Urban planning and revitalization projects usually start with traffic studies and retail business development plans. Because these endeavors are typically driven by the bottom-line financial concerns of developers, their results can be void of the intrigue and inspiration that residents are promised at their inception. All too often, revitalization projects hold little reflection of the communities they were meant to serve.
At ROLU, we believe that a revitalization project should do more than just increase the commercial marketability of a neighborhood; it should rejuvenate a community, and fashion an environment within which that community can flourish. That's why when we were offered the opportunity to work with our pals CITYDESKSTUDIO in a new breed of revitalization, we jumped at the chance.
Seward is a great Minneapolis neighborhood, known for its diversity and activism - so it's fitting that a unique form of urban planning would begin with its citizens. The Seward Redesign Project aims to treat Seward residents not like board members, consulted only for their approval and appeasement, but as partners in planning and production. As a show of that partnership, Seward community members and CITYDESKSTUDIO have together drafted a living brief that will serve as a governing document to guide the project through its multi-year, multi-phase life.
In its initial stages of progress, the Seward Redesign Project has made fantastic bounds in expressing the unique style of the Seward community. Through qualitative research efforts driven by neighborhood residents, the entire process and approach of traditional revitalization has been flipped on its head. Armed with disposable cameras, Flickr accounts, and blogs to record their progress, community members have set about answering the question “how do we see our neighborhood best rejuvenated?” Their efforts bring about real, qualitative research - brilliant ideas that celebrate green space, biking, Somali and West African art and local business.
We were brought on by CITYDESKSTUDIO to help in further exploring the possibilities of the Seward Redesign Project. In the fall of 2008, we completed a "TEST SITE" at one of the busy intersections in the neighborhood. We can't wait to get started again soon on this project. Here's a couple relevant posts from our blog:
