Memphis City Watch

Another World Class Park For Memphis

2011-12-19T01:48:00.001-06:00

Overton Park is a 342-acre park in the heart of Memphis. Bordered by thriving and diverse residential neighborhoods, it contains many of Tennessee's most important and historic natural and cultural assets, including the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Zoo, Memphis College of Art, Rainbow Lake, Veterans Plaza, Greensward, 9-hole golf course and the 126-acre Old Forest State Natural Area. Designed by famed landscape architect George Kessler more than a century ago, Overton has fallen somewhat into disrepair, plagued by weeds, graffiti and broken-down facilities.
On December 6th, the City Council approved a 10-year management agreement with the newly formed non-profit Overton Park Conservancy. Once the paperwork is signed, the 342-acre Midtown park will remain city property with the conservancy overseeing all portions except the Memphis Zoo, the golf course and tenant facilities such as the Memphis College of Art, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the Levitt Shell and the city General Services and Fire Department installations. The management agreement had been endorsed nearly two months ago by the council's Parks Committee, with members saying it will result in a better facility at lower cost to the city. The new management arrangement is the result of a year-long effort by a group of park-users, interest groups and tenants to provide for improvements that they say the city's budget-strapped Division of Park Services Division can't afford.
Adopting the model used by Memphis Zoo, Shelby Farms Park, the Memphis Botanic Garden and landmarks around the nation, the group calls for Overton to remain city property while being placed under management by a private, non-profit conservancy that could raise private funds to pay for improvements. The Overton Park Conservancy is an excellent example of public-private partnerships. Barely a week after receiving approval to manage one of the city's premiere recreational facilities, the Overton Park Conservancy announced that it had received a pledge of $1.5 million to help pay for operations and improvements at the park in Midtown Memphis. The gift from Memphis-based Plough Foundation represents the largest yet for the conservancy.
George Cates, one of the organizers of the group, said $3 million in private contributions already has been committed toward a $6 million goal over the next five years.
The private funding would allow for a gradual decline in the city’s costs at the park, Cates said. Under the plan, total taxpayer expenditures on operations and capital improvements would drop from $329,000 in 2012 to $150,000 in 2016 and beyond.
The group, which is awaiting approval of its tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service, also plans to get started on a list of improvement projects. They include the removal of invasive plants from the old-growth forest, the rebuilding of a playground near Rainbow Lake and establishment of a "state-of-the-art" dog park, Cates said.
Earlier this year, park proponents achieved one goal when the Tennessee General Assembly designated 126 acres of the forest as a state natural area, protecting it against further encroachment or degradation.
Overton Parks Conservancy says that, “[Their} main goal is to maintain the city's ownership of the park, while decreasing its obligation -- and burden to taxpayers -- over time.”
From the very beginning, the conservancy is interested in public input at every phase. They created a survey that asked a broad range of questions, such as: What do you love about Overton Park? What problems must be addressed? Would you support non-profit conservancy management of Overton Park? And describe you ideal Overton Park. Regarding the survey, the conservancy says, “We want to take the information from this survey and use it to create a long-term strategic plan for Overton Park. We’ve gathered local advocates, preservationists, ecologists, business leaders, and educators to collaborate on our best ides to protect and improve our park’s public spaces.”
The Overton Park Conservancy is in the early stages of executing a well thought out plan. They have created a public-private partnership, and they are interested in stakeholders’ opinions throughout the entire process. I believe that Overton Park can once again become the “crown jewel” of the Memphis Park System.

References:
Tom Charlier: New Conservancy Ready to Dig into Overton Park. December 11, 2011.
Tom Charlier: Overton Park Conservancy Receives $1.5 Million Pledge. December 16, 2011.
Memphis Daily News. December 8, 2011.
http://overtonpark.org/

Parking Violators Getting the Boot

2011-12-15T17:22:00.002-06:00

The city clerk’s office will soon begin increasing fees for parking violations downtown. This is an effort to improve on-street parking by encouraging long-term parkers to use the many parking garages. The city has recently purchased 50 tire boots and will soon begin placing them on the cars of those who consistently break our parking laws and refuse to pay their parking tickets. The Commercial Appeal recently quoted a city employee who said that the city was not using this as an attempt to increase city revenue but is only trying to change parking behavior. Anyone who believes this is a little naïve. Why is the city afraid to admit that this will in fact bring in new revenue? This is a good thing. We need all the new revenue we can get. It is estimated that the city loses, or fails to collect, between $1 million and $2 million in unpaid parking tickets.

After one year, parking tickets expire and violators are off the hook. This rule is well known apparently but it is news to me. When I read this I was shocked. Violators wait out the one year period and then they know they are safe from any fines related to their illegal parking. The majority of the parking bandits park in the Central Business District where the majority of the city’s parking meters are located. The Central Business District has been the focus of revitalization efforts for years now. Think of the good that can be done with the new revenue!

The latter half of the 20th century saw the decline of downtown Memphis and the Central Business District. Decreased demand for rail and river transportation, de-industrialization, civil unrest in the 1960s and 1970s and the expansion of Memphis’ suburbs all lead to the area’s decline. However, the creation of the Center City Commission (now Downtown Memphis Commission) and the Beale Street Management Corporation have had enormous influence and they have played a large role in the current regeneration.

Beginning in January 2012, the increase in parking ticket fees will take effect and habitual offenders will get the boot. If this new revenue stream is redirected to the Central Business District, many of the projects that have been put on the back burner for years could be moved to the front of the list. What is the point of writing tickets when violators are not pursued and why the one year expiration on tickets? The city should do away with this. Violators should not be let off the hook because they were able to beat the system. Why are we rewarding this?

Why HOPE, when you have a CHOICE?

2011-12-15T14:41:00.004-06:00

The City of Memphis has been the benefactor of multiple federal grants to revitalize their distressed neighborhoods through the Hope VI program as well as the Choice Neighborhoods program. A well-known byproduct of many redevelopment projects carried out in distressed neighborhoods is the gentrification of the preexisting community. More than many other cities of its size, Memphis has been awarded five Hope VI grants. The city has also been awarded a planning grant for the Choice Neighborhoods program in pursuit of an implementation grant that will provide funds for further revitalization efforts. With the wealth of experience granted upon the Memphis Housing Authority (MHA), have they been able to tackle the issue of gentrification?

Efforts to relocate

“According to Memphis Housing Authority, 2,465 of 2,812 units in the five HOPE VI developments were demolished and 1,299 people were relocated. Of that number, 555 were relocated to other public housing, 522 used vouchers for new housing, and 222 relocated private-owned housing (Jones, 2008).” In 2011, the Cleaborn Homes public housing projects, containing 460 public units were destroyed. Of the 460 units, 419 were occupied (MHA, 2011). There were 195 available housing units after the demolition of Cleaborn Homes with 29 of them managed by the MHA and 146 of them privately managed (MHA, 2011). In order to provide the opportunity for all of the remaining residents to move back into the neighborhood, 224 units within the new development will have to be public housing. Another factor to consider in regards to gentrification are section 8 housing choice vouchers that encourage those who wish to move out of a neighborhood in search for a new environment. This still won’t provide enough housing being that 5,966 of the 6,057 vouchers were already used in 2010, leaving only 91 remaining vouchers (MHA, 2011). If these were used up to assist in the relocation of residents, then there are still 133 units needed to relocate the former residents of the Cleaborn Homes. The Choice Neighborhoods program offers a possible solution to combat displacement.

Is there a solution?

The Choice Neighborhoods program differs from that of Hope VI by enabling cities to address whole neighborhoods rather than focusing on a single public housing project. The Vance neighborhood, located in the Downtown area, encompasses two public housing projects. These are the Cleaborn Homes, the last public housing project to receive a Hope VI grant within the city, and Foote homes. Located just outside of the neighborhood is University Place, formerly known as the Lemoyne Owen Gardens.

The rest of the neighborhood contains a host of vacant properties that are suitable for rehabilitation. These properties can house displaced residents within the same neighborhood while keeping the community intact. There are 22 properties currently owned by the Shelby County Land Bank that are zoned for multi-family residential uses with a total area of 177,382 square feet. If a generous 2,000 square feet were allotted for each residential unit, then there exists a possibility to provide 88 housing units. If these units were all two stories, then 176 units are available. The maximum height allowed for multi-family properties is 45 feet. Although it’s possible yet improbable, space is available to construct 352 housing units using county owned property if construction on these properties were 4 stories in height.

There is an overwhelming amount of vacant historic properties available for rehabilitation as well. Some of these are owned by absentee landlords that choose not to invest or lack the ability to invest in their properties. On the intersection where Tate Avenue and Walnut Avenue meet exists a vacant multi-family complex with 38 housing units available. An additional 7 units on St. Paul Avenue provide suitable relocation units once rehabbed. Redevelopment on these properties scattered throughout the neighborhood removes the common eyesores associated with abandonment such as unmaintained lots, illegal dumping, broken windows, graffiti, and unstable structures. These lots also provide a breeding ground for rodents and pests that pester the community.

Benefits associated with the rehabilitation of these various properties include the reduction of gentrification as well as an increase in aesthetical value. Buildings of historical value will blend in with the newer properties providing a mix of housing types. The former residents of Cleaborn Homes will actually see a new neighborhood in the same location rather than a new neighborhood somewhere else. Will this work?

Sources:

Jones, T. (2008, October). The audacity of hope?. Memphis Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.memphismagazine.com/Memphis-Magazine/October-2008/The-Audacity-of-Hope/

City of Memphis, Memphis Housing Authority. (2011). Three-year strategy for 2011-2013 and fy 2011 action plan. Memphis: City of Memphis.

Art in Public Spaces

2011-12-13T19:55:00.008-06:00

Take a trip to some of the great American cities, cities that are thriving and have lively downtown areas. These cities, aside from providing great public transportation and a brilliant mix of traditional and contemporary architecture, focus on a very important aspect that makes them the great cities that they are: vibrant public spaces accented with public art. These spaces not only provide congregational places where people can gather and interact, but they also build character and pride for the city in which they are located. Let’s look at some of the benefits of art and how some cities have approached using public art to define its spaces.

Benefits of Art

Art is a form of expression. This expression can come from the artist or any other influence and can tell many stories within one piece of work. The act of interpreting a piece of work stimulates the senses and forces the mind to think in ways it would not otherwise. Art is used in schools to stimulate the minds of children and get them to think creatively. It is an important part of the learning process that helps to develop their comprehensive thinking skills. According to the College Entrance Examination Board, students that have been educated in the arts score higher on college entrance exams than those who haven’t. For this reason, many high-tech corporations often times look for employees with extensive art education. Art has also been shown to be a helpful form of therapy, as it allows people to express themselves in ways that one may not be able to do with words. Likewise, art in communities can tell stories and the history of an area in a way that also cannot be done with words. They help define neighborhoods and cities as places that care more about the general well being of their residents, and they attract businesses that value the positive benefits that art brings.

Art in Other Cities

I’ve taken a couple of trips to Denver, Colorado, and each time I’m pleasantly surprised by the focus the city puts on public art. It is not murals, fountains, or traditional statues that are often seen in many cities, but it is more contemporary art that is spread all throughout the city. A forty foot tall blue bear peeking into the Convention Center, a life size horse standing on an oversize chair, and a line of ballet dancers caught in mid routine are a few of the public art pieces found in open spaces. These pieces are not done with a clear purpose. No business is directly reaping the benefits; no admission is required to view the work; no history is being told. Instead, these pieces are done for the people of Denver. It seems that the real purpose of these pieces is to simply bring a creative aspect to the city to generate a better place to live. This is reflected in the city’s architecture. The Denver Architectural Foundation states that its mission is “To increase public awareness and appreciation for architecture and its influence on our quality of life through education, participation and advocacy for excellence.” Art and Architecture are very much the same in their goals of creating more meaningful spaces for the public, and the City of Denver has focused much attention on this to provide a higher quality of life.

Art in Memphis

The City of Memphis stands on a long history rich in civil rights and music. Some of this is portrayed throughout the city in plaques and statues; however, the majority of this history is not apparent. Public art can not only serve to bring this history to life, but also bring pride to the city and its accomplishments. Memphis is at the top of all the wrong statistics in 2011: first in highest poverty rate, second in highest crime, and third in the top saddest cities. These can all be said to tie together, so once one aspect is addressed, the rest should follow. There is hope, however; Flavorwire listed Memphis as the seventh best city for young artists in a list that includes international cities such as Brussels and Montreal. The reasons given were the vast amounts of events held each year such as Memphis in May, BBQ Fest, and International Week. These events, however, are not lasting characterizations of the city seen year-round.

The UrbanArt Commission is a non-profit organization that is focused on creating public art in Memphis. It is responsible for the “I Love Memphis” murals and “Family Trees” at University Place. Support of organizations like them and creating long lasting public art in the city and our communities can create the sense of pride that our city needs, stimulate our children’s minds, and provide a higher quality of life for everyone. Tourism and businesses would be attracted, and happiness and poverty would be addressed.

Land Banks: A Revitalization Tool

2011-12-07T13:04:00.001-06:00

Land banks are very important tools for today’s American city. Almost every major city in the United States has problems with vacant, abandoned, tax delinquent and/or tax foreclosed properties. Land banks can alleviate some the stress put on cities because of tax base loss and blight. Vacancies in these neighborhoods are detrimental to the community as a whole. The vacancies attract blight, crime, significantly reduce property values, and affect the overall well-being of the community. Land Banks promote the idea of bringing back livable communities by selling these distressed properties to new and hopefully responsible owners.
I will be comparing three land banks in three counties. They are Shelby County (Memphis, TN), Genesee County (Flint, MI), and Fulton County (Atlanta, GA). These land banks have different operations for how they handle their properties and all sorts of programs. I’m going to examine how these counties differ from Shelby County.
The land bank can acquire properties in several different ways depending on the cities requirements for acquisition. The main way the land bank acquires properties is through tax delinquencies. The county can also purchase abandoned or distressed properties and add them into the land bank. Once, the property is acquired there are a variety of things a county can do in order to improve the communities.

Genesee County (Flint, MI)

The land bank in Genesee County offers many programs to alleviate the stress caused by problem properties. Some of the programs offered include:
· Adopt-a-Lot: Ability for residents/businesses to maintain vacant lots.
· Clean and Green: Maintain a least 25 properties and do two gardening projects.
· Demolition: Aids in the removal of dilapidated housing
· Housing Renovation and Rental: Renovates 25 to 50 houses a year to promote homeownership and affordable housing
· Property Sales: Helps with purchasing options i.e. cash, conventional mortgage, land contracts, lease with an option to buy.
· Side Lot Transfer: Landowners can purchase a vacant lot directly next to their property for 25 dollars plus minor administrative fees. It brings the vacant lot back online for property tax collection.
· Foreclosure Prevention
All of these programs promote restoring beauty, putting and keeping people in their homes.

Fulton County (Atlanta, GA)

The Land Bank Authority in Fulton County has a mission plan with three objectives. It has similar goal and objectives as the Land Bank in Genesee County. They are:
· To return nonrevenue generating, non-tax producing property to an effective utilization status in order to provide housing, new industry and jobs for the citizens of the County.
· To acquire title to certain tax delinquent properties which it will in turn inventory, classify, manage, maintain, protect, rent, lease, repair, insure, alter, sell, trade, exchange or otherwise dispose of under such terms and conditions.
· To extinguish past due tax liens from property foreclosed upon by Fulton County and the City of Atlanta in their tax collection capacities.
The Land Bank Authority has the power to extinguish all taxes on a property. When the property is held by the land bank it is tax exempt. They will hold parcels of land for future governmental purposes such as affordable housing, open space, and greenways. Additionally, they have a program called the REO Acquisition Program which allows buyers to purchase Real Estate Owned properties before they are sold in the traditional way. It provides a bigger discount for the buyer.
The Fulton County Land Bank acts a liaison between the county and community development corporations. The CDC’s can purchase the homes from the land bank and obtain a title that is free and clear of all liens. Non-profits can claim properties and the Land Bank will hold them for up to five years so the non-profit does not have to pay holding cost (taxes). That saves the non-profit money and they can rehab the property when the timing is right. Non-profits can use these programs offered by the Land Bank in order to create affordable housing for low to moderate income residents. Furthermore, many properties can be purchased under the Targeted Bulk Purchase Program. This can be used for affordable housing and the Land Bank can hold the properties in the early development phase so the properties would still be tax exempt.

Shelby County (Memphis, TN)

The Shelby County Land Bank has over 3,600 properties that are available for purchase. They obtain properties that go into tax foreclosure and they take properties that are given to them. The ultimate goal is to get these properties active on the tax roll. They also want to help revitalize neighborhoods and encourage development in the inner ring suburbs.
The Shelby County Land Bank has a lot to learn from the other counties. The other land banks have extensive programs that promote homeownership, rehabbing, rentals, open and green space. Shelby County has the same problems as those counties; they should be proactive and add similar programs. They should copy some of the programs that would work best for Shelby County and implement them as soon as possible.

Sorry, No Vacancy

2011-12-05T22:17:00.009-06:00

The Sears Crosstown building is a great place to shop! It’s an art deco style building on North Watkins with a 14 story tower. Nothing beats parking in the garage and taking the underground tunnel into the building, knowing while you walk that one of the first things you’ll see in the store is a candy counter with all different kinds of fudge and cookies. With two retail floors and an outlet floor, you can find any product you want right there! After shopping you might want to go out to eat somewhere. There is a great restaurant downtown on the rooftop of the Sterick building. It is a beautiful 29 story gothic style building made of granite and limestone on 3^rd Street and Madison Avenue. It is very elegant on the interior with extravagant chandeliers and charming elevator operators to take you to the top floor. Once seated, you might want to try a Goldcrest beer to drink. It’s made just a couple of miles away at the Tennessee Brewery, located at 495 Tennessee Street. If you have time, I would suggest going by and taking a look at this fantastic building as well!

Does this sound familiar? It might if you were living in Memphis over three decades ago. None of these buildings have seen life in over 18 years. The Sears Crosstown building was built in 1927 and has been vacant since 1993. The Sterick building built in 1930 has been vacant since 1980. And the Tennessee Brewery built in 1890 has been vacant since 1981. These are just a few of the historically significant buildings in Memphis that have sat unoccupied for years. Each had been added to the list of the National Register of Historic Places a couple of years before their unoccupancy. Why, then, have they been left vacant and unattended to for so long? What are the possibilities and best uses for the vacant buildings in Memphis?

Mayor A. C. Wharton has talked about turning some of the vacant buildings into police substations, such as for the old Manassas High School. He even mentioned the Lenox School Condominiums as being a great example of adaptive reuse of a vacant building. However, the nature of larger buildings such as these makes it difficult to reuse for such a simple purpose. A large investment must be made to restore these buildings for any adaptive reuse to take place. Aside from cosmetic restorations, the Sterick building would have to be brought up to seismic standards. As has been seen with the Pyramid, yet another important vacant building, these infrastructure improvements can be very costly. There must be a decision made, then, of the future of our city. Is it one that will be proud of, preserve, and revitalize its historical buildings? We have recently lost two old churches to large corporate businesses placing their cookie cutter buildings on the lots. Part of the façade of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Union Avenue purchased by Chick-fil-A was preserved, however most of the building was deconstructed.

So how can our city preserve its history? Let’s take a look at just one of the buildings. At a price tag of $12 million, the Tennessee Brewery can be restored. For a city struggling with poverty more than any other in the nation, this is no easy task. The building was almost destroyed in the late 1990’s; however, the owner spent hundreds of thousands to bring the building up to code. Two promising projects to restore and reuse the building fell through in the past decade: one to open the building up as art space and the other to convert it into condos. There is a positive side to this, though. During this time, the abandoned warehouse just south of the Tennessee Brewery was redeveloped into the Lofts at South Bluffs, a mix of sales and leasing of spaces. Other redevelopments in the area will bring major attention to this abandoned building. Andy Kitsinger, DMC vice president of planning and development, stated “It's the last building in that area to be redeveloped because it's the toughest, but it has so much mystery and nostalgia attached, it creates an emotional connection with people."

From being the set of the movie “Trespass” to hosting weddings, it is apparent that this is a very important building. So how can it be preserved? The first step is done, as it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places which gives it more opportunity to receive grants from organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This organization provided more than $61 million in grants, loans, and direct equity investment for preservation projects in 2010. The State of Tennessee’s Historic Preservation Office is expected to provide about $400,000 in federal grants for 2012. Suffice it to say, the bulk of the restoration would fall upon the investor, so other means of incentives will need to be provided for a project such as this. Tax incentives may be provided for the development process as well. For what purpose, though, would this building be restored? It lies in highly residential area, with commercial to the east, which makes for great potential for a mixed use building. Access to the trolley line reinforces this idea and should be a major attractor for potential investors.

Our city should make a point to preserve the pieces of history it has left and make use of any resource available to do so. The effects that urban sprawl has had on the city has not been positive for its historical buildings, often leaving them abandoned. A stronger focus on restoring these structures would bring more pride and personality to Memphis.

Bicycling for Change

2011-12-04T17:44:00.005-06:00

HISTORY

Bicyclists have been elbowing for room on the roads of cities since its inception from horses-and-buggies and pedestrians to the eventual domination of automobiles zipping by. A mass-produced bicycle prototype was first made available to the American public during the 1860’s. It would become not only an additional mode of transportation, but would also play an important role in a later social movement. “To men, the bicycle in the beginning was merely a new toy, another machine added to the long list of devices they knew in their work and play. To women, it was a steed upon which they rode into a new world” (Mumsey’s Magazine, 1896).

As designs improved to accommodate a more comfortable ride, bicycles quickly rose in popularity during the 1880’s and 1890’s. Interest groups began to form, mainly at the direction and guidance of bicycle manufacturer Albert Pope, to establish legal and political precedence for the bicycle as a “legitimate endeavor” in response to naysayers (Macy). Perhaps the most influential during the infancy stages, the League of American Wheelman (LAW) was established in 1880 to aid in this effort. They specifically sought to overturn bans on the use of bicycles (as they were perceived to be dangerous, especially to horses), as well as promoted bike usage by establishing races, highlighting “bike-friendly” hotels and restaurants on maps for touring cyclists, and launched a movement pushing for bicycle paths and better road conditions. This initial swell of popularity reached a peak in the late 1890’s, with notables such as the Wright Brothers and John D. Rockefeller members of the LAW organization.

SOCIAL CATALYST

Susan B. Anthony once stated that the bicycle “has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world” for some time. Fellow partner in the women’s rights movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, also noted that the bicycle taught “an equality in social relations without distinction as to color or previous conditions of servitude”. Author of “Wheels of Change” Sue Macy builds upon this notion by adding that the bicycle during this era “affected popular culture in so many ways, including the way people—and especially women—dressed, the music they listened to, the magazines and stories they read, and the slang they used. It made exercise accessible and acceptable, and totally transformed social interactions”. This paved the way for women to realize a freedom never felt before in a society that revolved around the privilege of being a white male. Feelings of “freedom, self-reliance, and independence " were created simply by getting onto a bicycle and leaving the confines of their homes (unchaperoned) and actively engaging in public life. “Young women were gaining more freedoms and with that came confidence and a feeling of empowerment as the Victorian era drew to a close” (Cycle & Style). This created the perfect platform for which women to fight for equal representation (i.e. voting rights) in their democratic country that culminated in the passage of the 19^th amendment in 1920.

TODAY

“For a brief moment in time, the bicycle was THE craze in American life, and it changed things forever” (Macy). The recent installation of bike lanes on Madison Avenue will pave the way for similar movements of greatness right here in Memphis. Ok, well maybe not, but it does allow for a little more elbow room for those seeking an alternative mode of transportation. The debate over bicycles’ presence and placement within the transportation system still lingers. Worries regarding heavier traffic on adjacent streets, a decrease in the amount of business for those on Madison, and even the need for such infrastructure are all valid concerns. However, I would argue that a revitalization of the corridor has begun, at least in some small respect. The road no longer solely serves as a silo for thousands of commuters to make their way to work zipping through Midtown to reach their destinations. Some sense of neighborhood has returned to the strip with an almost inviting urban feel of “take off your coat and stay awhile”. The shops and restaurants that line the street now enjoy on-street parking with some even embracing the change by installing bicycle racks. While reduced visibility to potential customers is a concern, most of these establishments are staples of Midtown with a loyal customer base. In addition, many of the residents that live in Midtown specifically chose the area for its sense of uniqueness, community, and walkability (in terms of numbers of establishments within a small proximity). The new street design enhances these qualities and provides a great platform for the future revitalization projects envisioned for the area, mainly the Overton Square development. While usage of the lanes has diminished with the return of brisk winter winds, many were out pedaling around upon the striping unveiling. The avid bicyclists were out, yes, but there were also families with young children and ladies out enjoying an afternoon ride together. While kinks remain, most especially signage designating the various driving lane s, the platform for revitalization, at least in more of a social sense, has been established. The symbology of accepting new strategies for better living environments and the highly visible presence of bicyclists combine to create a measureable step towards creating positive change for Madison Avenue and greater Memphis.

Its Time To Get Creative

2011-12-01T14:04:00.001-06:00

Last week the Commercial Appeal ran an article about a new website database that was recently launched by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The website is a way to match developers and architects with interested investors to rejuvenate projects that have stalled due to the credit freeze for new construction. There are many long-delayed projects in Memphis that could benefit from this from this new Internet tool. The article, written by Tom Bailey, focused on two large Memphis projects; the $70 million Highland Row mixed-use development that sits at the corner of Highland and Midland was announced in January 2008 yet the land remains vacant; and The Horizon’s, a 155 apartment tower development that sits on the South Bluffs along the Mississippi River that has been dormant since foreclosure hit in 2009. These projects are located in areas that seemed poised for future redevelopment a few years ago. But this credit crunch is really putting a damper on things. The percentage of projects held up due to financing difficulty has doubled nationwide since 2008 and one in five stalled projects is a direct result of the current credit crunch. The new AIA database allows architects and developers to list their stalled projects in hopes of attracting private investors to rejuvenate projects needing financing. The University of Memphis has big plans for expansion and the downtown area has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in new projects in the last decade. The masterminds at AIA who are behind this new idea were thinking big and they have potentially created a very useful tool for their peers. If this database attracts investors to just a few of the stalled projects in Memphis imagine the possibilities.
Cities could learn a thing or two from AIA. What if he City of Memphis had a database that listed all the currently stalled revitalization projects around town including those that are targeted as neighborhood blight and used this database tool as a way to recruit small local business to help? Projects that could be listed include vacant houses that need to be boarded or demolished, over-grown lots that need to be mowed, roads and sidewalks that need to be repaired, graffiti that needs to be painted over, fences that need to be mended, playground equipment that needs to be repaired or replaced, and any other projects that are currently over whelming our civil servants.
A quick drive through Memphis would reveal the enormous backlog of these types of projects. The men and women whose job it is to complete these projects within city and county government cannot keep up. At the same time, many local landscapers, contractors, painters, etc. are struggling to find work. This could be a match made in heaven. Instead of keeping all the work in house, Memphis could contract the work out and allow businesses to bid on the projects. This bid process could be simplified from the current process by restricting the contracts to Shelby County based businesses only including minority and women owed businesses. Not only would this help stimulate the local economy and would save the city/county money in over-time pay, not to mention equipment cost, fuel cost and maintenance cost, but also magnify the effort to rid our community of blight. This in turn would help reduce crime in many areas and improve the overall health, safety and welfare of citizens.
The city, with the help from the neighborhood CDCs, various neighborhood associations and others on the front line, could inventory all of the projects that are currently stalled. The projects should be categorized by the type of work that is needed, i.e. demolition or lawn maintenance. A generic simplified bid contract for each category could be available for download. The database could be located on the city’s main webpage under the information for businesses tab. The design and implementation the system would not be hard since the city already bids out for materials and some services through the Purchasing Service Center. The bids would be restricted to Shelby County-based business only, with special favor paid to those in Memphis.
If the system were designed correctly no current city employee would lose their job. The bottom line is, there is plenty of work to go around. With the city’s current financial situation we cannot afford the cost of completing all of the pending projects completed by city employees in a timely manner. This push to clean-up blight, revitalize parks, add bike lanes and many other worthy projects have created more work for our already over-worked civil servants. We all want to make Memphis a city of choice. This could be a win-win for all.

Big Flats

2011-12-01T12:13:00.000-06:00

Van Vleet-Mansfield Drug Company was one of the leading producers of pharmaceuticals in the south. Located in the heart of downtown Memphis, Van Vleet-Mansfield was part of a large market of drug companies who resided in Bluff City. The downtown building located at Second and Gayoso was built in 1917 and still stands today. This beautiful building is no longer home to Van Vleet-Mansfield Drug Company but it is currently being retrofitted for a new use: mixed use.

In 2010 Henry Turley began working with the Van Vleet building. His company intended to help make this building the newest member in the Flats family. Consisting of Radio City Flats, Main Street Flats, The Cornerstone, and Barbaro Flats, the Flats created by Henry Turley have begun to dominate Main Street between Gayoso and Union. The addition of Van Vleet will help make Turley’s Flats dominance even more known in downtown.

Located in close proximity to the Main Street Mall, the flats provide a great location for future renters and, maybe someday, owners. The Van-Vleet Flats is going to consist of sixty loft-style apartments. The look of the place will be extremely urban. These apartments are going to contain all granite countertops, concrete floors, and exposed air ducts. Along with these apartments, there will be commercial space available on the ground floor. Some of the commercial space has been occupied for quite some time by places like the Flying Fish and Second Street Shoppers but there is room for more. This mixed use is a popular style in downtown and adds to the increasing walkability in downtown Memphis.

If you are to enter the downtown area from early morning until late night there is a good chance you will see at least a few people walking around. People who live in downtown have a unique experience compared to the rest of Memphis. They are able to walk to restaurants, bars, and shops. This saves a great deal on gas and creates an atmosphere that feels alive along with a perception of safety unmatched in adjacent zip codes.

Very recently downtown Memphis was a place not many people wished to visit. From what I understand, it was unsafe and not very inviting. The initiative to revitalize downtown has come a long way. Along with the development of several apartment and condominium buildings surrounding the Main Street Mall, there has been much development in the South Main Arts District with the establishment of such buildings as the South Bluffs. Downtown has thus transformed into a place where people want to be.

Different events are also attracting people to the downtown area. Aside from the events held at the FedEx Forum and Orpheum, there are several other happenings people can attend. The art trolley tour, which happens on the last Friday of every month, invited people into the South Main Arts district. On this tour people can browse the art galleries and various other shops and businesses along South Main. There is typically complimentary hor d'oeuvres, wine, and great art from local artists. Even the businesses participate by opening their doors and occasionally providing refreshments. Along with the trolley tour there is downtown dining week held downtown each fall. This year nice restaurants such as Chez Phillipe and Itta Bena, along with many more, offered three course meals at an affordable $20.11. This event allows people to eat meals they normally do not get to. It brings people and business to downtown.

The transformation of Van Vleet Flats from a vacant building to a new living space will be just one more great addition to downtown. It will bring more residents who are going to be patrons of businesses. Hopefully with this addition downtown can continue to grow and prosper.

How Much is Too Much: Memphis and Electrolux

2011-11-30T22:16:00.008-06:00

I know that everyone in the Memphis area or in the national business world has heard about the recent decision of Electrolux to relocate a new manufacturing plant to Memphis. The decision came of no surprise even in light of the reluctance and indecision on the part of Electrolux. The city of Memphis, Shelby County and the state of Tennessee have given the Electrolux company an unprecedented incentive package that if completed between 1999 and 2008 it would have ranked 14^th on a list of 25 of the highest economic development subsidies given to any manufacturing plant. In this economy, any kind of job creation from the private sector is considered a victory by any local and state government, but is the cost always worth the product? There have been numerous concerns raised by the media and other watchdog groups around the economic development incentives and the location of the manufacturing site. While I agree that the location is somewhat questionable, I am going to focus on the economic development incentives given to Electrolux by local and state governments, but first I need to give some background on Electrolux as a company in order to put things in prospective.

Electrolux is a Swedish based company with 86 total manufacturing locations worldwide with a questionable track record. Electrolux recently made the decision to shut down a manufacturing plant in Vastervik, Sweden. While this may seem like a typical business move, Vasterik is the hometown of Electrolux CEO Hans Straberg. He cut 500 jobs and moved them to the cheaper manufacturing and wage market in Hungary. The new model for the Electrolux Company is to search for low the lowest cost manufacturing locations. This is either a feast or a famine for the city of Memphis. In 2010, Electrolux decided to shut down a plant in L’Assomption, Quebec and relocate in Memphis. The plant in Quebec is scheduled to shut down completely by 2014, but not without cost to Electrolux. Canada was wise enough to put a contractual agreement that required Electrolux to pay back money that was spent in 2008 if certain requirements were not met. The money will be paid back to Canada in the amount of $4.7 million. Guess what? Memphis does not have this protection.

The total cost for Electrolux to relocate to Memphis and develop a green-field site is coming up to approximately $190 million, but the cost seems to be falling largely on the taxpayers of Tennessee. The state of Tennessee is projected to put in $97 million funds to Memphis and Shelby County both putting in $20 million apiece. This money came in the form of bonds that the state, city, and county issued. The cost of the bond issuance was $347,500, and the annual debt service on the bonds will be roughly $68.8 million over 25 years. Electrolux will be making up the difference of only $60 million; does not quite seem equitable to say the least.

Electrolux is also receiving tax breaks in the form of a famous Memphis Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) program that will last for fifteen years. The PILOT program gives Electrolux tax breaks in both real and personal property taxes to the tune of a 75% percent reduction in Shelby County and 90% reduction in Memphis city taxes. This will cost the city and the county a meager $33,870,858. Electrolux will take the title to the building and the land; turn the title over to the Shelby County Industrial Development Board (SIB); the SIB will then lease the property to Electrolux for no more than $1,000 annually; and Electrolux will run and operate as if they own the property, or because of the lack of protection that Memphis so wisely left out, pack up and leave. That would leave Memphis with a new modern industrial manufacturing facility that it is currently paying for with no tenant. Like I stayed early; smart move Canada.

While these considerations alone are enough to raise eyebrows, my biggest problem is with the required Economic Impact Report that the University of Tennessee was contracted to complete. I must say that this was the poorest attempt at this kind of report that I have personally ever seen. This is something that if I was the department whose name was being put on the report; I would be very embarrassed. Electrolux has stated that they will roughly employ 1,240 people within five years of the start of production and could potentially create nearly 8,000 jobs in the construction and supplier jobs combined, but the study conducted by the University of Tennessee estimated 1,500 manufacturing jobs. I’m sure they know more about the number of jobs being created than the actual employer does anyways. They, however, generated some wonderful numbers on tax revenues to the both the state and local governments. The study stated that the state and local governments would receive $7.7 and $6.5 million in tax revenues respectively every year. The state and local governments would also receive $132.5 and $95.9 million respectively in tax revenues over the life of the plant which they estimated at thirty years. While these are some great and impressive figures that they conjured up, there is a footnote in the study that causes concern. They did not account in any of these figures for the tax revenues forfeited by both governments in the form of incentives. A fairly smart 8^th grader could have generated these numbers with a good enough calculator. I do have to say that due diligence was not done here.

