Insights for the Waters Avenue Corridor Rebecca Horton DMGT 711 11/9/2011
Image: http://www.savannahga.gov
Overview Introduction The Waters Avenue Corridor is a section of Savannah, Georgia’s downtown community recently targeted by Savannah’s local government as a “revitalization corridor.” Known by local residents for its high crime rates and affectionately termed “the hood” by its own community members, Waters Avenue’s growth represents a tremendous challenge for developers, policymakers, and average citizens of Savannah. With the local government still in the throes of deciding how to approach Waters, during fall 2011 one of SCAD’s graduate-level design management courses began studying the Waters community to assist others in developing design solutions custom-tailored to the community’s needs and culture. Building upon approximately two months of secondary and primary research, this paper considers design insights for addressing current pain points within the Waters Avenue community. Ethnographic data uncovered during the research process indicates that many of the problems within the Waters Avenue Corridor stem from breakdowns in community, family, and neighborhood dynamics. This paper considers two primary vehicles for change within the Waters community: a visible presence of care and support, and the provision of specialized programs for local youth. The insights proposed within this paper include the following:
• Get the City More Involved • Catalyze Simple Local Projects Through Neighborhood Groups • Stem a Vision for Future-Mindedness Amongst Youth Through Entrepreneurial After-School Projects • Consider Non-Traditional Avenues for Youth Mentoring
Show Don’t Tell, Create a Visible Presence of Care and Support At both a macro and a micro level, Waters Avenue residents want more people to “show that they care” when it comes to their community. When considering Waters Avenue in the larger context of Savannah as a whole, many Waters citizens feel that their concerns are going unheard by local officials and that these officials are providing nothing but “lip service.” Likewise, community members have called for more opportunities for the average citizen to “show that they care.” To address these issues, ethnographic research data points towards a twopronged solutions process.
Insight: Get the City More Involved One of the frequently-cited needs of the Waters Avenue community is a stronger level of governmental attention. To this end, the government should consider enhancing its boots on the ground presence in the Waters Avenue neighborhood, in the form of a regularly-involved representative presence.
“City gave us trouble” “lip service” “Extent of city’s efforts: planters, benches, a few garbage cans that don’t get emptied regularly.”-Ms. Amy
Image: connectsavannah.com
Insight: Catalyze Simple Local Projects Through Neighborhood Groups
“Great Litter Hunt of 2012”-Amy Drew “neighborhood interaction” “block party”-Donald Our research suggests that little things can go a long way for the Waters Avenue community. For example, one community member mentioned the idea of murals, while another suggested a neighborhood clean-up effort. To enhance the capacity of local community members to “show that they care,” local neighborhood groups within Waters should consider planning monthly activities to get people more involved. Proposed activities for the coming months might include a flower-planting initiative, a visit-your-neighborhood business with a smile day, or a “great litter hunt.”
Image: Salim Virji via flickr
Scaffolding Local Youth Through Enriching AfterSchool Activities Another recurrent issue in the Waters Avenue community is its struggling youth population, which, according to interview participants, is characterized by drug use, crime, and frequently-absent parental figures. During community interviews, several individuals cited a lack of activities for children and a lack of adult presence in the lives of Waters’ children as contributing factors in children’s decisions to drop of our school, undertake criminal activities, or get involved with drugs. Two possible methods to address these issues are offered below; both of these approaches utilize existing entities to catalyze youth involvement. The first considers ways to channel after-school activities through local schools whereas the second explores ways to place similar activities in the context of local businesses and non-profits.
“I mean they don’t have nothing to do, so what they do? Gang around the neighborhood, do crime…drug boys.” -Reena [in reference to the lack of activities for Waters Avenue kids] Insight: Stem a Vision for Future-Mindedness Amongst Youth Through Entrepreneurial After-School Projects
Image: Food from the Hood, a California-based youth entrepreneurship program that was birthed out of the LA riots aftermath Many of the children on Waters Avenue lack the support necessary to grow and shine, and sometimes fall into a cycle of joblessness and/or drugs and crime as they begin maturing. To combat this issue, local schools might consider building
a unique after-school initiative in which kids learn business and creative skills through entrepreneurial projects aimed at improving their neighborhoods. Cited benefits of youth entrepreneurship programs include increased job readiness, enhanced money management and decision-making skills, and social development and maturation, amongst others.1
“‘wow, these kids are so not taken care of.’ It’s like infuriating. And they wonder why…” –Sharon One resource for further consideration if this type of program is deemed viable is the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, which offers resources and occasional financial support for upstart youth entrepreneurship projects.2
Insight: Consider Non-Traditional Avenues for Youth Mentoring Create an informal mentoring program that brings local young adults in touch with at-risk kids and teens through after-school interaction via existing for-profit and non-profit avenues.
Image: Savannah Urban Garden Alliance
1 Bronte-‐Tinkew, J. and Z. Redd. “Logic Models and Outcomes for Youth Entrepreneurship Programs.”
Child Trends, 2001. http://www.childtrends.org/Files/LogicModelsYouthEntrepreneurship.pdf 2 See National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship. http://www.nfte.com/
The Waters Avenue community is already plugged into some resources that offer mentoring, both formal and informal, to youth. For example, one interview participant identified the Harambee House as an organization involved with local youth. Another community member talked about employing local teens through a for-profit gardening initiative on his property. However, interview data also indicated that engagement with these initiatives is not widespread. With elderly community leaders already stretched for time, young adults from outside the Waters area might serve as role models for Waters youth through existing avenues such as Ramsey Khalidi’s workshop, Gator Rivers’ garden, or Jerome Meadows’ gallery. By simply providing space and thus empowering young adults to utilize their workspaces as work/play teaching grounds for young children, local leaders could reach large numbers of local youth without placing heavy demands on their own schedules or cash flows.
“setting an example” “creative ways to get youth involved”
Image: Ramsey Khaldi’s Business