Replicating Triple-Bottom-Line Community Development

Replicating Triple-Bottom-Line Community Development

Emily T.C. Fitzsimmons ARCH 4543 001: Architectural Theory & Criticism University of Oklahoma May 8, 2020

2 Background Amidst the extreme struggles of the Great Depression, the United States founded the Federal Housing Administration in 1934, and three years later, the United States Housing Act was passed, establishing new federal public housing in order to provide quality shelter to impoverished households.1 Following the second world war of the 1940s, a massive housing shortage struck the nation. Limited money and resources throughout the recent Great Depression and subsequent World War II restricted housing construction for over a decade; as a result, millions of soldiers returned to an extremely scarce housing market. To aggravate the issue, many had come back married and ready to establish their own households. Furthermore, most people were still recovering from the shocks of the Great Depression, making affordable housing specifically necessary.

In this context, the Journal of Housing was born in the fall of 1944 as a medium for discussion about this crucial topic. Since then, the journal has transformed to the Journal of Housing and Community Development, broadening its view to include topics such as legislation, advocacy, administration, finance, green building, design, maintenance, and social issues related to both affordable housing and community improvement.2 The journal is published every other month, previously in print, but it has now been exclusively digital for two years to minimize paper use. Most of the articles are written by the editors and staff as well as professionals in the field; however, the journal has also used artwork submitted by children around the country for

“A Brief Historical Overview of Affordable Rental Housing,” 2015 Advocates Guide, National Low-Income Housing Coalition, last modified 2015, https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Sec1.03_Historical-Overview_2015.pdf.

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“About the Journal of Housing & Community Development,” Journal of Housing & Community Development, NAHRO, last modified 2018, https://www.journalofhousing.org/about-journal-housing-community-development.

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3 the cover pages.3 The major figure representing the journal is Adrianne Todman, the CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, or NAHRO, and publisher of the Journal since 2017.4 Before working at NAHRO, she graduated from the women-only Smith College and has subsequently acted as the Executive Director at the District of Columbia Housing Authority, a policy aide in the Office of the Secretary of HUD, and legislative director for the US House of Representatives on education, labor, and transportation. Throughout her career, she has served leading roles in projects involving affordable and public housing, homelessness, veterans’ issues, youth empowerment, housing infrastructure, workforce development, and gender issues.5 In addition to Todman, the journal is also led by Sylvia Giminez and Ashanti Wright.

Gimenez is currently the Managing Editor for the journal as well as the Director of Communications for NAHRO.6 Ashanti Wright works as the Assistant Editor for the journal and the Public Affairs Coordinator for NAHRO.7 Both Giminez and Wright author many of the journal’s articles, including some that my own research has focused on. Notably, all three of the journal’s major contributors are women of color, lending the journal a background of knowledge

“Journal of Housing & Community Development,” NAHRO: Building Communities Together, NAHRO, last modified 2018, http://www.nahro.org/housing-journal.

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4

NAHRO, “Journal of Housing & Community Development.”

“Adrianne Todman: Biography,” NAHRO: Building Communities Together, NAHRO, last modified May 29, 2019, http://www.nahro.org/adrianne-todman-biography.

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“Sylvia Gimenez,” In, Linkedin, accessed February 24, 2020, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvia-gimenez-052645164/.

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“National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) 2019,” NAHRO, last modified 2019, https://pahra.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/NAHRO-ContactsWeb-2019.pdf.

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4 and experiences unique from most people in the fields of architecture and planning, which consists largely of white males.8 For this reason, not only does the Journal of Housing and Community Development exemplify a goal for those in this profession but it also establishes a sound foundation for new methods of community sustainability.

The crux of my research has focused on how communities can effectively develop under a triple-bottom-line framework: How can communities develop while balancing economic, environmental, and social vitality? Such strategies are necessary now more than ever at this stage of the Anthropocene in which the effects of climate change are becoming more frequent, more dangerous, and less irreversible. Moreover, these consequences hurt the most vulnerable populations, who are also those least responsible for climate change as well as the ones whose voices are stifled. Even so, widespread sustainable development still has not begun because of the societal prioritization of development that is weighted heavily toward economic growth, discounting social and environmental well-being. The Journal of Housing and Community Development does not center itself on sustainable design, but sustainability is a recurring subtopic from which I drew the articles that guide my argument for replicating sustainable community development.

Literature Review The articles I selected from the journal discuss various green building and community development projects, including solar farms, community gardens, tree-planting, energy-efficient public housing, and recycling programs. The chosen articles illustrate the issue at hand with sustainable development; however, they also reveal a recipe for the solution. Notably, many of the projects in the articles are award-winners; they also overlap in the same cities. Coupled with

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DataUSA, accessed April 1, 2020, https://datausa.io/.

5 the reality that multi-modal transport, energy-efficiency, low input and output production, and other sustainable living practices are not fulfilled in most places, clearly the journal’s extolled projects are praised for their uniqueness. They are not widespread enough to make an impact on a wholly unsustainable nation – let alone the world. Even so, the journal reports on projects with some necessary qualities that are often overlooked in favor of dramatic designs, a new perspective likely influenced by the editors and publisher living outside the white male normative. I assert that these important qualities – programming, prioritization of equity, and participation – that are often ignored can provide a replicable base for successful sustainable community development projects.

For instance, I found two separate articles in the Journal of Housing & Community Development that highlighted solar power projects that enacted all three tenants of programming, participation, and prioritization of equity. The first written by Stella Madrid discusses the Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver’s (DHA) first community solar garden, which is located in Watkins, Colorado. This solar garden is estimated to prevent 54,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions while also providing an average of 20% savings on energy for those participating in the program. Notably, the lower electricity rates benefit large populations of lowand middle-income residents in the area. In particular, the DHA has pushed for sustainable public housing with an emphasis on energy conservation and renewable energy sources. In fact, this solar garden will power the DHA buildings, nearby housing authority properties, as well as nearby affordable housing. The community solar garden now allows many in the area to promote solar, even if they are not in a position to have personal solar panels, and the program will also train some residents of the DHA properties in construction and maintenance of the solar garden.9

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Stella Madrid, “DHA Launches Community Solar Garden,” Journal of Housing &

6 Similarly, one of Ashanti Wright’s articles extols a solar farm installed by the Rockford Housing Authority (RHA) in Illinois. Since 2015, the RHA has emphasized not only clean energy but also STEM education in their low-income areas. One year after installing a small solar panel farm adjacent to one of the RHA’s low-income apartment complexes, residents’ electricity bills reduced by 30%. Likewise, the use of natural gas had decreased by 32%; water use decreased by 17%, and electricity use decreased by 38%. In addition to providing renewable energy to RHA residents, the RHA maintains an energy literacy and conservation program to education youth about renewable energy; this program includes in-class lessons, on-site visits, and superhero mascots, Sunny and Sonny.10 Ashanti Wright also reviews another excellent project of triple-bottom-line community development in another article titled “Award Winner: The Growing Experience.” In this case, the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles built a community garden on seven acres of land belonging to the Carmelitos Public Housing Development, which hosts 700 low-income households consisting of families, senior citizens, and disabled individuals. This development resides in a food desert, so the residents have limited access to groceries, particularly nutritious food. In response, the community garden was built. This garden emphasizes environmental sustainability, nutritional health, community engagement, and skills training; it also includes aquaponics, vertical growing towers, native and drought-tolerant plants, green space, composting, and renewable energy offsetting. Residents regularly participate in conservation

Community Development 74, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2017): 14-17.

Ashanti Wright, “Award of Excellence: Solar Installation with STEM Resident Platform,” Journal of Housing & Community Development 75, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2018) https://www.journalofhousing.org/news/award-excellence-solar-installation-stem-residentplatform.

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7 programs, cooking classes, and gardening; in particular, the youth in the community are recruited to learn about various aspects of sustainable development and processes.11 Likewise, Carmen Smith recounts another award-winning project in Erie, Pennsylvania, that also includes participation, programming, and prioritization of equity. According to Smith, the Housing Authority of the City of Erie (HACE) has consistently promoted environmentally sustainable improvements for years through community programming and engagement, including sponsoring environmental education for children, giving seeds to residents for gardening, hosting an annual garden contest, as well as collaborating with neighborhoods to pick up litter. Inspired by Kenyan activist Wangari Mathai’s Greenbelt Movement, the HACE established its own local Greenbelt project called the Wangari Mathai Tree Project. Community members and HACE collaborated volunteers to plant trees next to highways as well as in thirteen nurseries, amounting to over 1,000 trees. Over the following years, these trees will be transplanted to HACE’s housing developments as they mature. This project also included extensive educational and recreational programming for the community, especially the youth.12 Again in Colorado, Taanya Wilson discusses the pilot program in Denver’s Mariposa Neighborhood, which incorporates participation as well as prioritization of equity. The Mariposa Neighborhood has recently been revitalized in a transit-oriented design, including a new light rail with a stop in the middle of the neighborhood. Though in a physically accessible location, the light rail was not affordable for those living in the Mariposa Neighborhood, effectively making

Ashanti Wright, “Award Winner: The Growing Experience,” Journal of Housing & Community Development 75, no. 5 (Sept./Oct. 2018): https://www.journalofhousing.org/news/award-winner-growing-experience.