From my calculations at present value, the state, city, and county have given Electrolux $137 million to build the plant, given up $33.8 million in tax incentives, and a total debt service on bonds of $68.8 million. If the figures that the University of Tennessee generated are correct, the project will generate a total tax revenue to the local and state governments of $14.2 million annually. I am not a mathematical genius, but if my calculations are correct it will be almost 17 years before enough tax revenues are generated to recover what has been spent or forfeited for Electrolux to relocate to Memphis.

I realize that this has been a mostly negative outlook on the future that Electrolux will have with the city of Memphis. There could quite possibly be a large amount of good that comes from this, but, from my point of view, I feel that Memphis and the state of Tennessee are going to get the raw end of the deal sooner or later. Job creation is important in times like these, but at what cost? Electrolux had a strong reason to move to Memphis, whatever it may be. Was it necessary for tax payer money to be offered up so that Electrolux could put the money in its capital budget and treated like pocket change?

With the logistical advantage that Memphis has over a large number of cities across the country, Memphis could have dared to be a little less generous. Memphis has a strong advantage over most of the country, and I felt as if we threw it away. There needs to be more thought on behalf of the people that make these decisions. Is selling your soul or giving up millions in tax dollars worth letting someone in with no connection to the community and no contractual agreement to stay here? I guess only time will tell.

The Time is Now

2011-11-30T15:23:00.002-06:00

As a Texan, the beginning of the college football season is one of the most important events every year. I patiently wait for, what seems like, months for Texas Tech to begin its football season. Once it begins I fill every Saturday with hours of college football until January when it finally ends. I watch, in Texas, every year as communities come together through college sports. Whether it is in Lubbock, Texas where everyone cheers on the Red Raiders or in Fort Worth, Texas where those Horn Frogs of Texas Christian University hail, people in the cities come together to cheer on the home team. Now, I know Memphis is a basketball city rather than a football city but I am here to argue from a new perspective. Both of these sports are vital in putting universities on the map and universities are essential in the success of cities.

Lubbock, Texas is not the largest city in Texas, nor, is it the most fun by any means. Apart from the occasional ultra-conservative incident on the national news or Buddy Holly reference, there is not much Lubbock is known for. When I tell people I am from Lubbock, however, they often have at least heard of it because of Texas Tech and, most recently, due to the great success and controversy surrounding the former football coach, Mike Leach. Although Tech is not known for its strong academics, extremely smart and gifted kids select it for college because they are faithful fans of the Red Raiders.

Memphis has an advantage that Lubbock does not. Memphis has an extremely rich history, an even bigger musical sensation from the 1950s, and, typically, a great college basketball team. People all over the world have most likely heard of Memphis. Not all that is known about Memphis, however, is positive. The 2010 Census revealed that Memphis has the highest poverty of any city at a staggering 19.1%. Even more detrimental to the city’s image, Forbes named Memphis the second most dangerous city in America saying that out for every 100,000 residents there are 1,006 violent crimes in 2010. Along with this negative press, the University of Memphis Tiger football team has consistently been associated with being one of the lowest performing teams in a non-Bowl Championship Series conference. Is there anyone who can come to Memphis’ aid?

There is one coach who is able to make this team better. His name is Mike Leach. This former coach of Texas Tech is known for two things: being a crazy pirate and more importantly winning football games. He has been called a mad scientist because his formula for winning is both crazy and extremely effective. He is able to take teams with mediocre talent and turn them into offense power houses. A school like U of M could benefit from this because it could make them viable to move into a better quality conference like the Big 12 or South Eastern Conference.

Having a great football team will provide families in Memphis with an additional event to attend in the fall. Memphians must wait for basketball season each year. People in Memphis will call you crazy for even suggesting that Memphis can be both a football city and basketball city. What about those outsiders who are not native Memphians? If a great football team were to offer people with both pride and events could it not also invite business into the city? Businesses to city can provide jobs that would spark revitalization and all of this could happen with a simple hiring of Coach Leach.

My Opinion on Closing 3 Memphis City Schools: A Good Start

2011-11-17T16:36:00.005-06:00

The school board has suggested closing three Memphis City Schools: Graceland Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, and Georgia Avenue Elementary. These schools have consistently experienced declining enrollment. Graceland's enrollment dropped from 626 in 2002 to 372 this year and in that time Georgia's dropped from 678 to 325. Due to the poor conditions of Graceland Elementary and Georgia Elementary, it would take $8 million to bring Georgia up to code and $9.6 million for Graceland. Closing the schools though would save the city about $26 million in the first year, and $58 million in 10 years! "It's not just about closing a school to save money or to get it off our books," Superintendent Kriner Cash said. "It's really about what is the educational quality to the students in that school." Memphis Education Association President Keith Williams predicts that students affected by the school closings may be better off than they are now. "Students do not go to a school whose adequate yearly progress is lower than the school that is closing. It will be comparable or better,” Williams says.
Inevitably there will be contentious debates about the recommendation to close these schools, but the citizens and some elected officials are asking the wrong questions. The question should not be “how do we save our schools?” It should be “how do we provide an environment that helps educate our students?” What’s as disturbing as the costs for operating public schools at half capacity, mainly in neighborhoods of entrenched poverty, is that most of these are also the schools in the worst physical condition. That appalls Superintendent Cash. He said as directly as possible: The kids who are most at-risk and need our best efforts are the ones in the worst schools.
When we send students year after year to schools that cannot even meet building codes, we are sending them a message: Your city does not value you and your future. Moving these students to an environment more conducive to learning will show them the City is paying attention and we care about their future.
An underlying issue that is even more difficult to address than closing schools is the fact that too many City of Memphis facilities are in the wrong places. They weren’t once, but they are now. Densities in a number of neighborhoods have fallen by half, but public facilities are located as if we are still living in the Memphis of 40 years ago. Last October, Superintendent Cash recognized that there were 21 elementary schools with less than 75% capacity, and six of them were less than 50%. There were about 11 middle schools with capacities of less than 75% and four with less than 40%. Finally, there were about five high schools with less than 75% capacity, with two less than 50%. These schools are serving neighborhoods that are no longer densely populated by school-aged children and their families, and this inefficiency is costing the city big time. Public services are less expensive when they are serving high-density areas, and capital costs are almost 50 percent cheaper than low-density sprawl.
Because of the declining densities of many neighborhoods, city taxpayers are paying for once busy facilities that are now underused and mislocated. That’s why the option is not simply closing old facilities, but relocating them to where they are needed in light of population shifts. In the case of the three city schools suggested for closure, "They are not communities where you have young families so, the school population in those areas is down significantly," said Williams.
I suggest operating government more like a business. For business, there is a demand threshold that must be met to keep the enterprise afloat. There are a minimum number of customers that are needed to cover costs and generate a profit. If this threshold isn’t reached, businesses fail or are never opened.
Now, apply this to city services. When places have levels that are below threshold, services are not terminated. They are subsidized, because all city services are delivered to everyone. As a result, city government can’t keep up, so we have roads that are patched but not resurfaced, crumbling sidewalks, declining services, half-empty, dilapidated schools, and unfortunately the list goes on…
Back in October of 2010, Superintendent Cash’s announcement that 50 Memphis City Schools should be closed was right on target. I think closing three schools is a good start…

References:
Tealy Devereaux: Unified Board Closer to Closing 3 Schools. October 27, 2011.
Sherri Drake Silence: 3 Memphis City Schools Considered for Closure. September 19, 2011
Smart City Memphis: School Closing Prospects Hint at Bigger Problem. October 26, 2010.

It's Not the Population That's Growing

2011-11-15T16:52:00.012-06:00

The health issues in the state of Tennessee have been a growing cause of concern for policy makers across the board. Both public and private sector health care providers have seen a significant rise in food related illnesses that have put a strain on health care budgets in the state.

According to America's Health Rankings, Tennessee ranks 42 in the country in overall health rankings. In fact, the state of Tennessee has not ranked below 40th since 1990. In 2010, 32.8 percent of the population in Tennessee are obese. This percentage gives Tennessee the not so proud ranking of 48th among the 50 states. Obesity in the state of Tennessee is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 40.3 percent. In non-Hispanic whites, only 28.2 percent of the population suffers from obesity. Diabetes also varies by race and ethnicity in the state of Tennessee. 12.7 percent of non-Hispanic blacks suffer from diabetes while only 11 percent of non-Hispanic whites have diabetes.

In 2007, Forbes ranked Memphis as the most obese city in the country. Forbes contributes many of the problems with obesity and health rated illnesses to poverty rates and high frequencies of fast-food consumption. In Memphis, 24 percent of the residents live below the poverty line compared to the national average of 13 percent. Forbes considers fast-food consumption as a minor factor contributing to the obesity epidemic in Memphis. In 2007, Sandelman & Associates, a consumer tracking group, reported that the average American purchased fast food 16 days a month. Memphis, along with twelve other cities, either met or exceeded the national average in fast-food consumption.

While I’m sure that no logical person would deny the argument that Forbes made back in 2007 was irrational or wrong, did Forbes look at the correct factors that attribute to food-related illnesses. Is the issue the fact that people have an over-abundant supply of fast-food or is it more of an issue of the lack of access to healthy foods?

News One, an African-American-oriented website, ranked Memphis number 4 on its list of “America’s Worst 9 Urban Food Deserts”. What is a food desert? In the 2008 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act a food desert was defined as an “area in the United States with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such an area composed of predominantly lower income neighborhoods and communities”. The map on the right shows all of the census tracts in Memphis and Shelby County that are considered food deserts.

In 2010, a Gallop poll ranked the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) number 1 for hunger. They reported that 26 percent of the people in the Memphis MSA could not afford to buy food for their families in the last twelve months. In Shelby County, 3.16 percent of the population either has no car and no supermarket within a mile of their home. This means that almost 30,000 people have limited or no access to fresh healthy foods.

Since the issue of food access has become a hot topic as of late, the next obvious question would have to be has the public or private market made any movement towards solving the issue? Without a question, I would have to say yes. The number of farmers markets in the city has more than doubled in the past few years. There are three now in South Memphis alone, but is that enough? Farmers markets are a wonderful thing during our growing season, which in most cases last for three to four months, but what happens when the farmers markets close down for the rest of the year? The same people that the farmers markets aim to help go back to being that percentage of the population that still have limited or no access to healthy alternatives, and since the private sector is not flooding into these urban areas with pinned up demand a new creative method to reach these people is in need.

Mobile markets like those that have been created in Chicago (freshmoves.org) and Nashville (nashvillemobilemarket.org) may be an immediate solution that can reach those people that have the greatest need. These public-private partnerships that have created the innovative delivery systems may be the future for food deserts across the country. Until large chain or “mom and pop” groceries are willing to move into under-served communities, these newly designed farmers markets on wheels may be the alternative that low-income communities across Memphis need.

Growing Good in Cleveland: Lessons for Memphis

2011-11-04T09:59:00.003-05:00

Cleveland, Ohio shares a similar history with Memphis, from population loss to an abundance of vacant properties. Cleveland has lost over half of its residents since 1950 with 81, 588 making an exit between 2000 and 2010 alone. The recent spike has a lot to do with Cleveland being “one of the epicenters of the nation’s foreclosure crisis”, experiencing a “four-fold increase in foreclosures from 1995 to 2007” (Capital Institute). These factors have combined to wreak havoc upon the various neighborhoods’ landscapes, in some cases for decades. In response, a lank bank, one of the oldest in the country, was established in the 1970’s to acquire, rehab, manage, and reallocate vacant and abandoned properties for redevelopment. Today, it is widely-know for its successful role in catalyzing a “renaissance in affordable housing by helping the city’s CDC networks become some of the nation’s most productive affordable housing developers” (PolicyLink).

While holding a prestigious reputation for its overall urban revitalization, Cleveland still faces an uphill battle that includes recovering from the 2008 economic downturn, the ongoing implications of being a “weak market city”, and unimpressive data results following analyses of revitalization efforts. A report by Policylink, reviewing the revitalization process of older core cities, stated that such a daunting task requires “innovation, creativity, and commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth” (PolicyLink). There are many lessons and strategies Memphis can learn from Cleveland’s approach to revitalization, but a recent effort by one of the big names in the game specifically addresses the “inclusive and sustainable” aspects of growth the report acknowledges as being integral to the process.

The Evergreen Cooperatives is a network of worker-owned businesses that seeks not only economic development in struggling neighborhoods, but also “sustainable prosperity” by engaging workers in the profits of the companies, sitting on the company board, and participating in hiring and business strategies. It is a community-building model in its essence. “The Evergreen Model” as it has come to be called, “builds in worker ownership and control but under the umbrella of broader democraticizing and green principles. Learning from Cleveland’s legacy as a ‘steel town’, and the associated risks of such concentration, Evergreen’s goal is to build a diversified portfolio of small enterprises rather than a few large ones, thus ensuring the long-term survival of the cooperative vision” (Capital Institute).

Green City Growers is the most recent small enterprise to be launched by Evergreen Cooperatives. On 11 acres of assembled land parcels (a portion of which was a city-owned, land-banked, “light” brownfield) in the heart of Cleveland, a 4.4 acre hydroponic greenhouse and accompanying packaging house will be built to yield year-round produce. Set to harvest its first crop in the spring of 2012, the greenhouse will yield 5 million heads of lettuce and 300,000 pounds of herbs annually, employing between 30 and 40 workers year round at full operation. The marketing will initially be directed towards the local food service industry, local grocers and anchor institutions, most notably the hospitals and universities, “allowing purchasers not only to reduce their food-related carbon footprints substantially but also to purchase produce with a longer shelf life.” In addition, “Green City Growers will not only provide employment and wealth that helps stabilize our neighborhoods, but it also provides local food at a commercial scale and keeps food dollars in the local Cleveland economy” (Green City Website).

According to the Mid South Peace and Justice Center’s website, there are 6,000-7,000 unsecured vacant properties and 13,000 vacant lots in Memphis. Food production as a means of reuse has arisen in academic and municipal discussions as an option. As farmer’s markets have popped up all over town, a need for “infill farming” has emerged as many of the farmers within the economically feasible service area now have full slates. A hydroponic greenhouse provides a very effective and efficient use of the land for growing food versus a community garden that utilizes conventional farming techniques. Hydroponic systems provide stability in crop yields, protection from outdoor elements, such as weather and food snatchers, and are more environmentally friendly. They use ~70-80% less water compared to outdoor growing methods and can provide a tremendously larger yield, sometimes up to 100 times more, of vegetables per acre. With Memphis’ similar abundance of vacant land and struggling neighborhoods void of job opportunities, perhaps such a greenhouse could not only help to bring jobs to these starved areas, but also help to address food desert conditions.

Riverfront Development Corporation and The Beale Street Landing

2011-10-31T20:31:00.009-05:00

The Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create and implement a Master Plan for the development of the Memphis Riverfront which includes green space, public amenities, private development and economic opportunities developed jointly with citizens and funded through a public/private partnership (http://www.memphisriverfront.com/.) The president of the non-profit is Benny Lendermon, III who is the former Director of Public Works for the City of Memphis. RDC is responsible for the development of 5 miles of the Mississippi riverfront in downtown Memphis. They unveiled a master plan for the riverfront in 2002. Projects they have worked on include: Confederate Park Renovations, Historic Cobblestone Landing, Beale Street Landing, Promenade, Mud Island Land Use Study, and the Riverfront Master Plan.

The Riverfront Master Plan was adopted by the Memphis City Council in 2004. In an effort to understand if the Riverfront Master Plan was feasible, RDC asked the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to evaluate the plan. This evaluation is called “An Advisory Services Panel Report: Memphis Riverfront: Memphis, TN.” The evaluation from an impartial third party is crucial to the implementation of such a large scale project. One aspect that has been scratched from the master plan is a land bridge that was determined to be infeasible and the change was approved by the Memphis City Council.

The RDC are now making strides in improving the Memphis riverfront and trying to take advantage of its excellent positioning on the Mississippi River. The City of Memphis and RDC struck a deal with the Great American Steamboat Company to change its headquarters to Memphis and employ about 250 people. The deal has huge potential for economic development advances for the city and the riverfront. The company has chosen One Commerce Square for their headquarters. Great American Steamboat has purchased the American Queen from the U.S. Department of Transportation for 15.5 million dollars. The steamboat is 418 feet long and boasts 436 beds.

The City of Memphis is putting up 9 million dollars in Federal Housing and Development loan funds for the 31 million dollar project. The money will be paid back over a 10 year period via an 89 dollar docking fee, which will decrease to 15 dollars after the loan has been repaid. Private entities such as the Hyde Foundation are also putting up money for the project. The Great American Steamboat Company is spending 5 million dollars on renovations of the American Queen for her maiden voyage, which is expected to be on April 11, 2012 from the Beale Street Landing.

The Greater Memphis Chamber says the project will create 589 jobs and 89.5 million dollars’ worth of annual economic impact. The 89.5 million will come from passengers staying in hotels and shopping in Memphis since the American Queen will spend 20 percent of its time in Memphis. The steamboat project is expected to bring in an additional 1.5 million dollars in tax revenues for the city. She will also be visiting 13 other states along the Mississippi River.

The Beale Street Landing project is one that has had its ups and downs along the way but the Great American Steamboat Co. deal has been a definite advantage. The project has been affected by delays from the flooding of the Mississippi River, financing, budgeting, and project bidding concerns for the fourth phase. The project has been developed in 4 phases and scheduled to be finished in late 2012. It was originally slated for a 2008 opening but some of the factors listed above attributed to its current delay. The fourth phase should be finished in late 2012 but enough of the project will be done so the American Queen can have her maiden voyage in April.

