitive energy sources. It seems to me the first step would be educating a community, implementing improvements and providing resources for residents to realize potential.
Just a thought.
Happily,
our plan includes plans to implement a community center.
We agree with you.
The other student may have missed you sarcasm, but its probably because they weren’t expecting it. Someone said “be the change you want to see in the world”. You should give it a go rather than berating something for no reason.
Hey ShockoeBottomDweller, before you get too critical on a neighborhood plan you haven’t even read why don’t you come down to the presentation like STUDIO_STUDENT said. It sounds like everyone would benefit from your years of experience living in neighborhoods.
BottomDweller–why didn’t you ask about a community center in the first place? I haven’t read the plan yet but I’m pretty sure there’s something in there about that. And I’m pretty sure all of these students have lived in their ‘fair share’ of bland suburbs and have visited enough vibrant city centers to know what makes them ‘run’. Stop being a cynic and a hater. Go to the presentation to hear what they have to say.
ShockoeBottomDweller – I definitely understand your argument. While we have focused on some business opportunities in the neighborhood, we are geared towards enhancing what the citizens actually want for their community. We felt things like coffee shops and boutiques were just not practical for this community. We are also reasonable with our approach. We don’t expect developers to come into Swansboro with grand ideas to open a strip-mall for shopping. Swansboro is in need of residential rehabs so we can bring more people to the community. That will ultimately be the best way to attract businesses to come in.
“It seems to me the first step would be educating a community, implementing improvements and providing resources for residents to realize potential.”
What are you doing to do that now? Personally, if I were a resident of this new development, I would rather have discounted energy bills thanks to an existing thermal solar hot water heater.
What does a 1982 court case have to do with it?
Other places are moving forward with things like residential thermal solar hot water. Why not Richmond?
http://www.deadirect.co.uk/News/Sustainable-Building-Professionals-$4-Materials/June-2008/Hospital-to-be-turned-into-eco-village?id=1011
http://www.coastaljournal.com/website/component/content/article/357-introducing—-eco-village-one.html
http://www.ashevillenc.gov/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=16154
http://www.ashevillenc.gov/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=15984
The Glen Rock development in the River Arts District — 60 affordable/workforce
apartments and 9,000 square feet of commercial space in a new building, construction
to be started by mid-year 2009; renovation of 28,000 square ft. historic hotel building
for office, commercial and community use, renovation to be started by fall 2009. The
Glen Rock development includes high levels of energy efficiency and energy savings,
including solar hot water heating; restoration and cleanup of a damaged urban stream;
arts and commercial uses; and safe, attractive energy efficient homes for a very strong
housing market in Asheville: renter households with incomes in the range of $15,000
to $40,000 per year.
These examples are private projects. Private. Public projects, i.e. providing infrastructure for power is public, and there for the government can not put a permanent addition onto a private property.So solar panels on houses are a no go. I am green. I see your point. I am explaining the facts. There are tax abatement programs being developed for individuals to retrofit their buildings. I think thats great. Write your congressman.
Let me see I am hater and a Cynic because I mention one thing and STUDIO_STUDENT goes off on me and I responded to that. Impending Graduate you seem to have issues because first I was not insulting the students who are working on the project I was curious if they had considered the business aspect of a community because most do not. Then they go on to move to places all around the country and we get to see business as usual. College projects are great and can show real promise as I said it looked good but don’t assume I don’t know anything or that you are morally supperior because your involved with this project. I have sat through more civic meetings and planing sessions and presentations in several states Florida, California and here in Virginia. I have also watch a number of successes and quite a few failures. Most of the failures came from people who were defensive and derisive with the very people observing their projects I might have gone to this presentation but I see with people like you attacking people with questions you might need more salesmen and less defensive welps telling everyone with a comment they know nothing. MURP I apreciate your input it answers my question though I was not going for a Strip mall more like a family grocery /Drugstore that esentials could be purchased by the residents who don’t have to venture out for everything they need. Something that was not a 7-11 would be better but there are so few Mom and Pop ventures that could fill that void economically.