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Carmen Smith, “Awards of Excellence: Resident and Client Services, Housing Authority of the City of Eri Wangari Maathai Tree Project.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 74, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2017): 19-20.

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8 public transit inaccessible. Public transportation infrastructure is only sustainable if people are using it, so the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) responded with the Neighborhood Eco Program to provide alternative, multi-modal transportation. This provided discounted passes for the light-rail and bus lines as well as discounted memberships for the car-and bike-sharing programs. Alternative, multi-modal transportation such as these promote community selfsustainability and environmental sustainability.13 Meanwhile, Steve Mutter wrote about an extremely successful recycling program in public housing in Rhode Island that integrates participation and prioritization of equity. At this time, the Pawtucket Housing Authority expanded the recycling program to public housing residents, who were not receiving this important service previously. This would decrease waste channeled to landfills, bring revenue to the city, increase community engagement and sustainability, as well as reduce the need for raw materials in global production. Recycling carts were distributed to over 1,000 households in several phases. Overall, participation was amazingly high and contamination of recyclable waste low, likely due to active volunteers disseminating information amongst the public housing residents in multiple languages.14 Moreover, Emily Pasi and Shannon Snell consider a series of award-winning, creative applications of environmental sustainability in community development from around the country, including recreation, housing, energy, and adaptive reuse. In one article, the authors first discuss the Westbury Splash Park in Portsmouth, Virginia. Originally a dilapidated, leaking

Taanya Wilson, “NAHRO National Awards of Excellence: Resident and Client Services, Mariposa Neighborhood EcoPass Program,” Journal of Housing & Community Development 73, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2016): 33-34.

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Steve Mutter, “Recycling in Public Housing: A Success Story,” Journal of Housing & Community Development 71, no. 2 (March/April 2014): 18-19.

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9 water pump, the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority helped transform the spot into a splash pad with allow-flow nozzles and 100% recycled water. Next, Pasi and Snell describe the Paisano Green Community in El Paso, Texas; this affordable senior housing is LEED Platinum certified, NetZero, and independent of fossil fuels. Notably, the property was designed deliberately in accordance to the surrounding environment to take advantage of sun angles, natural breezes, and xeriscaping. Meanwhile, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the Murfreesboro Housing Authority redeveloped a previously built complex to better meet the needs of residents. Improvements included updating the buildings, adding parking, increasing green space, and including community buildings. The design also incorporates bio-retention as well as rainwater dispersion, walkability, and energy efficiency, but, unlike the other designs, this development is notable because it saved energy and materials by renovating the existing structures rather than beginning from scratch. In Pennsylvania, the Reading Housing Authority (RHA) outfit its own building with a combined heat and power plant on the property. This machine reuses the heat normally lost from the building. In the first year, the RHA saved $136,000 from the reduced energy usage. This addition lowered emissions, reduced heat island effect, increased energy independence, and allowed the RHA to redirect funds to residents. In Maine, the Lewiston Housing Authority endorsed environmentally sustainable development through adaptive reuse, transforming an abandoned orphanage into low-income senior housing.

Like in Murfreesboro, this saved the materials and energy that would have been used into developing anew. These apartments also include low flow faucets and toilets as well as energy efficient windows, appliances, and lighting.15

Emily Pasi and Shannon Snell, “NAHRO’s Awards of Excellence in Project Design,�

Journal of Housing & Community Development 71, no. 2 (March/April 2014): 26-34.

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10 Many of the articles in the Journal of Housing & Community Development, however, do focus on public housing design. When reviewing environmentally sustainable housing, the design aspect particularly dominates the conversation. Even so, the projects in these articles still prioritize equity through affordable and public housing that is environmentally sustainable, and some of them also include opportunities for participation by the residents, such as the Belmar neighborhood in Lakewood, Colorado. Covered by Ashanti Wright, this award-winning neighborhood was revitalized under tenets of new urbanism, which emphasizes human-scale design, public spaces, density, walkability, and community. The area now hosts a wide variety of services within twenty-two blocks in addition to a walking trail and a park. This alternative mobility infrastructure is particularly important to the residents of one of Belmar’s most recent additions, CityScape. CityScape is a mixed-income apartment complex for senior citizens making less than the area median income. In addition to the environmentally sustainable aspects of the surrounding area, CityScape further emphasizes sustainability through its green roof and solar panels as well as community engagement through community and personal gardens. The apartments also include energy efficient insulation, windows, lighting, appliances, and air conditioning units.16 Ashanti Wright also wrote another article over sustainable public housing in a Washington, D.C. suburb. Through public-private partnerships, the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority built the Residences at Government Center; this development consists of a mix of nearly 300 affordable housing units for those who make 5080% of the area median income. In addition to several community rooms, this development

Ashanti Wright, “Award of Excellence: CityScape at Belmar,” Journal of Housing & Community Development 75, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2018): https://www.journalofhousing.org/news/award-excellence-cityscape-belmar.