Hopefully the riverboat will be able to have a positive impact on the city and in theory it should. Will it be able to help boost the completion of the Beale Street Landing? Will it be a catalyst for future economic development? If everything works out favorably, this could be a huge enhancement to the riverfront. The revitalization of the downtown riverfront and the acquisition of the American Queen should increase economic development in downtown as a whole. However, RDC has to figure out a way to finish the Beale Street Landing in a positive way so it can be a catalyst for future downtown development. Only time will tell if these actions by the City of Memphis and RDC will pay economic dividends.

Everyone Deserves a Second Chance?

2011-10-27T16:33:00.011-05:00

Do first-time offenders or low-level offenders deserve a second chance under the law in order to better themselves by avoiding future criminal activity, avoiding other known felons and committing to furthering their education? Should communities ailed by the problems of these crimes be given the opportunity to not only voice their concerns, but also be directly associated with measures to stop the crimes committed in their neighborhoods?

Well the City of Memphis thinks so because in 2010 the City sought to implement a program that would do just that. Along these lines, the City of Memphis in collaboration with the Memphis Police Department and other law enforcement, community agencies, churches, citizens and the United States Attorney’s Office came come together to implement a program known as Drug Market Intervention (DMI).

What exactly is the Drug Market Intervention Program? The program is defined by the United States Department of Justice as measure between the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), via the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) strategy, which supports training and technical assistance for local teams interested in implementing an open-air drug market intervention (DMI) initiative that is commonly referred to as the High Point Model. DMI addresses the challenge of effectively responding to illegal drug markets and their associated crime, violence, and disorder that has proven challenging for communities and law enforcement for decades. DMI is a strategic problem-solving initiative aimed at permanently closing down open-air drug markets. The strategy targets individual geographic drug markets using focused deterrence with transformational elements. The most violent offenders are targeted and prosecuted as examples. The strategy then targets low-level offenders and stages an intervention with families and community leaders. Law enforcement mobilizes community residents, leaders, and family members of low-level drug dealers to voice their intolerance for this criminal behavior and to create opportunity and support for the offenders. Offenders are given the option to straighten up or face lengthy prison sentences and are provided assistance in locating employment, housing, transportation, health care, and access to other social services. In the High Point Model, North Carolina Model, the strategy involved few arrests, mostly employing problem-solving approaches, and has resulted in a complete transformation of the targeted areas. The results were immediate and have been sustained for over four years. High Point’s most troubled neighborhoods have seen dramatically improved conditions and reduced drug and violent crime citywide. Most importantly, it did so in a way that addressed and repaired deep historic racial divisions in the community. The neighborhoods themselves have now taken responsibility for safety in the community.

The program in Memphis initially targeted the 38134 zip code and gained momentum after a three month undercover operation that targeted street level dealers. As a result of the undercover operation, 50 arrests were made, 5 of the offenders face federal prosecution, and 38 of the offenders have state court charges. (http://www.myfoxmemphis.com). However, 6 of the offenders were given the very rare opportunity to come and to meet with people of the community and to be given an opportunity to quit or be prosecuted because as stated previously, under the DMI program there is a “second chance” provision available to those considered low-level offenders who just might be seeking a way out of the drug life. (http://www.myfoxmemphis.com). The 6 offenders in question received hand delivered letters from the Memphis Police Department whereby 5 of the 6 eligible offenders were ordered to bring a loved one and attend a community intervention held at Springdale Baptist Church Tuesday night. Peggy Russell, Safe Streets coordinator, explained, “they were shown videos of the actual [drug] transactions and then they received a message from community residents. The community residents ask these individuals to please stop.” As a result of the program all 5 of the offenders agreed to get out of the drug life rather than do jail time and in return, they will receive help to get their lives back on track which as stated previously involves a variety of resources including locating employment, housing, transportation, health care, and access to other social services.

The program appears to be effective means in stopping future criminal activity in a number of ways. First, the government actually has to establish and be able to present a case that criminal activity is being committed in particular area. Second, an opportunity is presented to specific offenders in order to prevent future crimes from occurring. The methodology is simple and effective because regardless of the acceptance or lack of acceptance by the offender, the government still has built a case against the offender. Furthermore, it becomes in the best interest of the offender to seize the opportunity to avoid jail time and also obtain needed services. As such, the program is a win/win because either (a) the offender is taken off the streets for the crimes committed or the offender elects to become a contributing and productive citizen to the neighborhood, family, and communities that loves and support them. Either way the community benefits from the program and the government grows as it seeks to identify new and effective means in targeting and preventing crime.

Bad for Business.

2011-10-26T17:19:00.004-05:00

The focus of this piece is based on the operating cost and statistical data associated with the cost to operate a supermarket in a low-income area versus a middle-income area and if the data supports the notion of many supermarkets that it cost more to operate supermarkets that serve low-income consumers as opposed to median-income consumers.

According to a report prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), their results in fact did not support the hypothesis that it costs more to operate supermarkets that serve low-income consumers and while stores with different rates of food stamp redemption have significantly different cost structures, their overall operating costs are essentially the same. Therefore, if the poor do pay more, factors other than operating costs are likely to be the reason. As such, we shall explore these other factors in order to determine what other issues are at play in this long-debated scenario.

The article goes on to state that the issue of higher cost for low-income consumers has been researched for more than three decades and the findings have been mixed, but much of the available evidence indicates that shopping opportunities for the poor are more limited than for higher income consumers and that prices are slightly higher in stores whose patrons are chiefly low-income consumers. Furthermore, the article references research where a review of a 14 store surveys which were conducted between 1966-1996 that indicates that food prices are generally higher in smaller grocery stores than in larger supermarkets and also higher in inner city and rural locations than in suburban locations. Therefore since the poor are more likely to shop in small grocery stores and to live in inner city or rural locations, they often face higher food prices (USDA, Supermarket Characteristics and Operating Costs in Low-Income Areas, 2004).

However the premise of location, location, location can not be the only contributing factor for these higher costs and common sense yields to the belief that these supermarkets are preying on the poor and less fortunate if for no other reason than because they can; because no one is going to stop them and because this is the way it has/and will continue to be. These supermarkets view poor people as uneducated consumers in terms of knowing their rights and fighting for their equal treatment as consumers. These supermarkets understand that there is a desperate need for their existence and services. As such, the advantages and disadvantages appear to be clear-cut in terms of winners and losers.

The report goes on to cite supermarket panel data on store operating practices and that data indicates the extent to which a store has adopted new technologies and business practices that support supply chain initiatives in the food industry. Further, the human resources index measures adoption of progressive training and compensation practices. The food-handling index measures compliance with accepted practices for ensuring food safety and quality. The environmental practices index indicates the degree to which a store offers environmentally friendly products and services to its customer and uses energy-efficient practices and store waste recycling in its own operations. Finally, the quality assurance index measures adoption of objective practices for assessing customer satisfaction (USDA, Supermarket Characteristics and Operating Costs in Low-Income Areas, 2004).

In my opinion all these variables combined still fall drastically short in effectively addressing the actual question-at-hand which is simply why do supermarkets in low income areas charge more to consumers than median-income areas? I would argue that the answer will not be found in any empirical analysis or data collection effort because it does not exist.

The answer...as simply as it may be is because no one has demanded that it be any different! The consumers has not demanded that pricing be changed either by those that are directly effected(low-income consumers) or by those indirectly effected (median-income consumers). The argument for the low-income consumers probably lies somewhere between not knowing and not caring and the premise for median-income consumers is that as long as it does not effect their bottom-line, it is not their problem. However, I would argue that the mistreatment of the few can and will lead to the mistreatment of the many. As such, it is in the best interest of all income brackets, low, high, and in-between to ensure that supermarkets and businesses alike treat all consumers equally in terms of pricing and access to goods. Furthermore, it is imperative that low-income consumers ensure that the change starts with them by effectively not patronizing those establishments that insist on providing sub-standard services at astronomical prices and although it is easy to mandate that low-income consumers boycott these establishments and other income brackets band with them collectively to help their fellow man, it is also important that government, both locally and nationally do not continue to facilitate the unequal, usurious pricing of the poor. We all must strive to create a society that does not seek to strengthen the strong on the backs on the weak!

God Lends Helping Hands to Hickory Hill

2011-10-14T04:08:00.004-05:00

The 38125 and 38141 zip codes of Memphis, also known as Hickory Hill, have been characterized as declining for at least fifteen years now. Increasing crime rates, decreasing property values, and the flight of many residents and retail stores further into the suburbs have contributed significantly to the decline of Hickory Hill. According to the City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development (HCD), zip code 38141 has been identified as one of ten zip codes in Memphis with the greatest percentage of home foreclosures. Hickory Hill also ranks among the top ten zip codes for the highest percentage of homes financed with sub-prime mortgages and has been identified as an area likely to face a significant rise in the rate of home foreclosures in the near future.
The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) is a grant-funded program awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The program provides emergency assistance to state and local governments to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties that are abandoned or vacant. The NSP acquired properties must be rehabilitated for the purpose of resell, rent, or lease purchase in order to stabilize neighborhoods and control potential blight that foreclosures may cause. The State of Tennessee was awarded $49,360,421; Shelby County was awarded $2,752,708; and the City of Memphis was awarded $11,506,415. The city has selected ten zip codes based on established criteria by HUD as areas of greatest need related to foreclosures, and 38141 qualifies for assistance. This program will be administered locally by the City of Memphis HCD.
The federal and local government can provide the framework and resources to revitalize urban areas, but members of the community must be involved for the revitalization to truly be successful. The members of the community are stakeholders, and they must feel ownership, responsibility, and camaraderie for the revitalization efforts to make a significant impact. Faith-based urban revitalization initiatives can help foster the sense of community that is an integral part of true revitalization, and that is what Stacy Spencer envisions for his community.
A decade ago, Stacy Spencer set out to start a new congregation in an old church in Hickory Hill. “‘I didn't want to just come in and start another church. I wanted to do something to restore the fiber of this community. That meant meeting the needs of the people who were coming and the people who weren't leaving,” Spencer said. Over the span of a single decade, New Direction Christian Church (NDCC) has grown from 60 members to 18,000. "Our job is to make disciples, not members," Spencer said. "Members come to sit and watch. Disciples come to help and serve." The “disciples” have made many contributions to Hickory Hill over the past decade, including:
- regular Bible studies at nearby apartment complexes, community prayer vigils, and mentoring kids at various schools, including the Kirby High football team.
- the Power Center Community Development Corp. to "restore the economic, educational and social foundation of Hickory Hill through empowering initiatives designed to instill hope, pride and sense of community." One of those initiatives is the Soul Cafe, a for-profit venture that opened in a former O'Charley's restaurant next to the church.
- the Power Center Academy, a charter middle school that opened in 2008. The school, which has nearly 200 students in grades 6-8, was recently named the middle school winner in a statewide public school competition by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education.
- the formation of the church's own CDC, which helped acquire the abandoned Marina Cove apartment complex at 5505 Winchester. The church's plans to redevelop the property include a health clinic, a performing arts center and a charter high school.
- a deal for Nueva Direccion Christian Church to move into New Direction's original location at 5777 Winchester after the Hispanic congregation was robbed during a prayer service at their former location. Nueva Direccion Christian Church is now working to meet the needs of Hickory Hill's growing Hispanic population.
What Spencer is doing to revitalize Hickory Hill is something the government can rarely do- create a sense of community that comes from neighbors helping neighbors. For residents of Hickory Hill, the feeling of camaraderie that has been fostered through the church’s initiatives allows the revitalization process to stretch beyond the capacity of government assistance into a project that is successful and sustainable well into the future. "When Hickory Hill is restored, we want people to look at it and know that God did it," Spencer said.

A Creek Runs Through It

2011-10-13T14:40:00.005-05:00

The Vance neighborhood, located in the southern portion of Downtown Memphis has experienced a downward spiral populationally, economically, and ecologically. According to the Census, the two tracts that the neighborhood falls within declined by 70% from a population of 23,264 in 1940 to a population of 6,910 in 2010.

When looking at what we consider the vital statistics of a neighborhood, the Vance Area is a prime target for urban revitalization. The typical urban renewal/revitalization project treats humans as objects within a project, hence, the term “The Projects.” The typical prescriptions prescribed to these areas involve demolition and reconstruction, which is known to result in the sociocultural, economical, and physical displacement of residents of the ailing neighborhood. This fraudulent and manipulative method of revitalizing neighborhoods has never worked for the “objects” in the project. What it has done in many cases was increase the city’s tax revenue. This increase in tax revenue has been the main goal and will always be the main goal of any municipality.

In the Vance neighborhood, many of the parcels are publicly owned. This means that taxes aren’t being paid for most of the neighborhood. If the city wants to increase their tax base and the neighborhood’s residents wish to increase their quality of life, what is a possible solution that will serve the needs of both the city and the neighborhood? Bingo! A creek runs through it.

This article attempts to evaluate the possibility of restoring a creek that passes through the heart of the neighborhood. What’s amazing is that this creek connects Brown Park, located in the southeast corner of the neighborhood and Robert Church Park, located at the northwestern corner of the neighborhood. Robert Church Park is also an underutilized historical venue. The creek can end at the southern tip of Robert Church Park where a pond can be located. The pond will provide a host of recreational and relaxational options for citizens and tourists. Especially since Beale Street is a stone’s throw away.

The creek, for the most part, passes through publicly owned property; therefore the need to purchase property through eminent domain is negligent. There are two religious institutions where the creek runs through their parking lots. There are also two private residential parcels that currently have no structures on them. More than 90% of the parcel area the creek runs through is publicly owned.

The need to demolish buildings will also be unnecessary because Cleaborn Homes has already been demolished. It seems inevitable that Foote Homes will also be demolished. If it weren’t demolished, only one of the many buildings within Foote Homes would need to make room for the creek.

The benefits associated with the restoration of a creek supersede those of the typical cookie cutter pseudo-“New Urbanism” structures that are normally built in neighborhoods that have been recipients of Hope VI grants. These include, groundwater recharge, flood prevention, recreational opportunities, health, beautification, and increased property values. Although the scale is small when compared to the entire city, the creek can minimize the wear and tear on our storm water system. On a much larger scale, the creek alone can revitalize the downtown area and send a message to the entire city on how to revitalize the City of Memphis as a whole.

The maintenance of the creek will be minimal therefore achieving environmental sustainability as well as economic sustainability. Church Park and Brown Park will be connected and rebranded as a regional park instead of a neighborhood park.

The benefits associated with the restoration of the creek far outweigh the costs and can revitalize the city in a major way.

Sources:

Shelby County Assessor Data 2010

Men At Work

2011-10-13T13:56:00.004-05:00

Anyone who has driven through Frayser lately has noticed the "MEN AT WORK" signs on almost every street, and its not just for show. Its all a part of the Mayor's campaign to rid the city of blight. But this mess didn't appear last week. It has been a problem for years. For the most part, the city has allowed these problems to fester. They spread like a cancer to surrounding city blocks and before you know it whole neighborhoods are falling apart and the problems become insurmountable. Its not just Frayser. Whole communities are being left to rot. And it is usually the same sad story: the big employers left first, then incomes began to decrease, those that could leave did, major retail centers dried up, properties were abandoned, and, well you get the idea. So now the city is left with a major problem.

I am not expecting city leaders to control national economic trends. I know this same situation is happening in hundreds of neighborhoods around the country, but that doesn't mean that we can just ignore our problems here. There are trees and brush so overgrown that you can't see the vacant house behind them. The ones you can see are decorated with gang graffiti. Many of the vacant homes aren't even boarded up and they soon become crime dens. The grass is waist high. There is so much debris on the sidewalks that people have to walk in the street and there is so much yard waste and trash clogging the storm drains that even a rat couldn't get down there.

Now, as I drive through the city, I see men at work and they definitely have a lot of work to do. But why are these issues addressed so dutifully all the time? Maybe they would be if every year was an election year. If elected city leaders knew that their jobs were on the line every October they just might do something the other 11 months of the year. But inevitably inertia sets in, other issues take precedence and they forget about all the promises they made during the re-election campaigns.

Don't get me wrong, I like A.C.. I think he and many of our council members have done alot for the city. But why do we have to wait until election season to see them make good on their promises? If we had real conversations about the real issues that plague so many neighborhoods and then actually did something about them in a timely fashion, Memphis would be in a much better place than it is now.

We can't attract new businesses to come to Memphis and locate in these communities in the shape they are in now. If we don't care about our neighborhoods how can we expect someone else to? Through our actions, or lack thereof, we are showing that we really just don't care enough to do anything. But the truth is, I think most of us really do care. Its just that the problem has gotten so big and out of control that no one really knows where to start.

When our politicians are running for office they seem energized;ready and willing to tackle any problem. But once they get into office all that energy seems to slowly fizzle out, until the next election. I say no more! We should fight blight every day and if that is too big of a problem for the city to manage they should at least support the organizations who are willing to take on the task.

There are many hard working Memphians who have made it their mission to do something. Every day they get up and fight the good fight. Its not glamorous and its not pretty, but they do it anyway. The reporters don't show up asking for interviews and no one gets a fancy victory party. They just do their job and go home happy knowing that they made a tiny difference. I wish all of our local leaders could say they same thing but sadly they can not. A City in Motion? Apparently only in October.

Community Lift: A Public-Private Partnership for Revitalization

2011-10-13T11:50:00.007-05:00

Community Lift is a non-profit organization that is looking to help foster community development and revitalization in the City of Memphis. It is a newly formed organization headed by Eric Robertson who formerly for the Center City Commission and the Lemoyne-Owen College Community Development Corporation. It has a 12-person board that is constantly conducting meetings with potential investors to help sustain and growth the fund. The non-profit wants to raise money in order to loan it out for community building efforts. The efforts include: education, affordable housing, business, and social infrastructure. They will loan the money out and would get a return from interest which will go into a fund for future projects.

There are other non-profit organizations in the country like Community Lift. They include national organizations like Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Community Development Financial Institution Fund (CDFI). These are two major types of community development non-profit organizations. They assist cities by allocating money for projects to the local branch of each entity. CDFI’s operate like bank but lend out for community development, affordable housing and urban revitalization. LISC does similar work as CDFI’s. They lend money out for community development and revitalization as well. These two non-profit privately backed organizations have national pull and are very well respected. They have a long track record of positive development from years of distributing money for revitalization.

How do these two national organization stack up against the newly formed Community Lift? LISC was formed in late 1979 with a 10 million donation from various philanthropic organizations, and corporate businesses. LISC organizes corporate business, government and philanthropic support to provide local community development organizations with the capital in order to fund local revitalization efforts. It has the backing of local, state, and national governments in policy support. LISC is preparing for its 25 anniversary.

The CDFI Fund was formed in 1994 under the Reigle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 and is directed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. It was created in order to provide funds to various CDFI’s throughout the nation. The CDFI Fund invests in local CDFI’s and trains them in lending and gives them technical support. It gives out New Market Tax Credits, and it also provides incentives to banks to invest in local CDFI’s through its Bank Enterprise Award Program.

Community Lift was formally introduced in 2011 but has been working behind the scenes raising money for almost 3 years. It has raised money from various sources including the City of Memphis, the Community Fund, the Assisi Foundation, and Bank of America. It also plans to help fund local community development corporations in the Memphis area. There are so many CDC’s in the area and they are struggling with raising adequate funding in order to carry out necessary projects in their respective communities. Community Lift could loan money for certain projects to a CDC in order to help revitalize communities or assist in sustaining there viability.

Community Lift with the help of some other entities mentioned above have put together a comprehensive plan called “The Greater Memphis Neighborhood Plan: A Blueprint for Revitalization.” The plan was passed by The Memphis City Council on January 4th 2011. The plan had many contributors including: City of Memphis, Assisi Foundation, Community Foundation, Consilience Group LLC, Coalition for Livable Communities, and The Community Development Council of Greater Memphis. Community lift has been working diligently with the city, foundations, private companies and community development corporations (CDC’s).

Why did Memphis choose to form Community Lift instead of calling upon LISC or forming a CDFI? Community Lift is starting from scratch when they could have tried to join the CDFI Fund so they could start up easier. It sounds like Community Lift has strong ties with the City of Memphis, Foundations and corporations in Memphis. The intermediary may have found it easier to form Community Lift than to have worked with the Federal Government forming a local branch of LISC or a CDFI which is overseen by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Once we see projects start coming online, it may show some promise in the Memphis area.

How long will it take for Community Lift to start really making headway in the Memphis community? Is it a problem that this entity is not backed and provided assistance from national organizations that have successful model and track record? How long will it be before we start to the revitalization efforts of Community Lift come to fruition? Remember, it is a very young
organization and has a long way to go.

Building a Stronger Community

2011-10-13T03:36:00.011-05:00

What does a sense of community mean to you? Is it a physical place, one in which you live and work? Perhaps it consists of only your neighborhood. What aspects really make it a community, though? Today, many forget about the social interaction of communities and tend to focus on the physical environment. How is this lack of social aspects hurting our neighborhoods, and what can we do to make our communities stronger?

Community as defined by Merriam-Webster is “a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society.” This implies that simply living close in proximity doesn’t make a people a community, however, sharing common interests and goals does. The expression of these goals between the members of the community defines its strength, but this can’t be done without social interaction. When we look at so called communities in the city of Memphis and its suburbs, there is a large lacking of social interaction. Why? Who or what is to blame?

For decades our neighborhoods have been built with the American dream in mind; we want a nice house with a big lawn. These neighborhoods were built with one intention in mind: to create a place for people to live and sleep. A neighborhood full of nothing but housing does not promote interaction between the residents. Along with highways making it possible for people to live far away from their work, the popularity of national food chains and retail took major nodes of social interaction away from the homes. The average American spends 87 minutes behind the wheel each day. Why is this a bad thing?

Aside from being better for the environment, healthier to walk or ride a bike, and giving one more free time each day, living close to one’s work allows one to get to know members of the community better. Similar businesses usually operate close to one another, so one is more likely to live near those with common interests and goals, reinforcing the idea of what community really is. This is just one step closer to building a relationship with others. To really bring everyone together, we must figure out how to combine live, work, learn, eat, and play in the same place. This isn’t to say everything must be provided in a community so one has no reason to leave it. There will always be other reasons such as large city parks, sports facilities, museums, or any other type of entertainment. However, we should strive to provide most of these needs to build community.

Many articles cite that happiness is not affected so much by the quantity of social interaction, but more by the quality of that interaction. While someone who lives far away from their work may interact just as much throughout the day with others, the quality of that interaction may not be as strong if the relationship with those people isn’t as rich. People who live, work, and are entertained in the same area will have more common interests on which to build a relationship. General happiness is just one benefit of a stronger community. Safety is another. As relationships are built, so is trust. More interaction brings more awareness.

With this idea in mind, it is easy to plan for this type of environment for new developments. How can we change the state of our current neighborhoods, though, to encourage this type of social interaction between the residents? We must look at whose responsibility it is to build our relationships with one another. It is ours. Despite conditions working against us, we need to reach out and support our local businesses and institutions. Forming community organizations to address issues and concerns of the residents will bring people together and promote growth within our communities through volunteering and cooperating together to meet common goals. Social services such as a fire department can play a key role in building community relationship.

The city of Memphis has the tools in place to assist with community building such as the Urban Land Institute, which offers workshops to institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the general public. The city is working towards implementing bike lanes such as on Madison Avenue to bring our communities closer together, however, future planning should be done with social interaction and multiuse in mind. The stronger our communities are, the better our overall wellbeing will be, and the greater the city of Memphis will be.

Sources:

Langer, Gary. (2005, February 15) Poll: Traffic in the United States. ABCNews. Retrieved October 11, 2011 from http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Traffic/story?id=485098&page=1

Roehlkepartain, Eugene C. (2007, December) Benefits of Community-Based Service-Learning. National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Retrieved October 11, 2011 from http://www.servicelearning.org/benefits-community-based-service-learning

Urban Land Institute. (2011) Retrieved October 11, 2011 from http://memphis.uli.org/Community%20Building.aspx

Collaboration: City and University working together?

2011-10-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

Planning is all about partnerships that link common goals and visions together into a coherent plan or set of guidelines towards development of city and neighborhoods. Universities are the ones who should be bringing these partnerships together since they are some of the only places that have access to knowledge that is multidisciplinary and already “together” in a group. The group of course being the university itself. With all of the academic departments at a typical major research university there should be no question as to the ability of a university, such as University of Memphis, to act as an engine for economic as well as social growth in a city or town. Our work in the Vance Ave neighborhood is an example of university collaboration to bring about a positive change in a neighborhood torn by cyclical poverty and a drug problem that pulls the whole neighborhood down. We are working with two departments, CRP and Anthropology, and while this is a good start I often wonder, why architecture isn’t involved or why can’t economics, business, history, or geography be a part of this effort as well. Other departments like the ones listed above are needed to provide an extra point of view at the table and to bring their specific expertise to a project could have enormous impact on Memphis and the Vance Avenue neighborhood for decades to come. We as planners don’t have all of the answers and we might see a problem one way but someone from another department could see it from a different angle and provide a better solution that we could or would.

Universities in the past have been mostly places for the rich or elite to go and get an education before they went into the family business or some other enterprise and they were not places were anyone could go and try to better themselves and raise their own position in our society. Traditionally the schools have tried to distance themselves from the problems that surround their campuses like poverty, crime, drug abuse and poor access to services. This has since changed somewhat in that more schools are looking around their campus and saying that there are some issues here that need to be resolved. More and more the university is taking a more proactive role in effecting that change and I’m not so sure that their motives are as pure as they might make us think. Like any business it’s all about money and universities are no exception. While the schools themselves might be not for profit there is still an intense competition between schools for the top students, athletes and professors and this means that in order to attract the tops from those groups a school must be appealing in all aspects. Some aspects that planning and planners can affect are campus integration with the neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods themselves. These two things are really important when prospective students come to look at a university.

A family flies into Memphis and they pick up their rental car and drive to campus, the most direct route is Airways Blvd to Central Ave. Central Ave is very visually appealing to them because it has nice houses and green lawns but Airways is another matter entirely. Rundown and vacant buildings dominate the route and homeless and poverty stricken people are readily apparent and numerous. Now where planning comes in is trying to “solve” the problems of homelessness and poverty by bringing jobs and social services to the area and enforcing a building and design code that makes the area more appealing in general. In the October Issue of Planning Magazine there is an article about how universities are helping their community with its problems and issues by combining the expertise available in a university setting. Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Idaho are two of the examples they give of schools partnering with the community to improve the locale. They are applying creative solutions to community issues such as proposing a former grain silo being redeveloped into a downtown hotel. Other schools are focusing on bringing people together that have common interests and goals to breed a climate of cooperation and collaboration in an arena that hasn’t always been willing to work together and facilitate an environment that works for all citizens.

Feds Help Memphis to Combat Killer

2011-10-05T11:07:00.002-05:00

Many people living in homes built before 1978 are unaware of the potential silent killer lurking on their walls. What once made their living room sparkle now has the ability to inflict serious harm upon residents. Called, “a silent crippler,” by Mayor Wharton, lead paint is a very serious concern for those still living in houses whose walls are adorned with it. Through revitalization of these houses, this toxic paint can be eliminated and a once dangerous house can return to its proper function of being a home.

The City of Memphis has recently been awarded a three million dollar Lead Hazard Control (LHC) Grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to both evaluate and eliminate hazardous lead paint in old homes across the city. The grant allows the city to inspect and eradicate the lead paint hazard in up to 350 houses.

Lead paint is found in older homes where it was once used to help beautify the walls. It becomes hazardous when it begins to come off the walls or is turned into poisonous dust when it comes into contact with fixtures such as windows or doors. If the lead paint on the walls appears to be in good shape in might not currently be hazardous but once it starts to deteriorate it starts to become a health risk to both adults and children.

Lead Paint Abatement

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists several hazards of lead paint including harm to children and babies even before they are born as well as harm to anyone who is exposed to it. According to the EPA not all age groups are affected the same. Children are especially at risk because of their tendency to put their hands that might be covered in lead dust, in their mouths and the high absorption of lead into their bodies. Children’s brains and nervous systems are at the highest risk of lead exposure. This causes kids who have been exposed to lead poisoning to fall behind in school and maybe drop out by hindering their math or reading skills. Memphis cannot afford to have more children falling behind in school especially from a problem as preventable as lead poisoning. Part of revitalizing the city is making sure the youth can grow up to help sustain this great city one day. If a child has suffered from lead poisoning we may miss out on a young person who can help better the city.

Revitalization has many components including changing the look of an area and, not to be forgotten, updating or rehabilitating existing built structures. Environmentally speaking, leaving existing structures in tact will have a less dramatic impact. This grant is important because it will allow the City of Memphis to take proper steps in revitalizing houses that put residents, who may not be able to afford expensive remodeling, at risk of lead paint poisoning. With this grant we will be able to save houses that may have been torn down.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that the cost for examining lead paint in a home can range from twenty to fifty dollars. This cost is extremely low in comparison to the cost of a person’s health. Since the cost of testing is so low, it would be advantageous to the community if the city used part of this grant to budget for health screenings to be offered to those living in the houses found to have lead paint in them.

With the help of the LHC grant, Memphis moves one step close to eradicating lead paint from all homes in the city. Along with the environmental benefits, doing this could not only cause the value of these homes to increase, but it could potentially help out a struggling neighborhood and is that not what revitalization is all about?

Sources:

Callahan, Jody. "Memphis Awarded $3 Million Grant to Evaluate, Eliminate Lead Hazards in Old Homes." Memphis Commercial Appeal. Memphis Commercial Appeal, 20 Sept. 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. <http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/20/memphis-awarded-3-million-grant-evaluate-eliminate/>.

Gemmill, John. "HUDNo.2011-09-15." Hud.gov. United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/tennessee/news/HUDNo.2011-09-15>.

"Lead Home | Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. <http://www.epa.gov/lead/>.

"What You Should Know About Lead Based Paint in Your Home: Safety Alert." US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. <http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5054.html>.

Should Memphis Lose a Little?

2011-10-04T22:26:00.013-05:00

Sprawl is a bad word right? It has to be a dirty word. If every sustainability, downtown association, and environmental group in the world say that its bad, it most certainly is bad. City budgets are at an all time low; schools are being forced to close and consolidate; public services providers forced to downsize; commute times are up which causes increased pollutants; these are all horrible things without a question, but what caused it?

Everyone will agree that the Federal Highway Act had a hand in it. Access is half the equation, but access is only as good as the means of getting there. Enter the car. American's love their cars. I'm sure that some may not be obsessed with them as much as others, but no one will deny the fact that the ability to go has shaped a large portion of the way the land from sea to shining sea has been developed. Fuel was no issue after the great World War, and the government was willing to insure every home loan to veterans after their return. What veteran in their rational mind would not take the deal? A new home in a new suburb away from the dingy dirty city center that was the root of all evil in the modern world was the way to go. The economy was booming; people are working; life was great.

All of this segways into what most cities face today. Disinvestment, deterioration, massive budget cuts, decreased services, poverty, and unemployment are just a few of the things that most people visiting Memphis can see when they come downtown. Granted there has recently been massive amounts of federal grant money spent in the form of Hope VI and new economic tools such as the Central Business District and Payment in Lieu of Taxes programs, but why is the city of Memphis still stretch so thin?

Maybe that question can be answered by another. Why has Memphis' footprint grown larger and larger since the 1930s, but its' population relatively hasn't? Maybe it's because Memphis keeps incorporating its annexation reserves to help cover the funding gap. Makes sense doesn't it? More people paying a larger city tax means more money in the general fund right? Technically yes, but has anyone looked into how much extra money is being spent providing services to the hinter lands of Memphis? Has anyone looking into policies that would deter movement out or create a demand for increased development and density closer to the origin? Policies instituted with these types of goals in mind are bound to keep more money in the pocket book in future.

Did Detroit figure it out first? Detroit announced its plan to "right-size" the city which experts say could save it. Could a plan like this work in Memphis. While Memphis isn't on the same scale as Detroit, why should Memphis wait for a similar tragedy?Sustainability should be at the forefront of every planning offices' mind. Maybe a planned shrinkage could bring back the inner city, and possibly bring back a more vibrant and sustainable Memphis. Maybe Detroit set a new paradigm on how to handle sprawl and a waning downtown. With the creation of I-269, people with the ability are going to move farther out to areas with new developments and flashy new houses. The same story that happened for Cleveland and Detroit's inner ring suburbs will happen to those in Memphis. They will begin to fail and deteriorate just like their urban cores.

Maybe Memphis should begin to look at a "right-sizing" model like Detroit's. When is enough enough for a city that keeps growing and growing but can't take care of the poverty ridden neighborhoods that are so close to the most vital area of any city its downtown.

A Historical Community Hopes to Make a Historical Comeback

2011-10-02T15:41:00.004-05:00

The Vance Avenue neighborhood, south and east of the Fedex Forum, has seen its fair share of change throughout the years, most especially depopulation and disinvestment in the past few decades. The 38126 zip code currently experiences high poverty and crime rates, numerous vacant lots and buildings, neglect, homes and other buildings in physical decline, and high unemployment all symptomatic of an urban area experiencing blight. “Although this district once included some of the best examples of turn-of-the 20^th century architecture in Memphis, it was decimated by urban renewal efforts in the 1960s-70s. What was not torn down during urban renewal has been lost to demolition because of neglect or arson. Thus, this area has been left with a patchwork of historic buildings in a variety of states of disrepair” (Memphis Heritage).

Memphis’ boom years, around the middle of the 19^th century, propelled Beale Street, Linden Avenue and Vance Avenue into a fashionable district for the wealthy to build homes as the city rode on the back of the large cotton industry. At the turn of the 19^th century, growing popularity of the new development occurring in the streetcar-accessible Central Gardens and Annesdale Park districts began to pull residents away from Vance. In the 1920’s, the district began to shift from mostly wealthy residents to low income as the historical homes were turned into businesses and boarding houses accommodating workers for the adjacent industrial district. This early era of the area ended with the building of segregated housing projects, Lamar Terrace and Foote Homes, in the mid-1930’s-1940’s despite objections by residents. “The impact of these projects shifted the area completely from high income to low income”. Institutions, businesses, and residents that had the resources and opportunity moved East. “The area continued to decline and the urban renewal program swept through in the 1960’s created large vacant spaces along Beale Street, Linden, Pontotoc, and Union Avenues. Many of these empty tracts still exist to this day and have been added to as more houses have suffered from neglect and deterioration only to be demolished along with their past neighbors” (Memphis Heritage). The area was once listed on the National Register of historical places, but was bumped from the list due to loss of so many historical structures.

