thrive 2012 winter newsletter

LIVABLE MEMPHIS Winter 2012 Promoting Healthy Growth in the Memphis Region

T H R I V E T H R I V E is the newsletter of Livable Memphis, a program of the Community

Development Council of Greater Memphis. Representing over 125 neighborhoods from

across the greater Memphis region, Livable Memphis supports the development and

redevelopment of healthy, vibrant, and economically sustainable communities. We do this

by educating community members, promoting public policies that mitigate urban sprawl

and direct investment to existing neighborhoods; and advocating for public and active

transportation options that are safe, user-friendly, and accessible to all residents.

HOW WE GOT STARTED: In 2005, a diverse group of community developers, environmentalists, transportation activists, financial institutions, and philanthropic foundations convened to explore a community wide response to the effects of sprawl. They shared the common goal of supporting equitable and efficient growth in Shelby County and the greater Memphis region. Livable Memphis was created as an initiative of the Community Development Council of Greater Memphis. Its goals include: building a broad base of support, researching patterns of growth expenditures, providing education on issues that affect community vitality, and offering a grassroots input into policy decisions.

1548 Poplar Avenue Memphis TN 38104 www.livablememphis.org (901) 725-8370

In a city so dependent on a car to get around, how can we encourage

people to walk and bike to nearby destinations? Over the past few

months, Walk Bike Memphis (a Livable Memphis initiative) has been

working to develop inexpensive, yet impactful tactics to encourage

people to use active transit. Inspired by Matt Tomasulo’s wayfinding

campaign in Raleigh, Walk Bike Memphis has installed temporary way

finding signs in strategic places around the city, including Overton

Square, South Memphis and Crosstown. These signs are meant to make

people more aware of their surroundings and to show them how long it

would take to walk or bike to a nearby restaurant or community

amenity. A barcode on the sign brings up a map and directions on a

pedestrian’s cell phone. It’s a simple way to help activate areas, to

address concerns about obesity and to engage urban citizens in a larger

discussion about transportation equality within Memphis. The guerrilla

wayfinding signage, although placed sparingly around the city, has

recently gained attention from the Downtown Memphis Commission.

We are currently exploring the potential of developing these signs

downtown.

(continued on page 6)

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Guerrilla Wayfinding Signs Help Promote Walking and Biking

By Elizabeth Saba, Livable Memphis Program Coordinator

Walk Bike Memphis signage

1548 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 www.livablememphis.org (901) 725-8370

Our Values:

Balanced Development. Growth should be planned and

managed in a way that balances both

private and public interests. Future

growth must address the entire

community’s need for economic

development and healthy, diverse

neighborhoods.

Shared Benefits & Costs. All Shelby County residents must

share in the economic benefits of

growth, as well as its costs. Public

expenditures (tax dollars) should be

spread equitably among both new

and existing neighborhoods.

Access & Choice. All residents deserve equal access to

jobs, schools, shopping,

transportation, and neighborhood

facilities. Citizens also must have

choices in housing type and location,

as well as multiple transportation

options.

Community Input &

Collaboration. All residents should

have a voice in how the community

is developed. Venues for effective

citizen input should be well-

publicized, timely, and accessible.

Environmental Protection. Open space, natural habitats, and

landscapes must be protected and

preserved for the benefits of citizens

and the greater community.

Dear Thrive readers,

It is probably a cliché, but it is hard to believe that 2012 has

come and gone. But as someone who has been a long-time advocate

for Memphis neighborhood (along with many others), this year I am

feeling optimistic for a number of reasons.

First, our advocacy in support of more bicycle infrastructure –

together with key support from the city – is paying major dividends.

Bike lanes seem to be going in everywhere, linking Frayser,

Midtown, Binghampton and many other neighborhoods. Now,

Memphis is studying the feasibility of a bike-share program (page

3), in partnership with Livable Memphis and other stakeholders.

Second, there is a new focus in our community on

neighborhood economic vitality, spearheaded in part by Mayor

Wharton’s Innovation Delivery Team. Through events like the

recent MemFIX Crosstown, and other strategies designed to spur

business development and expansion in targeted areas, long-

neglected commercial strips are seeing renewed focus, activity, and

infrastructure improvement.

Third, we are gaining traction on some of our long-term policy

priorities, such as the design and implementation of a Complete

Streets policy for Memphis and Shelby County. In that effort,

Livable Memphis is working on a policy development team with

Urban Land Institute, Memphis Area Association of Realtors, the

city and county, Shelby County Health Department, and others.

Finally, I continue to be inspired by the hard and often

unheralded work that our member organizations – including CDCs

– are doing to improve Memphis neighborhoods through new and

renovated housing, job training, charter and private

schools, blight eradication, community organizing,

urban agriculture, and many other initiatives.