The reason I even brought it up is that most of the old successful neighborhood that were not cuturally related thrived with a corner market. But since you College wonders knew that already I will refraim from asking such a simple question .
I can supply a list of totally public solar thermal for low income housing projects also. Chicago, Raleigh…
While some of the students have already pointed out there isn’t a coffee shop or solar panels, the plan hasn’t actually been presented to us yet so what’s with immediately getting critical? For all we know the houses are going to be designed solely from solar panels!
I’m interested to see what the actual revitalization plan is. Opening the lines of communication between residents and the city is a step in the right direction. Based on the work the city and NIB have done in the past, I expect many good things.
i guess I am not being clear and that is my fault. New government projects that are intended for private use can use the techniques you are suggesting. So that is a public project, but it has the same premise as a private development in that one entity can provide the resource without retrofitting other peoples property. No one can go into an existing place and put things on private buildings without the owner’s consent. i think you should make it happen. Its great that you are so passionate.
“No one can go into an existing place and put things on private buildings without the owner’s consent.”
Thank you for clarifying.
Just as an addition, other places are making solar MANDATORY for any new residential developmnet- Israel, Spain, Hawaii, etc.
I can’t do it all myself, but if it was somehow made easier to do third party financing for solar, I would like to invest. Properly done, solar thermal hot water heating can reap net energy savings in only a few years.
I’m thrilled to see so much attention being paid to this plan and the Swansboro neighborhood! Hopefully the dialogue that has emerged as a result of this plan will benefit future revitalization projects in the greater Richmond area.
First and foremost ShockoeBottomDweller, I did not attack you. If your weren’t trying to be “Funny Man” my comments would not have rubbed you the wrong way.
I am not a resident of Swansboro nor am I from Richmond or even the state of Virginia (therefore I have been to my fair share of community meetings and lived in my share of suburban neighborhoods that you have not seen nor lived in) but after the extensive observations and interviews, WE have realized that the neighborhood has other issues that need to be addressed.. for instance..grocery stores, sidewalks that are continuous & not broken into pieces & services that help the community.. These were things that out weigh any ‘upscale coffe shop’…
Like i said before..come to the presentation, we would love for your cynical mind to be present!
High five to MURP!
From one MURP to another!
“It seems to me the first step would be educating a community, implementing improvements and providing resources for residents to realize potential.”
I’m also one of the students working on this plan. The quote above is a fair way to describe the approach our Studio I class has taken for this plan. It is not strictly a development plan. In fact it is a revitalization and housing plan. There is no major “new development” as a component. Through our research, it was decided that Swansboro would not support and current residents would not desire a large scale new development of any kind, especially if it were upscale. Our plan tackles the issues of affordable housing, renovation of blighted properties, and small business cultivation using the existing urban fabric. Please feel free to attend.
Actually STUDIO_STUDENT you just accused me of trying to turn your project into a “Carytown.” because I mentioned a coffee house, which hey if that is all you get out of Carytown you need to do some more study of the place. Coffee houses, Pubs, restaurants and Corner stores have the ability to let people gather and talk while providing commerce. But Hey when decide that my question is beneath this topic be sure there is not something deeper to it. You will find these are the sort of questions a City council person would ask and treating like it is beneath your project will cause you to have them lose interest. But you don’t need my advice
so if i wanted to solar my house, can i get heat, electricity, charge my car? sell excess to power compoany? I hear the cost of solar is more than you can save going solar.
Liberty, I tried responding to your comment this past weekend, but for some reason the site would not take it. It’s about scale. Solar thermal is cheaper than PV.
This whole debate is silly and reminds me why I changed my major from city planning to business.
Too bad, Dave, you are missing out on some cool and important discussions-
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009786.html
I switch me from Business to World Domination but there are too many people not retiring So I had to find a Side gig
Scott they have the Solar Thermal with PV now and it does well from all reports