Today, the area remains in a state of disrepair. The neighborhood poverty rate is 69%, is experiencing a rising violent crime rate, and comprises a majority of children attending low-performing schools. “It so blighted that fewer than a hundred people in the area live outside of Cleaborn and Foote Homes [as of 2009]” (The Memphis News). This of course has attracted the eyes of many, resulting in multiple overlapping and compounding revitalization efforts including: the City’s Department of Housing and Urban Development Triangle Noir Plan (totaling $1 billion over 10 years), the Center City Commission and its focus on the “SoFo” area, the University of Memphis and Rhodes, as well as many other neighborhood level efforts by the local businesses, religious institutions, and social organizations.

Securing a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant of $250,000 and Hope VI funds totaling $22 million in 2010 and an additional Choice Neighborhoods Grant in 2011, a collaboration of institutions was formed to create the Vance Choice Neighborhood “to provide planning and implementation funding for neighborhood redevelopment processes” (VCN). Some of the participating organizations include the U of M and the Vance Avenue Collaborative, Memphis City Schools, MIFA, Memphis Housing Authority, and private contractors. Community meetings for the residents are being held by the Vance Avenue Collaborative in order to ensure a redevelopment outcome that reflects the wishes of the current residents. Of course, potential threats to the project linger such as gentrification, developers’ interests overriding residents’ interests, and planning/implementation fatigue. However, all involved remain cautiously optimistic about the transformation of this historically important community as this is the first time the City has been so open to a resident-driven planning process. We shall see if these new efforts of inclusion will result in a historical comeback towards a viable and vibrant community.

The Commingling of Lifestyles: Is it a Question of Race or Class?

2011-09-28T16:11:00.010-05:00

In a recent class we discussed the "phenomenon" of what boils down in my opinion to be the 21st century equivalent of voluntary segregation which in fact is the focus of this piece. Although segregation has been illegal for over hundred years, it appears that many people have decided to evoke an ideal of voluntary segregation. This ideal, while not new in our society nevertheless has the power to inspire fierce opposition and political debate from both ends of the spectrum.

On the one hand those that have acquired the financial aptitude to relocate to what that perceive to be a safer, more appealing destinations should have the ability to do so, others would argue that those that are left behind as a result of their strategical move become more disenfranchised as a result. For the sake of argument, I will attempt to address both sides of the coin and leave it to the reader to decide the right or wrong of it all.

First, the very nature of financial security tends to lead others to locations that were previously unattainable. Insomuch as those that are able to leave as a result of their new found economic status, there remain others that are not able to do so because of their equal financial inaptness as well as various other reasons which I will elaborate on later.

However, one could argue that financial stability alone is not the sole key to the proverbial door of happiness, but the end result of countless efforts, hard-work, not to mention education and the sheer determination of some individuals to succeed and to seek brighter pastures, albeit elsewhere, all while leaving behind the dark cloud of their often times unfortunate past. Therefore, the question bears attention as to why after economic security has been obtained by some, do outsiders seek to force the establishment of what "they" intended to flee in the first place. Why recreate habitats that obviously did not work?

Yet, on the other hand you have those that are left behind as a result of the migration of those like-minded and financially independent individuals. Well, as I stated previously, it is my opinion that financial freedom is not the beginning, but the end result of diligent efforts to afford the "good life." Therefore, mere accessibility to resources minus the basic drive to attain something better in life will result in fruitless attempts by many. As the old idiom states "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" is truer today than ever before.

Additionally, with the growing number of people on public assistance, there is no real incentive to do better. In fact, it can be argued that the very nature of welfare has elevated the endless cycle of perpetual 'nothingness' and is handed down from generation to generation and this cycle which also facilitates a false sense of 'rewards for doing nothing,' is actually a primary cause of the breakdown of the essential family dynamic which consists of a two-parent household.

Furthermore, as the welfare system provides benefits for single mothers as long as the father of the children does not reside in the home ensures the continuation of this chaotic situation. As such, society's message is loud and clear and those that are apart of the system ensure the cycle repeats. However, I will digress and stay on the topic-at-hand which as I give further thought appears to be more of an issue of class rather than race, but not simply class alone, but class absent the drive which would equate to the eminent failure of these commingled communities.

In conclusion, I will leave on a positive note and state that there is hope for the future and as mundane and generic as it may sound, education is the key to a more positive future and within it does lie the ability to overcome economic and social barriers that still exist today. Yet, the mind-set of all parties involved has to change in terms of willingness to be more accepting and willingness to empower others. Therefore, I ask you, where do you stand and are you wiling to accept and empower others? Time will tell!

It Doesn't Have to Be This Way

2011-03-15T01:42:00.003-05:00

As a new mother, it has come to my attention that Memphis has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country, with a baby dying every forty-three hours. With some locations being higher than others, it has been reported that babies in the city of Memphis are the most at risk population to die before their first birthday due to congenital malformations, premature birth and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, maternal complications during pregnancy or accidents and unintentional injuries. While the Tennessee Department of Health suggests that by modifying the behaviors, lifestyles, and conditions that affect birth outcomes such as smoking, substance abuse, poor nutrition, lack of prenatal care, medical problems and chronic illness are suppose to be the efforts of every community, health care provider, teenager, mother and grandmother; it is alarming to me that Memphis has demonstrated such a poor concern or comprehensiveness for quality health care and a resident’s health status. This negligence has not only emotional costs to families, but it is also very costly to communities. According to the March of Dimes Foundation, in 2009, studies reported that the average cost of premature and low birth-weight babies cost at least $49,000 for its first year of life. In contrast, a healthy full term newborn without complications cost relatively $4600 for its first year of life.
On a national level, Tennessee ranked 47th in infant mortality in 2009; third from the bottom of the worst places to raise a child. Programs like Healthy Start boast of their home visiting programs for first time parents; but it is not able to adequately address the accelerated growth of the teen pregnancy epidemic within the city of Memphis that has grown increasingly out of control, due to budget cuts and limited human resources.
As I collect more and more information about various programs across the state and locally I come to the conclusion that there is not a comprehensive effort in place. Instead of piecemeal programs, for SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), teen pregnancy prevention, domestic/ child abuse, or drugs and alcohol; programs and policy makers need to take note that there are multiple contributing factors that often occur simultaneously that cause the death of an infant less than one year of age. Without a better understanding of the complexity of the individual (maternal behaviors), environmental/community (housing and income) and systems factors (health care infrastructure and policies) the infant mortality problem that we have seems too massive to solve.
For decades Memphis has been losing its battle against infant mortality. It is time for us to stop sweeping this crisis under the political rug. Infant mortality is not just a problem for the health department to fix. It is a social problem that reflects poor efforts to recognize the deadly effects of the combined ills of poverty, pollution, crime, lack of education, access to health care and safe, affordable housing. There needs to be a cultural change. There needs to be another message portrayed by the general media and communities as a whole that says: It takes a village to raise a child. It is too often that poor mothers are the prime victims of infant mortality. Due to the urban ills aforementioned they are often too isolated and uninformed of the programs and help available to them.
Although sexual education is a taboo subject in most families; it is time that we began to educate our youth before they are of the childbearing age collectively as a community; not just in schools or health clinics. Therefore our teachings will be comprehensive and subjects like infant mortality will hopefully become more apparent and we as a community and not just isolated elected officials can come up with solutions together to save our youth, invest in our future, and prevent these unnecessary deaths.

Tiger Lane or Tiger Lame?

2011-01-12T17:23:00.004-06:00

Controversy is circling whether Tiger Lane is a waste of taxpayer’s money or will it be a viable investment for the City of Memphis. Currently, the $15 million eight acre linear greenway is the “front porch” of the Liberty Bowl near the MidSouth Fairgrounds. As a whole the perception is that this newly constructed green space will not only enhance the game experience for fans but it will also be a great gathering place. Partnering with the Kroc Center’s efforts to redevelop the Fairgrounds, the entire seventy-eight acre area will be equipped with basketball courts, a skate park, a water park, a theater and a fitness center. However, many residents think that it is futile that a patch of grass will bring economic prosperity to an area that has long lost its identity. With the closing of Liberty Land in 2006 and the Mid South Fair leaving in 2008 for Tunica, this area has been a dead spot for most. Frightened of crime, many are despondent of its location. And to compound the issue many residents are resentful of the fact that it has been suggested that Tiger Lane will help U of M’s football team gain a BCS invitation, as if the phrase “if you build it; they will come” is true.

Despite that these are high boasts that elected officials have likened Tiger Lane to Grant Park in Chicago and are hoping for it to be as rewarding as the Grove at Ole Miss, I do believe that Tiger Lane and the surrounding area can be revitalized. Although it would be helpful if the U of M had a winning football team. The start of this civic project has the basic ingredients to attract future developers to the area. Plus, it has been reported that open green space has important lifestyle benefits such as better atmospheres for learning; enhancing health and self-esteem, reducing stress and creating safer neighborhoods.

The kickoff of the adaptive reuse of the Liberty Bowl’s open green space at the Southern Heritage Classic was just the beginning of Memphis taking advantage of the tangible benefits of green space and appreciating the opportunity to improve the quality of life in an urbanized area. While many residents have expressed their discontent of Tiger Lanes’ development; I think that Memphis is headed in the right direction that will put us among those cities that are creating healthier and more sustainable communities.

What is lame about this situation is that those who complain need not focus on the fact that U of M’s football team is doing poorly or that the location of these civic redevelopment projects are supposedly not ideal; but of what is important; which is that Memphis is renowned for being one of the most unhealthy cities in America. As a community we should do everything we can to discourage sedentary lifestyles. By increasing the city’s amount of open green space, the City of Memphis is finally addressing a public health issue that can long be neglected. Although tailgating does not ring out as the top of the list for healthy outings it is still a great complement for the surrounding area of the Fairgrounds that seems to be a very promising gathering place for families to enjoy physical activities in the future.

Greater Memphis School Systems: Will Memphis City Schools become County Schools?

2010-12-16T23:12:00.004-06:00

One night driving to Urban Revitalization Planning class, the Memphis City School board was having one of its regular meetings. I was listening from the middle of the broadcast and couldn't really understand what they were talking about: special school district?, property taxes?, relinquishing the school charter?! What no Memphis City Schools?

In a recent Memphis Flyer article, the Shelby County School system threatend to become a special school district after a raise of property taxes were suggested to repay the debt to MCS the city had incurred from refusing release education funds. For Memphis and Shelby County, it's the funding formula that ties the city and county schools together but places a heavier tax burden on Memphis than the suburbs.

White flight from the urban core during the 1960s and 1970s caused a shift in school enrollment. After affluent blacks followed them to the suburbs, enrollment in Memphis City Schools fell below 10 percent years ago and is currently nearing 5 percent. Thanks in part to the consolidation debate, which underlined the tax inequity between Memphis and the suburbs and the drain of the Memphis tax base, any increase in city property taxes and/or reduction in county property taxes risks pushing us over the tipping point. On one side are the Shelby County Schools (SCS) Board of Education, who wants to make Shelby County Schools a special school district. The Memphis City Schools Board of Education is divided. Some of the MCS board members say that consolidation of the city's system into the county should be considered and investigated as a possible solution to problems.

Bickford, Bearwater and the Town of Chelsea: A Brief History of Growth and Decline in One of Memphis' Oldest Suburbs

2010-12-16T22:20:00.009-06:00

Throughout my life, I have been connected, in some way, to the Bickford-Bearwater Neighborhood of North Memphis. This neighborhood was the final destination of my ancestors on their exodus from rural Mississippi. The neighborhood is located north of Chelsea Avenue, east of the Wolf River Harbor, south of the Wolf River and west of US Hwy 51 (Thomas Street). The entire area has seen longitudinal changes. These changes can be attributed to a host of socio-economic factors; changes that have had positive and negative effects on the region, the neighborhood and the people.

Originally developed as an industrial suburb, the Town of Chelsea was established in the late 19th century. Many of the residents within the area were drawn to the industrial boom Memphis encountered during the Cotton Era. Those who worked in the cotton mills developed shanty like villages along the Wolf River, the Gayoso Bayou and the Mississippi River. As the working poor, migrants to the area were not just sharecroppers and farmers whose land could no longer be farmed. They were also Irish, Asian, Polish and Blacks that had come to the big city for a better life. The emigration to Memphis caused a swell in industrial areas’ periphery. Without money, many lived along the rivers in fishing villages and working class neighborhoods like the Pinch District, Greenlaw, Bearwater, Mollentown and New Chicago. Most of these areas hosted make-shift dwellings with no running water or hygienic facilities.

These areas were breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that traveled up the Mississippi River with the riverboats from New Orleans. These riverboats brought potential business leaders, migrants and slaves. One thing they did not inventory on the riverboat; Yellow Fever. After Memphis won its fight with Yellow Fever, the Department of Health created new policy that developed the Urban Renewal Program. The Urban Renewal Program for the city of Memphis was developed to eradicate the slum villages that had sprung up around industries along the Mississippi and Wolf Rivers. Now, many residents were remnants of the Yellow Fever Epidemic.

In 1826, the town of Chelsea was annexed by the city of Memphis and a local park was named after a prominent business man who had made his money from cotton as well. William Bickford, where half of this neighborhood gets its name, had been an advocate of open green space and parks from his experiences growing up in New England. With Urban Renewal removing most of the sub-adequate housing, many of the middle management workers within the local factories started to build wood framed bungalows that were Victorian/New England replicas of homes in the north. Those who weathered the Urban Renewal of the early 20th century found themselves with land options and new developments sprung up around the region.

As companies and industries boomed, factories and plants were spread across the area along the Wolf River. They created massive concrete structures that would employ residents of the region. The entire North Memphis area was the place where the uneducated could find employment. The area businesses included International Harvester, Firestone, Anderson-Tully, Kimberly-Clark (KTG) and several other companies that were housed in the industrial parks. In 1983, the shift from agriculture was nearly complete. International Harvester could no longer afford to run its Memphis operations. They decided to close the local facility and move its entire cotton picker and combine production business to Minnesota. One month later, Firestone Tire and Rubber closed its North Memphis operation as well. Soon all of the other business followed suit. Many of the business that remained are global businesses and household names like Kleenex and AmiPro. However, these companies have no positive input on the community, nor have they tried to develop the neighborhood of Mollentown that sits just outside of their fence.

Many neighborhoods have maintained their names over time; creating a sense of place in what appears to be the “land of the lost”. These areas defined earlier in this essay have seen economic stability and loss, political incline of community leaders and social degradation of neighborhood residents. During the early 1900s to the mid-1980s, the southwestern section of the North Memphis saw economic increase with jobs. These jobs led the working class whites to relocate outside of the area, leaving, known then as middle-class, blacks the ability to move out of surrounding dilapidated housing to more structurally sound residences. During the 1960s, many blacks within the region found themselves homeowners. They created civic clubs, addressed social issues and educated there children right inside the neighborhood. Many of the residents were still working at the neighboring factories and put their monies directly back into the neighborhood by supporting local black-owned business. The challenge then became to create sustainability once the factories had closed. Many of the black residents who had new found opportunities to better themselves outside of the neighborhood with better jobs and homes desired to move out to the suburbs with their white counterparts.

Diasporas of the urban core found remaining residents with no educated internal support or any economical way out. Many of the residents developed addictions to controlled substances. The Crack epidemic found itself rampant among black residents. Buying and selling illegal substances created income and poverty. Concentrated poverty is very evident in the area. The median household income according to the census bureau is only a little over $8000. Business began to close due to the number of robberies and thefts. The area became generally unsafe even for those who lived within its boundaries.

In the neighboring area of Greenlaw, the same exact things were happening. This neighborhood's major crime contributor was the public housing facility, Hurt Village. Many studies and movies have discussed the issues of this area and the surrounding public housing challenges. A team of economic developers decided that they would create a better living environment for the area surrounding the cities most celebrated children’s hospital, St. Jude Children’s Research Center. With pressure from St. Jude, the city of Memphis, Henry Turley and the Bells Corporation acted as the driving economic forces for the area. Hurt Village was removed with a HOPE VI grant from Housing and Urban Development. The new housing development was renamed Uptown and an overlay district was implemented for the impact zones. These impact zones include several of Uptown’s surrounding neighborhoods. With a white economic force in conjunction with government, the community members really did not stand a chance in a fight for first right of refusal to move into the new development. This local example of gentrification created new policy in dealing with communities where residents would be forced to leave behind social networks and develop new ones in unfamiliar neighborhoods.

During the removal of Hurt Village, the surrounding parcels of land were purchased, bull-dozed and new homes were built for new mixed-income residents. Those surrounding parcels that were not developed still sit empty to this day. Many of them are overgrown with weeds, dilapidated and blight has become the number one issue among residents. Many find themselves apathetic to the city’s efforts to control the issue. However, with the increase of city owned property, government and city offices are finding it difficult to fund mowing and maintaining the lots. MidSouth Peace and Justice Center issued a “blight watch” where local neighborhoods are being challenged to come up with creative ways to address the vast number of vacant lots and abandoned homes that plague our neighborhoods.

As a community organizer for the Bickford-Bearwater Neighborhood, it was my suggestion that the neighborhood team up with the Wolf River Conservancy and the neighborhood companies to apply for a Brownfield Redevelopment Grant that would address the environmental injustice that has been long ignored by the neighborhood's companies and the residents alike. By partnering with local business leaders, the community should be able to have assessments of hazards, see clean-up surrounding companies, have a job training program implemented and their neighborhood renewed. The power of partnering with the area companies would allow community members and stakeholders the opportunity to design some type of benefits agreement that would include job development and sponsor economic redevelopment throughout the region.

Revitalizing Brownfields

2010-12-16T12:11:00.002-06:00

Some areas in Memphis suffer environmental problems. These include the older areas of Memphis such as South Memphis. This neighborhood was formerly zoned allowing for industrial uses and factories built near residential areas. A lot of the land has been cleared, but hazardous materials may e in the soil, making it risky for developers to build on the land. These areas are known as brownfields. Brownfields used to be expensive to develop on because of their cleanup cost; they were also risky because of the possible liability they possess. The Environmental Protection Agency has made it easier for cities to redevelop this land and bring back these struggling neighborhoods.