.

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The City of Memphis has witnessed a huge investment in bicycle transportation and has recently been

exploring the potential for a bike share system to operate in the city. With over 300 cities worldwide

implementing bike share programs, including Chattanooga, Miami, Denver, Los Angeles, and New York City,

Memphis is hoping to follow suit.

Bike sharing is a system that is structured to operate like an automated rental service, encouraging

shorter, spontaneous trips through membership and usage fees.

In this program a bike can be taken from a station and returned

to any other station in the city. The aim is to provide an

inexpensive and elegant mobility option for trips too far to walk,

but not long enough to take public transit or drive. In the past

these systems have been met with relatively low success, due to

theft and vandalism. In the past five years, however, a new

generation of bike sharing has emerged due to innovations in

technology to increase accountability. Credit card transactions

and RFID chips (radio-frequency identification) allow system

operators accountability and reduce theft and vandalism. The

most recent bike share systems in North America (use solar

panels and wireless communication. Other components of the

bicycles that deter theft and vandalism include bicycles that are upright, uniquely colored and structurally

distinctive, designed for short trips, encourage a slower pace of movement, have puncture-resistant tires, a bell,

and a light that is powered by pedaling.

In addition to being affordable, bike share systems have numerous benefits. The financial benefits

include attracting visitors and tourists, creating “green jobs” with positions for managing and operating the

system and bicycles, providing existing businesses an additional way to get customers to their front door,

providing any size business an opportunity for brand development through bike sponsorship, and the fact that

owning a bicycle can reduce a household’s costly dependence on a vehicle.

Bike sharing also has important health benefits. These are well recognized and include the potential to

reduce heart disease, obesity, and other sedentary lifestyle diseases. According to a study in 2005 by the

Center for Disease Control, more than 25 percent of adults in Shelby County were obese, and an even higher

percentage was overweight. A bike share program would certainly encourage and promote healthier physical

habits for the citizens of Memphis.

The city’s attractions and recreational activities make a bike share program a feasible opportunity for

the City of Memphis. The city has significant political and institutional support, as well as strong investments

in the downtown area. In the past five years, Memphis has gained a supportive Mayor, established a full-time

bicycle and pedestrian staff position, and adopted new bicycling ordinances. Tennessee Congressman Steve

Cohen has said that investments in the bike share program will “improve livability in downtown Memphis,

will increase tourism, will drive economic development and create jobs, make our city more attractive to your

people, and enable people to bike over the historic, scenic Mississippi River.”

Is Bike Share in Memphis’ Future? By Ian Preston, LM intern


Bike Sharing Kiosk, Nashville

Photo Source: Capital Bikeshare

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Community Development Council recently presented its annual study of local lending trends at the Benjamin

Hooks Library. The Center for Community Building and Neighborhood Action Director and professor at the

University of Memphis, Phyllis Betts, gave an updated report of the new data, challenges, and policy implica-

tions for investor-driven neighborhoods in Memphis and Shelby County. The presentation of the lending

study was supported by the City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

The study examined the conditions of the lending market, finding that the lending market remains in a slump

as investors have been dominating the housing market and the government’s role in lending remains strong.

Purchases are down, while refinance applications and loans continue to increase.

The key findings of the study included:

Racial disparity in lending documented in the 2009 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data was

firmly entrenched in 2010. The study reported that one black borrower originates a loan for very four

white borrowers in a county that is 52 percent African American.

Loan level disparity is translat-

ing into continued and accelerat-

ing neighborhood level disparity.

As a consequence, Census tract

at or below 80 percent of area

median income accessed only 7

percent of originated loans in

Shelby County – even including

borrowing investors.

Neighborhood lending disparity

mirrors and aggravates fallout

from foreclosure in a wide ex-

panse of Memphis neighbor-

hoods. Home ownership is down

over 7 percent in Memphis since

2000, while the vacancy rate

nearly doubled during that same

period of time.

Neighborhood lending disparity and other housing forces are pushing many neighborhoods in the wrong

direction. Two out of three Memphis census tracts have concentrated poverty of at least 20 percent.

The role of investors is growing and the impact on different kinds of neighborhoods is largely unstudied

and unknown. In Memphis, investors now own 25 percent of single-family homes (map above.)