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11 boasts a variety of environmentally sustainable additions. For instance, the apartments include programmable thermostats, Energy Star appliances, as well as energy-efficient windows, water heaters, and insulation. Public transit is also located directly adjacent to the complex, providing accessible alternative transportation options to the residents. The design also includes a small, wildlife conservation area in addition to recently established trees. Notably, the development was designed specifically to avoid grading the site; instead, the bioswales, retaining walls, trails, and parking were each designed to follow the existing topography.17 Lastly, Nicholas Birck and Andrew Pattinson discuss the general necessity of providing both affordable and environmentally sustainable housing as well as the positive effects of intertwining the two in “The Importance of Sustainable Affordable Housing: A Story from San Buenaventura.” According to Birck and Pattinson, public housing has potential for great impact in environmental justice, for public housing agencies are often landlords of many vulnerable people, those most affected by climate change. Incorporating sustainability into affordable housing not only increases social equity but also mitigates climate change crises. Buildings produce a large portion of greenhouse has emissions; therefore, large buildings like public housing complexes, can significantly reduce pollution. Public housing retrofitted toward sustainability not only has positive environmental effects but also incurs monetary savings and creates healthier living environments. For example, the Westside Revitalization Project in San Buenaventura is a LEED certified neighborhood development that includes affordable housing, green space, walkability, gray water irrigation, and community gardens all of which contribute to environmental social, and economic well-being through participation, programming, and

Ashanti Wright, “Award of Excellence: The Residences at Government Center,” Journal of Housing & Community Development 76, no. 5 (Sept./Oct. 2019): https://www.journalofhousing.org/news/award-excellence-residences-government-center.

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12 prioritization of equity.18 My Research Considering the journal’s writings on sustainable design and development brings to light several things. First, these projects are all well-done, but they are not enough. The journal frames almost all these projects as award winners; they are outstanding, unique, one-of-a-kind. This alone illustrates the fact that these individual projects, though admirable, are not widespread enough to make the significant change needed in the face of climate change and its effects.

However, they still reveal a strong foundation for sustainable development that can be replicated and, therefore, made widespread. In order to expand triple-bottom-line community development, projects should follow three tenets: programming, participation, and prioritization.

First, programming provides the still necessary spotlight for economic vitality through education, skills training, healthcare, and similar provisions. Second, projects must prioritize equity by working with the most vulnerable and affected residents first and most. Rather than pouring more funds into making a wealthy neighborhood “green,” we should invest in struggling areas to make them actually livable and thriving. Lastly, the projects will need participation to truly accomplish environmental sustainability. Increasing community engagement through tactics such as language translation, childcare provision, ease, and accessibility drives the effectiveness of environmental sustainability. Notably, however, each of these principles are thoroughly intertwined with all three parts of triple-bottom-line if performed successfully. For instance, programming may contribute the most to economic development in a project, but if low-income families are being trained to grow a home garden, social and environmental welfare

Nicholas Birck and Andrew Pattinson, “The Importance of Sustainable Affordable Housing: A Story from San Buenaventura,” Journal of Housing & Community Development 73, no. 3 (May/June 2016): 18-23.

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13 are satisfied as well. In short, communities can develop sustainably and successfully by emphasizing the people aspect of projects through those three rules, which is much easier to replicate across many different places than physical design doctrines of green building. Though the material parts of a project are still important – whether it is a kitchen garden or a solar garden – the strength of a project lies in a foundation of the programming, participation, and prioritization of equity.