What is a Brownfield?

Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Generally, they are abandoned or underused commercial property that are difficult to redevelop because of an actual or perceived contaminant. The Environmental Protection Agency has created the Brownfields Program where grants are awarded to help cities and communities assess, clean up and sustainably reuse brownfields a tool for revitalization.

The Redevelopment Phases

Brownfields are redeveloped in four phases; predevelopment, securing the deal, clean-up and development, and property management. The predevelopment determines that project and what properties will be included. During this phase, properties and environmental assessments are completed. Goals of this phase include determining the highest and best use for the properties to ensure a successful revitalization along with identifying sources of funding. Funding can come from EPA grants or private developers or organization.

Phase two, securing the deal begins once the project leaders decide what properties to acquire for clean up and redevelopment. This phase includes negotiating contract terms, securing financing and determining who will manage future liability. In this phase, the property is secured and a formal commitment to the project is made.

In the clean up phase, the soil, surface water and ground water are cleaned based on the environmental assessments from phase one. The property is generally leased shortly after construction on the project begins. Once construction is complete, the project is finished and the brownfield is formally opened as its new use.

The last phase is property management. This deals with the management of the finances for the property, physical qualities of the property, and the community relations and environmental issues.

The Condition in Dallas

In 1996, Dallas was chosen to be a Brownfields Showcase Community. West Dallas has had several environmental issues in the past. In the 1800s, West Dallas was the home of a rail line that produced super heated gases such as carbon, carbon black and un-combusted organics. The trains also left coal and coal dust, by products of fuel. In the mid 1930s, a smelter processing company was built near a residential area. This company released led particles in the air, contributing to West Dallas’ environmental problems. In 1993, West Dallas was declared as largest lead contaminated site in the United States.

In West Dallas, abandoned buildings that had been closed for up to ten years were revitalized. A multi-family housing unit was constructed, along with a restaurant and an Occupational Training Institute is in construction.

Success in other municipalities

Other cities have used the Brownfields Program as a revitalization tool to redevelop properties. Cuyahoga County in Ohio was awarded $3 million from the Clean Ohio Grant, allowing them to begin construction of a new medical center. New Orleans has cleaned and redeveloped buildings that had been vacant for over twenty years. An apartment building and retail center was created where a vacant canning company used to be, and a mixed-use complex was developed at the site of an old brewery.

These cities have shown that the EPA’s Brownfields Program is a successful tool for revitalizing industrial zoned land or areas that may have contaminants in it. The EPA is taking some of the liability off of cities while also providing rebuilding assistance through the grant program. Using these cities as models, Memphis can redevelop some its brownfields and create thriving communities that people want to live without worrying about environmental concerns.

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Photo courtesy of http://www.esri.com

A Self Fulfilling Prophecy

2010-12-15T20:13:00.000-06:00

A non-profit group named College Summit is employing a simple but intuitive agenda to send more kids to college. The group has recognized that expectations play a large role in the outcomes of children’s lives. Their understanding is that a school set up with a main goal of achieving a particular graduation rate will seek only to accomplish that, nothing more. Such a narrow focus leaves students with a similarly narrow focus: just finish school. It is apparent that many schools struggle just to achieve decent graduation rates, so it couldn’t hurt to change their focus to a better goal: send more kids to college. It seems that this change of focus can lead to better overall long-term outcomes in children’s lives. College Summit believes that when this approach is employed over the academic career of a student, the student will also make decisions with a longer timeline in consideration. The workforce in the Memphis is considered by some (or many) to be undereducated and not capable of adequately filling the needs of firms that want to consider relocating here but require workers with professional education. Perhaps if we encouraged more current students to look beyond graduation we could start an overall culture change toward a more educated population that increasingly makes decisions with the longer-term implications in mind.

This status quo of thinking long-term, and evaluating the effects of a decision beyond the immediate gratification they produce could be implemented in other areas of Memphis too. The current “branding” mission that Mayor Wharton is on that included the hiring of someone to polish the city’s image could include similar measures in the campaign. It seems that many people in the Memphis metro simply expect Memphis to fail at trying breaking through to become a “city of choice”. This mentality seems to be a self fulfilling prophecy: we make short term decisions without much regard for what might happen twenty years down the road. Also, negative attitudes spread, often more easily than positive ones. A more positive attitude that is built on real possibilities, and that negates opinions that are spread by a subjective media, could help those living in the city and the suburbs realize the potential of our city. Perhaps part of polishing the image of Memphis can be to definitively outline the potential for Memphis that could result if we get on the right track today. This "visioning" could be a powerful tool in changing attitudes about Memphis and therefore outcomes.

The Heritage Talks

2010-12-14T20:44:00.000-06:00

“These old buildings do not belong to us only…they have belonged to our forefathers and they will belong to our descendants unless we play them false. They are not…our property, to do as we like with.” - William Morris 1889.

Sacred buildings play an essential role in their community. They define our neighborhood history, are an important source of our artistic patrimony and provide critical space for many local social services, in addition to their religious impacts. Yet these historic buildings are increasingly susceptible to decline, loss and change. The Issue is about the Methodist church being demolished to occupy a drug store. Memphis City Council approved a CVS drug store at Union Ave and Cooper St. It would mean the demolition of the Methodist church which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The council also approved an amendment calling on the developers of the store to get as close as they can in their plans to requirements of the advisory Midtown overlay. The two exceptions to that are not allowing a drive through window for the pharmacy and how far from the street the building can be. The zoning plan has not yet been adopted by the council.

Historic buildings are irreplaceable, and contain information about the past that is available from no other source. The Methodist church was built in 1923. The 10- 2 decisions at a meeting on 24th of August rejected the earlier verdict by the city's Office of Planning and Development, as well as its Land Use Control Board said the preservationnation magazine on 3^rd of September. This was opposed by the preservation non-profit, Memphis Heritage. The Preservation groups say the project not only destroys a piece of Memphis history, but also goes against an agreement that a major national drugstore chains, including CVS, made in 2000 with the National Trust for Historic Preservation not to demolish any National Register-listed buildings to make way for new stores. It was also opposed by the Methodist church officials, the several Midtown neighbourhood groups and Playhouse on the Square, which occupies another corner at Union and Cooper.

The Union Avenue church's cantilevered center porticos, Ionic columns of limestone, and arched windows were the work of local architects like John Gaisford, who designed the church's education building in 1914 and Hubert Thomas McGhee, who was hired to create the sanctuary in 1921. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. At the time of its zenith in around mid-1950s, the church had about 3,000 members. In addition to maintaining a pulsating Sunday School and music program, Union Avenue United Methodist believed in ministering to the local community and to the world.

The building's smooth red brick and Bedford stone trim exhibited power and affection. Its copper faced dome and ornamental lantern gave a exclusive top to the structure. The church remains one of the most notable examples of classical revival architecture in Memphis.

The CVS developer argues that the demolition of the church and construction of a drug store in that area would bring in employment opportunities. But isn’t this a prediction of just few more months and not in terms of broader vision into the future of the neighbourhood? The opening of a drug store would close down other one or two drug stores on the Union and thus considerable amount of jobs would be lost.

The Memphis City Council has voted to approve the sale, although a local judge will hear a final legal challenge on Dec. 16. They should definitely reconsider their decision to abandon this historic landmark. Since, most importantly, the building contributes to the authentic character of Memphis. It remains one of the few structures that still stand from the early 20th century history of Union Avenue.

Data Courtesy: The Memphis heritage Foundation

Image Courtesy: www.trinitymemphis.org

The Broad Urban Makeover

2010-12-14T20:38:00.000-06:00

Collaborating with the Liveable Memphis foundation, the Historic Broad Business Association had a two day long event on the Broad Avenue. Volunteers painted the street, added crosswalks and protected bike lanes to make it more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. Vacant buildings were cleaned and repainted and were filled with pop-up shops and restaurants. With support from Liveable Memphis, the Hyde Family Foundation, the Binghamton Development Council, the Memphis Regional Design Center and the city of Memphis, the Historic Broad Avenue Business Association formed a community-based association to plan a facelift for Broad Avenue. The organizers approximated that roughly 13,000 people came there over the course of the weekend. The event gave a new Face to the Broad Street. Though it was meant to be a temporary event, it gave an insight to what could be done of the run-down neighbourhoods of the city. This was possible without much of financial investment. It's an attempt to show how neighborhood business districts can be made comfortable, human and real again.

Originally it was a suburban community on the rail line between Memphis and Raleigh, Binghamton. The neighborhood was annexed in 1919 by Memphis. At one time, Broad Avenue boasted three grocery stores, three dry goods stores, three doctors, a dentist, a lawyer's office, shoe repair shop, several restaurants and a barber shop along with other businesses catering to the neighborhood. In the early 1900s, Broad Avenue had the character of the main street to the surrounding neighborhood, with a barbershop, a bank, and a dry-goods store (www.commercialappeal.com). Today it is home to a growing arts district that includes art galleries, numerous artist studios, and various related businesses. In more recent times, nonetheless, the street has been home to bare storefronts and biker gangs before transitioning to today’s budding arts district. A few years ago, the neighborhood business association began hosting quarterly “art walks”.

So what made this event on the broad Avenue seems like a festive event which amazed many and gave a clear idea of how this neighbourhood can be dealt with in the future? Most important issues which were taken care of was, bringing business and life into the area. All of the vacant buildings along the street were opened and filled with retail shops, restaurants and activities from the Memphis community. Retail venues joining the Broad Avenue family of businesses for the event included: Outdoors Inc., Revolutions, and Brighton Pavilion, including a florist and an array of jewellery shops. New facades were created for the buildings that were currently closed off, thus creating an atmosphere of energy and openness. Murals were lined at the street and provided a location for emerging artists to come paint during the event. Bike lanes and green scape was repainted and planted for the event on the Broad Avenue. There was special kid’s zone with skating ramps.

It’s not the first time that Broad Avenue has served as an urban experiment. In early 2006, the Office of Planning and Development held a design meeting in what is now T Clifton Gallery to learn what all did the residents wanted to see in their neighborhood. Ultimately, however, Planning and Development was using the Broad Avenue corridor as its test case for the new Unified Development Code, passed recently by both the Shelby County Commission and the Memphis City Council (source: the memphisflyer).

There was a similar event held in Dallas in the month of March of this year. An event called “The Better Block Project” in which a Dallas suburb took one block and altered it into an entire street with outdoor seating, bikes lanes, and parking. A car-centric four lane street with poor zoning and restrictive development ordinances was converted into a people-friendly neighborhood block. This example gives a very good live caste to study of what can be done of the rundown neighbourhoods of the city. The Broad Avenue experiment was indeed something which could be made into an undying hub for the area. Architecture and Urban Design when manipulated and re-developed with time, gives an opportunity of new life to a place. Since, there is a possibility of it being made into a permanent set up with the bike lanes and the open galleries; it would have an opportunity of attracting tourists in the city. Like the Broad Avenue, this city has other Art districts which have a potential of reconnecting and reinvigorating bustling inner-city community through creation of a vibrant, attractive arts destination in the heart of the city.

Data Courtesy: The Liveable Memphis Foundation, broadavearts.com.

Image Courtesy: The memphisflyer.com.

Bringing JFK to Memphis

2010-12-07T08:56:00.005-06:00

“The city and its suburbs are interdependent parts of a single community, bound together by the web of transportation and other public facilities and by common economic interests. Bold programs in individual jurisdictions are no longer enough. Increasingly, community development must be a cooperative venture toward the common goals of the metropolitan region as a whole. This requires the establishment of an effective and comprehensive planning process in each metropolitan area embracing all major activities, both public and private, which shape the community.” -John F. Kennedy, 1961

The call for regionalism is nothing new, as the date of the quote indicates, but when will we finally move forward and start thinking on the regional level? Many cities across the US are experiencing difficulties managing the balance of residents, businesses, and investments that is needed to be considered healthy and resilient. The reasons why the Memphis metro has fallen behind peer cities in terms of competitiveness could be attributed to many things, but one underlying theme that influences many overall outcomes is the lack of coordinated efforts among the many municipalities and governing bodies in the area. The lack of a regionally-integrated approach to topics such as housing, land use, and economic development results in competition between local municipalities that has detrimental effects within our region. One of the greatest issues is social and economic polarization that amplifies the divide between the city and its suburbs. When these impacts are viewed from the national level, the missed opportunities that transpire seem increasingly foolish. Other economies across the world are taking steps to competitively position themselves in a global market while we squander efforts on intra-regional competition.

Obviously, an understanding must be reached between central cities and their surrounding municipalities concerning the interdependence of the urban and rural areas. The residents of suburban development generally have a notion that the problems of the central city will never invade their space. In reality, the competition that exists between municipalities within a region has the effect of situating suburban communities with the same risks as the central city as continued development moves further out (Orfield, 1997, 7). Robert Fishman found that diminishing the incentive for competition by employing a concerted effort at regional planning has the potential to strengthen the existing regional core and prevent continued peripheral development (2000, 118). Again, many stagnant metros such as Memphis are not seeing significant growth and rather, they have a redistribution of resources within the region that moves resources further and further away from the central city. Myron Orfield was one of the first to be able to effectively document AND convey the message that if suburban areas do not adopt a regional agenda, they too will eventually become susceptible to the problems found in the urban core (1997, 7). The result of his efforts is the regionally integrated Twin Cities of Minnesota.

Now that you are increasingly concerned about the fate of our area, let us see if there is any hope….There is!!! The current presidential administration and forward-thinking senators have similarly taken notice of the perils of unmitigated development and are increasingly steering grant opportunities toward recipients that can demonstrate regionally-focused, collaborative efforts in sustainable community development. For any planning program to be considered successful it must sustainably balance equity, economic, environmental, and livability principles. To achieve this at the regional level, all entities involved must recognize that the region functions as a single unit and that collaboration yields the greatest result. The Memphis metro has only engaged in formal regional planning at a very low level thus far. Now is the time to step back from our self-serving local community interests and view our metropolitan issues as an inter-related whole. HUD Sustainable Communities grants (we missed the first one but there is another round coming) and EDA economic development grants offer huge reward to communities that are ready to realign their thinking. Also keep an eye on the Livable Communities Act that could provide $3.75 billion in competitive grants for communities that demonstrate dedication to sustainable, regionally-focused planning efforts. The only question left is whether or not our metro area is ready to move forward and cooperate…

Fishman, Robert. (2000). “The Death and Life of American Regional Planning”. Reflections on Regionalism Bruce Katz, (Ed.). Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press.

Orfield, M. (January 01, 1997). METROPOLITICS. The Brookings Review, 15, 1, 6-9.

Sprawling Mess

2010-12-02T17:32:00.000-06:00

In the 1950s and ‘60s, the “next big thing” was urban renewal. In the 1970s and ‘80s it was environmentalism. In the 1990s and early 2000s, it was smart growth. And today? Consider sprawl renovation: retrofitting abandoned chain stores, dead malls, disconnected apartment complexes, and segregated housing shells. Historically, if the 19^th century was the century of rapid city growth and the 20^th century was one marked by rapid suburban expansion, then the 21^st century could be the time to correct our mistakes of the past.

Sprawl negatively affects us by diminishing our greenspace, clean air and water supply locally. Sprawl also robs us of our most precious resource…time, and therefore diminishes our society. This time could be spent bonding with one’s family, pursuing hobbies or engaging in civic activities. Overall, sprawl repair is driven by failing malls (Hickory Ridge Mall, the remains of the Mall of Memphis, Raleigh Springs Mall, Southbrook Mall), widespread housing foreclosures (Hickory Hill & Frayser neighborhoods), and the need to boost new forms of investment. In different types of sprawl repair, failed malls are converted to main streets, McMansions become apartment buildings, and big box like stores are envisioned as agricultural land.

Planners are used to suburban makeovers—what we used to call revitalization and renewal. Planners have been working on sprawl repair for decades, putting forth major efforts to create walkable, mixed use, sustainable neighborhoods in the city as well as the suburbs. The difference now is the severity of the problem. Over time we have developed a pattern of wide arterials, separation of uses, huge parking lots, and complete car dependency.

Sound familiar? Memphis is a very car dependent city. Sustainability is a method required, but it will take something else as well and that is behavioral change. According to walkscore.com, Memphis averages out to be only 46% walkable. That change means accepting the loss of automotive freedom and making walking the main mode of travel, being able to live more efficiently, and tolerating way more social diversity and varied land uses. Ultimately, true sprawl repair will require macro level changes, with new financial means and new government policies, but there are certain things we can do to motivate sprawl repair—one must create a strategic plan.

Up the River Without A Paddle?

2010-12-02T02:37:00.000-06:00

As crews poured concrete and massive rigs bore deep into the rain-softened ground, Riverfront Development Corp. board members tour the construction site of a project that may never be finished. Beale Street Landing is part of the Memphis Riverfront Master Plan approved by the Memphis City Council in 2002 that addressed a set of varied and visionary goals such as creating a unique public space and destination at the end of historic Beale Street, provide safe and inviting pedestrian access to the water’s edge…oh and function as a world-class docking facility of course.

Work on Beale Street Landing is progressing rapidly, and by the end of next year, the basic components of the landing, including a floating boat dock with a helical ramp and a grass-covered building for ticketing, retail and restaurant operations, should be completed. But the specially designed terraced park that was to be the signature feature of the project remains unfunded-- with no prospects for money on the immediate horizon. Isn’t the park the most important feature of any waterfront development? Apparently the funding problem arose after the project's costs increased from $27.4 million to more than $35 million as a result of delays and other factors, while the federal grants allocated to help pay for it shriveled. As a result, the RDC (Riverfront Development Corp.) is about $6.7 million short of the total needed to finish the project that is to be the centerpiece of the city's waterfront along the Mississippi River.