Annual Study Examines Impacts of Investors in Memphis Neighborhoods


Holiday Bike Recycle Educates Youth By Ian Preston, LM Intern

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Thanks to the Holiday Bike Recycle program, the holiday season will

be merrier for 30 Memphis kids. Spearheaded by Matt Farr,

Manager of Education and Outreach at Shelby Farms Park

Conservancy, the children are treated to a bicycle and a bicycle

education, in partnership with Kyle Wagenschutz, Director of

Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop, Peddler Bike Shop, Mid-

South Trails Association, YMCA of Memphis, and others. The kids

meet four times over a week to learn about the benefits of riding a

bicycle. The first meeting takes place at Revolutions, where kids

learn about the importance of cycling and community. At the next

meeting, also at Revolutions, kids are taught certain skills of riding

such as the “look back” and balancing techniques. The third meeting

teaches kids proper bicycle maintenance such as appropriate tire

pressure and safety instruction. The final meeting, which is at

Shelby Farms Park, is the bicycle giveaway, where the kids who

have been working hard and actively learning, are each handed a

bicycle to keep.

The program has served about 300 children to date. December

2012 marked the 7th annual Holiday Bicycle Recycle giveaway, a

program which has proven to be so successful in educating youth

about the healthy and sustainable habits of the city’s biking culture.

“All the bikes are being reused and donated from the community to Revolutions. The program is teaching the

next generation of cyclists for tomorrow’s Memphis,” says Farr.

Greenline Gardens Project to Promote Business Skills and Sustainability

This spring will see the kick off of a new bicycle-oriented program with a twist called Greenline Gardens. The

program will take place during the first or second week of spring break and serve 50 students from East High

School. The students will meet at Revolutions Community Bike Shop and build their own bicycles. Next there

is a Farm-to-Fork Fellowship (F2FF) segment, in which the students are paid a stipend to come to the farm at

the end of the Greenline and grow their own produce. The food they grow will then be given back to the

Memphis City Schools, where it can be prepared and served to the students again at lunchtime. “It will really

be something for a student to point at a bunch of broccoli and tell a peer, ‘I grew that,’” says Matt Farr, of

Shelby Farms Park, who is leading the program. “This holistic program will teach the students entrepreneurial

and leadership skills, as well as the benefits of healthy eating and sustainable living. Reaching out to the folks

who need it most is the challenge because we’re geographically all over the place. That’s why we think the

bikes are a great fit,” says Farr. For more information on Greenline Gardens, please contact

[email protected].


Matt Farr, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy

Manager of Education and Outreach

Name

Organization or Neighborhood

Address

City, State, Zip

Phone Email

This project falls within the larger concept of tactical urbanism, which encourages citizens to make the

changes to their city that they’d like to see. Hailed by the urban planning news site Planetizen as one of

the top planning trends for 2011-2012, these projects consist of temporary, low-cost, low-risk actions that offer

immediate value to neighborhoods and cities. Examples of tactical urbanism include National Park(ing) Day,

food truck rodeos and pop-up retail and art installations. The MEMFIX Crosstown event this past November,

inspired by New Face for an Old Broad in 2010, highlights a series of tactical urbanism techniques deployed

simultaneously across an entire neighborhood. This MEMFIX escapade, spearhead by Mayor Wharton’s

Innovation Team and carried out by citizen groups, utilized temporary bike lanes, street art, pop-up retail and

plazas, wayfinding signage, benches, street trees and bike parking to paint a picture of what the neighborhood

could be. It is hoped that MEMFIX Crosstown will prompt urban redevelopment and revitalization, just a

New Face for an Old Broad leveraged millions of dollars in capital investments along Broad Avenue and

inspired the development of the Overton-Broad Connector. And that’s a desired side-effect, to leverage larger

investment in permanent, long-term improvements.

We live in a city of enormous potential where some of our proudest moments have occurred when citizens

bucked the system, tried something a little differently. Let’s work together to embrace the power we have as

citizens to make our city more livable through small, tactical changes.

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Contact Us: 1548 Poplar Avenue Memphis TN 38104 Phone: (901) 725-8370 Online: www.livablememphis.org Email: [email protected]

Community Development Council &

Livable Memphis Membership Indicate Areas of Interest

blight eradication

expanded transportation options

increased facilities for walking

and biking

neighborhood economic vitality

safe, affordable, and quality

housing

safe and sound lending practices

sustainable and efficient

development patterns

Individual Memberships

$15. Grassroots/Student Member

$35. Individual Member

$65. Family Member

$100. Supporting Member

$500 and up. Sustaining Member

$50. Community Associations or Nonprofits with

budgets less than $25,000.

$250 to $499. Other Nonprofits and Small

Businesses.

(continued from page 1)

http://www.planetizen.com/node/54838

thrive 2012 winter newsletter

Documents

south memphis

livable memphis initiative

bike memphis signage

newsletter of livable

greater memphis region

livable memphis winter

downtown memphis commission

poplar avenue memphis