COA Relevance The topics explored in the Journal of Housing and Community Development – design, urban planning, administration, sustainability – are intertwined throughout the fields taught at the Gibbs College of Architecture. Any of the career paths presented to its students should be taking into consideration social and environmental problems and solutions, especially as such issues continue to worsen at an alarming rate. In particular, all our graduating professionals should consider the rights and needs of low-income residents in the built environment as this journal does. Design, construction, and planning directly influence equity, and this journal grants insights into projects that can help guide future enterprises to have positive social impacts. The nation’s Gini Coefficient is rising, indicating that income inequality is increasing,19 so affordable housing and equity-based community development will only become more important. Likewise, humans continue to systematically degrade the natural environment, making sustainable development increasingly urgent. Lastly, the Journal of Housing and Community Development is relevant to the college of architecture because its staff sets a standard for inclusion in our profession regarding gender, race, and ethnicity. As of 2017, white men made up the highest

Jessica Semega, et al. “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2018,” United States Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, last modified September 2019, https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2019/demo/income-poverty/p60-266.html.

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14 percentage of graduates with bachelor’s degrees for urban planning, architecture, and related fields, followed by white women. All other ethnicities and races were far below.20 Including perspectives outside the white male normative enriches discussions and enhances projects.

Conclusion Just as the Journal of Housing and Community Development began during a time of crisis to discuss the important topic of housing, the discussion for sustainable community development is necessary in this global environmental crisis. The most vulnerable people in our societies are suffering from major shocks caused by climate change, which could be alleviated through sustainability-oriented strategies that follow a triple-bottom-line framework, but such projects are not widespread yet because society has historically favored economic development over environmental and social well-being. Though the projects considered in the journal are not widespread either, the journal still contains often ignored voices that offer a new perspective for community development, which reveals a pattern for successful and potentially replicable sustainability crucial for communities and essential for those in the college of architecture to learn. I assert that in order to expand sustainable community development that fulfills the triplebottom-line framework, the professionals emerging from the Gould Hall must base projects on programming, participation, and prioritization. Together, the three satisfy the economic wellbeing, environmental health, and equity that is pivotal to our future.

20

DataUSA, https://datausa.io/.

15 Bibliography Birck, Nicholas and Andrew Pattinson. “The Importance of Sustainable Affordable Housing: A Story from San Buenaventura.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 73, no. 3 (May/June 2016): 18-23.

DataUSA. Accessed April 1, 2020. https://datausa.io/.

Linkedin. “Sylvia Gimenez.” In. Accessed February 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvia-gimenez-052645164/.

Madrid, Stella. “DHA Launches Community Solar Garden.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 74, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2017): 14-17.

Mutter, Steve. “Recycling in Public Housing: A Success Story.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 71, no. 2 (March/April 2014): 18-19.

NAHRO. “About the Journal of Housing & Community Development.” Journal of Housing & Community Development. Last modified 2018. https://www.journalofhousing.org/aboutjournal-housing-community-development.

NAHRO. “Adrianne Todman: Biography.” NAHRO: Building Communities Together. Last modified May 29, 2019. http://www.nahro.org/adrianne-todman-biography.

NAHRO. “Journal of Housing & Community Development.” NAHRO: Building Communities Together. Last modified 2018. http://www.nahro.org/housing-journal.

NAHRO. “National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) 2019.” Last modified 2019, https://pahra.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/NAHRO-Contacts-Web2019.pdf.

National Low-Income Housing Coalition. “A Brief Historical Overview of Affordable Rental Housing.” 2015 Advocates Guide. Last modified 2015. https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/Sec1.03_Historical-Overview_2015.pdf.

16 Pasi, Emily and Shannon Snell. “NAHRO’s Awards of Excellence in Project Design.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 71, no. 2 (March/April 2014): 26-34.

Smith, Carmen. “Awards of Excellence: Resident and Client Services, Housing Authority of the City of Eri Wangari Maathai Tree Project.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 74, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2017): 19-20.

Wilson, Taanya. “NAHRO National Awards of Excellence: Resident and Client Services, Mariposa Neighborhood EcoPass Program.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 73, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2016): 33-34.

Wright, Ashanti. “Award of Excellence: CityScape at Belmar.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 75, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2018): https://www.journalofhousing.org/news/award-excellence-cityscape-belmar.

Wright, Ashanti. “Award of Excellence: Solar Installation with STEM Resident Platform.”

Journal of Housing & Community Development 75, no. 6 (Nov./Dec. 2018): https://www.journalofhousing.org/news/award-excellence-solar-installation-stemresident-platform.

Wright, Ashanti. “Award of Excellence: The Residences at Government Center.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 76, no. 5 (Sept./Oct. 2019): https://www.journalofhousing.org/news/award-excellence-residences-government-center.

Wright, Ashanti. “Award Winner: The Growing Experience.” Journal of Housing & Community Development 75, no. 5 (Sept./Oct. 2018): https://www.journalofhousing.org/news/awardwinner-growing-experience.