Whether a waterfront park enhances a city’s economic development or strengthens its sustainability goals, or both, its presence can boost a city’s image, in which we know…Memphis is long overdue for a makeover. The newest waterfront developments devote substantial homes to parks, greenways, and trails. They push for public access and emphasize the water for its own sake. Parks on the water make a city more competitive with other cities because of the access, recreation, and beauty they offer. They become a fundamental demonstration of how enjoyable the city can really be. Parks also add a sense of safety and activity along the water’s edge.

Another $6.7 million is needed to finish the project, and it's the job of the nonprofit Riverfront Development Corp. to remain in hot pursuit of the money from private as well as public, hopefully more private and less public, because taxpayers rarely see their tax dollars put to good use plus the current state of the economy foreshadows any positive perspectives. Other resources can come from charitable contributions and philanthropic groups. The Mississippi was the focal point for much of this city's cultural life in past times. There’s no reason why this city can’t thrive again off such a natural wonder. Memphis needs this…there is a desire to reunite the city with the river.

Get on Board!

2010-12-02T01:46:00.005-06:00

Vacant boarded up homes are eyesores within a community that invite vandals, vagrants as well as crime and other unwelcomed nuisances. Since this summer, Memphis’ urban core accounts for 6,000 to 7,000 unsecured vacant properties. Along with being homes to squatters and various illegal activities, over grown yards, missing windows, large pile s of debris and appliances strewn about the area not only lower property values; but usually these properties have a tendency to catch fire. During a summit last summer on foreclosures, the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center reported that fires in vacant properties cost the city $3.5 million in 2008 alone. The center also calculates that it only costs $600 to board up a vacant home as opposed to nearly $17, 500 spent for each fire. As a result, the cost of board- up has the potential to save the city $16,900 per prevented fire. Although it will not be a solution to the vacant abandon property crisis; efforts to increase board-up projects is one immediate remedy.

Currently, with the assistance of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center, Mayor Wharton and various concerned civic leaders, such as attorney-at-law, Steve Barlow, political and grassroots actions are being taken in efforts to relieve communities of these problems. For example, Mayor Wharton marked his first year in office last October by filing 135 lawsuits against owners of blighted and neglected properties under the Neighborhood Preservation Act. Within this act property owners have to be cited for three or more separate violations of local building and construction codes and are fined for not having complied with specific building and construction codes or property standards within a one-year period. Another source of relieve is the Issues First-People’s Agenda, which is a campaign that seeks to reduce blight, increase affordable housing, reform code enforcements amongst other interests that promote a higher quality of life and public health.

Communities across the country that are battling the problems that arise from urban blight, such as Cleveland, Ohio, Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, and Albany, New York are getting crafty. They are starting pilot projects to artistically board up vacant properties. Instead of tacking the usual unsightly drab plywood to vacant properties, residents and local community leaders are organizing teenagers and other community members to paint windows, doors, or murals on plywood in order to blend unattractive vacant houses into the neighborhood. These activities enact community engagement and in most cases it is a push for legislative changes that assist in the removal of trespassing issues that accompany community groups when they enter vacant properties to conduct board or clean-up efforts. These legislative changes are also for the purpose of filing liens against property owners for reimbursement of expenses to the community; as well as requiring vacant properties to be secured with painted (usually dark gray), well-fitted plywood of adequate thickness.

Artistic board-up projects are not only cost effective; but they also turn vacant homes that were once eyesores to the community into eye-candy for everyone to be proud of and enjoy. It promotes a community to feel like they are making a difference. Although it has not been proven that the artistic board-up projects stop break-ins or fires from happing completely; cities that have used them have reported that they do lower vandalism, increase the probability of sales, and help to beautify the neighborhood. While provisions for legislation in the city of Memphis could be tougher on neglected property owners, advocates like, attorney Steve Barlow are using the Neighborhood Preservation Act as a weapon to enforce property owners to clean up public nuisances. I believe that Memphis should get on board and adopt more artistic board-up efforts. Mixed with increased civic engagement vandals, vagrants, squatters, and neglectful property owners will finally get the message that community members are serious about keeping their neighborhoods safe, beautiful and free of derelict behavior.

Memphis, America's Aerotropolis?

2010-11-30T13:41:00.002-06:00

The City of Memphis has the advantage of being extremely accessible in relation to the rest of the nation. Because of this, the City has been known as “America’s Distribution Center” for nearly thirty years. Major distribution centers such as Federal Express and the United Parcel Service (UPS) are located in the city. According to the Greatest Memphis Chamber, Memphis boasts the busiest trucking corridor in the United States, Interstate 40. The City has the busiest air cargo airport, and is home to five Class I railroads. The Mississippi River port of Memphis is the fourth largest inland port in the U.S. Roughly 11.6 percent of the City’s workforce is employed in transportation, warehousing and utilities. Those facts show that transportation, warehousing and distribution are major markets of Memphis.

Because of this, Memphis wants to brand itself as America’s Aerotropolis. An Aerotropolis is “a city or an economic hub that A city or an economic hub that extends out from a large airport into a surrounding area that consists mostly of distribution centers, office buildings, light manufacturing firms, convention centers, and hotels, all linked to the airport via roads, expressways, and rail lines”. The City wants to use this branding to attract businesses and create jobs, among other things.

Guangzhou, China and Dubai are building their cities around airports to increase their economies, trade and tourism. Every Aerotropolis has turned the airport into the economic engine for that city and Memphis is in a position to do the same. According to Allan of the Daily News, Memphis wants to connect its other modes of transportation, roads, rail, and river to increase our economies efficiencies.

I can see the validity of branding the City as an Aerotropolis and trying to streamline transportation within the City and extending it to our regional neighbors. However, I’m not so sure we want to build the City on this single phenomenon. Memphis already provides major transportation of goods to North America. I think Memphis should not ignore its transportation and warehousing market, but the City should look for other growth industries to build its economy.

If Memphis’ economy is tied up in one or two industries, when those industries struggle, the City will feel the pressure. Additionally, there is nothing wrong with transportation and warehousing, but Memphis should want a diverse workforce. The Aerotropolis brand will only attract a certain type of businesses and labor force. Memphis should look into attracting a more creative class or industry so that Memphis has a diversified economy.

With the nation’s lagging economy, talk of a “booming” Memphis becomes exciting and hopeful. Capitalizing on Memphis’ Aerotropolis-like transportation system seems like a good idea to increase jobs and attract new businesses. We however, must look beyond the now and decide if we want to be known as the transportation capital of the world, or something much better; I vote for better.

Hope for HOPE VI? (re-post)

2010-11-22T22:34:00.000-06:00

How excited would you be to discover that your dilapidated housing community will now be transformed into a beautiful and dynamic apartment complex? A ceremony at Legends Park on Sept. 30 was both a grand opening and part of a grand design. This site of the former Dixie Homes public housing project is another achievement of Hope VI. The federal program has now replaced five troubled public housing areas in Memphis with mixed-income communities, detailed architecture, vibrant landscaping and several amenities (including a washer/dryer in almost every unit).

Legends Park is bounded by Poplar Avenue on the south, Ayers Street on the west, I-40 on the north and Decatur Street on the east. In 2005 the Memphis Housing Authority was awarded $20 million in federal HOPE VI funding for the project. The creation of Legends Park is taking place in conjunction with a $235 million expansion at nearby Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, which includes the tearing down of the Memphis Mental Health Center and formation of a new bed tower on the site at the corner of Poplar and Manassas.

Hope VI is a major HUD plan meant to revitalize the worst public housing projects into mixed-income developments. Its philosophy is predominantly based on New Urbanism and the concept of defensible space, which is the method of influencing negative social behavior through architectural and urban design. The program began in 1992, with formal recognition in law in 1998. As of 2005, the program had distributed $5.8 billion through 446 federal block grants to cities for the developments, with the highest individual grant being $50 million. HOPE VI has included a variety of grant programs including: Revitalization, Demolition, Main Street, and Planning grant programs. As of June 1, 2010 there have been 254 HOPE VI Revitalization grants awarded to 132 housing authorities since 1993, totaling more than $6.1 billion.

The apparent problem that has occurred is the displacement of former residents of the previous public housing projects in Memphis that have been awarded block grants. The Hope VI displacement has been slowly occurring in nearly all-major cities as well. The public/private Hope VI developments are much nicer in appearance and amenities, but offer a small fraction of the public-housing apartments of the old units they replace. Efforts to ensure that these new developments are mixed-income have raised concerns about whether families at the lowest end of the income scale will have access to these units. According to planners, Hope VI doesn't solve the critical housing problems of the very poor; it worsens them by making fewer units accessible.

The term “affordable” is used very freely; it can sometimes soar as high as 60 or 70 percent of the area median income. Hope VI is still displacing more families than there are new units being built, the remaining families will be given Section 8 vouchers, and the rest will be placed in other existing public housing units. So what do we say to the families in Memphis that had high hopes for modern housing? Oops sorry? No. Look them in the eye and explain to them why their hopes and prayers weren’t answered. As planners, our job is to establish ourselves as “the voice of the people,” connecting communities with the proper resources and organizations.

Hope VI is a great program, but while we were in awe of watching bulldozers and cranes being hoisted in the air, we failed to realize how many families we were releasing back out into poverty. They do not deserve such separation from the rest of society. There are additional federal programs that help support low-income families and neighborhoods, and we must stress to them the importance of a healthy standard of living. There are many options available, but none can even be considered until community leaders and members maximize these opportunities.

The Soul of Memphis

2010-11-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

If it’s Memphis, it’s about music!

The city’s owes a lot to music and its musicians. In September of 2007, the Commercial Appeal asked readers ‘what is Memphis’ single greatest asset?’ A remarkable majority of the responses said its music and art. Music is the city’s most identifiable home-grown channel for creativity and Soulsville neighbourhood is the home to the popular Memphis Soul Music.

The Soulsville neighbourhood got its name from the marquee of the Stax recording studio, which displayed “SOULSVILLE USA” in response to Motown’s “Hitsville, USA” sign. The music at Stax recording studio was a result of group of people coming together in the evenings and circumstances which favoured people gathering for music, singing and recording their songs at the Satellite record shop. A music genre which has its roots in the early gospel music and country blues grew in the United States in the late 1950s. Stax Recording studio shaped an awe-inspiring music industry in the 1960s.The Soulsville Neighbourhood saw an economic and cultural growth through these years. The musicians lived in the neighbourhood and had the greatest opportunities of diverse musicians coming together at Stax. The Stax boomed in the 60s which along with cultural ethics brought economic development to the city as whole. The production of music at Stax not only infused strong music values but helped people of all races come together to create music. But Stax went bankrupt early 70s and it had to be shut down. Also, assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968,and the suburban sprawl phenomenon in mid 70’s which left American inner cities in shadows, left Soulsville in a waning condition.

After the 1970s Soulsville decline saw major changes in its music culture along with unemployment and poverty. Before the decline Memphis was amongst the top music recording centres in the world. The closing of Stax shut down the Memphis Soul. Poverty increased with an increase in crime rates. All these factors contributed to the decline of neighbourhood. Soulsville thus got an image if one of the poorest neighbourhood with highest rate of unemployment and crime in the city. It lost its ideals of music and culture with the civil rights movement and closing of Stax. There was a need to look into this rundown neighbourhood and rebuild, refurbish the city’s ethics. Memphians did propose to rebuild the Stax Studio as a museum again. Stax museum was built in 2005 as an exact replica of the Stax recording studio at the same spot. A visit to the Stax gives a deep insight of city’s rich music heritage. The Stax Music Academy at the adjacent plot takes classes on music. The rebuilding of Stax is helping the present day poor conditions in the neighbourhood. Still, many plots remain vacant and structures to be revitalised.

The Memphis Music Magnet organization has taken initiative to revitalize some areas. The Memphis Music magnet group originated in the Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning at the University of Memphis among a group of students and faculty exploring the relationship between creativity, culture, and community development. They are also giving incentives for home ownerships and have housing programs for musicians who would like to stay in Soulsville. Memphis Housing authority developed the college park which was once a low-income torn down area into a Hope VI project which focuses on mixed income housing group.

There is a substantial potential of looking into the Music industry in Memphis to take a rebirth and celebrate its heritage with present day musicians. There is a chance of revitalising not only the physical aspects in the neighbourhood, but gives a huge opportunity for creative economy. Also, it is important to connect other neighbourhoods with Soulsville and create gateways which attract musicians to display and discover their talents here. Not as much is known to Memphians about their rich heritage. This calls for active participants from student bodies, musicians, music organisations to inculcate awareness and interests for soul music. There should be strong belief that this can change the state of the neighbourhood and the city as a whole. It is important to look into abandoned houses, warehouses which give an opportunity to reuse those spaces in the city as keys to attract people to the neighbourhood. One of the important aspects about the Soulsville neighbourhood is its location. It is not more than 1.5mile from downtown. It is in close proximity to the job areas, National Museum and civil right icons, sports and entertainment district.

It just needs the right soul again to be the neighbourhood it was in its 50’s.With today’s technology in the music industry, along with the musicians from around the city can contribute to make Memphis what it was!!

Data courtesy: The Memphis Music Magnet foundation.

Reality TV Fixes All Problems

2010-11-05T16:24:00.004-05:00

Many people in the Memphis area are sheltered from the realities of the city’s failing school system while others are forced to cope with it. The plight of the Memphis City Schools plays out every day as underperforming facilities serve swaths of students that are not receiving the educational environment they deserve. These students should be recognized as a currently untapped source of long term positive social change for our city.

Can educating the public about this problem in a unique way finally lead to better understanding and possibly a shift in thinking about this problem? If so, how could we bring this issue to the limelight and stop letting it be effectively ignored by the masses? Obviously, the answer is reality TV! A new reality TV series titled “School Pride” recently started. The show aims to unite communities to renovate aging school buildings that brings a resulting boost in local confidence and pride. A quick look at the commentary on a few websites reveals that students, parents, and faculty are all clamoring for a chance to be on the show- and their focus is much less on being in front of a camera and much more focused on helping out their community. I think it could actually be an encouraging endeavor if it came to Memphis to work in one of our schools but, unfortunately, we aren’t on the list for this season.

Reality TV probably is not a truly useful solution to many problems, if any, but we could take a lesson from this: given the opportunity and the right coordination, people want to make a difference in their community- especially when it concerns education and youth. Social service marketing campaigns reach out to find those who have a specific need for their efforts, but how do we reach out to citizens that are not in need but are still profoundly affected by the problems of the city? Residents may not realize how they are ultimately affected by a poor school system and the ways an undereducated community can lead the entire city to miss out on economic opportunities. If we can thoroughly expose our current public education problem to the masses AND effectively tie their success to the future health of our city then changes in perceptions and in policies may become possible. City and county consolidation may be a lousy bet, but with the proper marketing to our general public we could at least set the record straight about the discrepancies in quality of education between the urban and rural areas. Perhaps then we could begin engaged discussions of how bettering a problem in Memphis could benefit the region as a whole.

Where's HOPE?

2010-10-04T02:50:00.002-05:00

During the past 15 years, the city of Memphis has undergone some significant changes in its public housing. In 1993, HOPE VI was created as a way the federal government could address those housing units that were severely distressed. The main objective was to make physical improvements to the sub-standard buildings, restructure the existing management and address the social and community needs of residents. At some sites, a complete demolition was deemed necessary to reinvent the neighborhood. The consensus has been that Housing and Urban Development (HUD) uprooted entire communities by relocating residents during the demolition. Residents were given the option to receive Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) or move to Section 8 Project-Based facilities. Most of the project-based sites were not within the same neighborhood of the HOPE VI developments. Many of the neighbors and some families were forced to move to separate sites.

There have been various challenges to HOPE VI. The overall gentrification of low income housing caused disruptions on several levels and within different neighborhoods. All of the residents have the option to make application to return to the new and improved sites. Many of the residents either do not qualify for HOPE or the reduced numbers of low income units are unavailable. This is true to all HOPE VI developments throughout the country. The numbers of available units dwindle to less than 10 percent at some sites. Some previous public housing residents do not meet the qualifications to re-enter the community. Those residents who do not qualify for the new HOPE VI units are forced to find housing where it is affordable. Many of those affordable units are in the same condition. HUD discoverd that there were numerous residents that were unqualified. The federal government was inclined to provide more Housing Choice Vouchers and make more funding available for low income housing.

Site-based Section 8 and rent subsidized housing was created to give families flexibility to choose their neighborhoods. They were also created to provide a steady stream of funding to those developers who were building units for low and very-low rents. Some residents without choices found themselves in what seemed again like “the projects”; concentrated pockets of poverty where many of the rental units are dilapidated, over-crowded and drug infested. It seems as though had the city’s public housing authority and the federal government (HUD) provided those residents with strict guidelines like Section 8 requires and the social needs simultaneously, neither would have to readdress the same issue of neglect. Though residents of the old public housing sites were economically challenged at the time of their exodus, the social and community needs component of the HOPE VI program proved not to be effective. Had HUD or the city government provided jobs to those who were employable and job training to those who were not, maybe there would not be as many as 14 different site-based units within the city of Memphis.

I believed that HOPE VI would provide safe, clean and affordable housing at the sites where residents were removed. I thought that HOPE VI was supposed to give those residents “hope” that a better environment was available. I guess that’s all impoverished people get…..HOPE.