Neighborhood Pride Campaign

September 16, 2021/in Community Events, Resources Previous, Top 8/by Teal

How can branding foster pride in the neighborhood?

2018

BACKGROUND:

Glass Farm Block Leaders identified a Neighborhood Pride campaign as one of their highest priorities. Their goal was to create a visual celebration of neighborhood distinctiveness that reinforces the Glass Farm’s identity, cohesiveness, and pride of place.

NEED:

Evidence-based placemaking strategies demonstrate that pride of place is directly linked to self-esteem, neighborhood stewardship, and residential/economic vitality.

WHAT WE DID:

Glass House started the project in 2018 by investing in our neighbors. We created contracts with four residents– a renter, homeowner, youth, and business owner.

Each had to distribute surveys that asked:

What are you proud of in yourself?
What are you proud of in your neighborhood?

We gathered close to 40 surveys. Once that was complete, we compiled all the responses and asked the contracted residents to provide 4-5 photos of the places they felt most proud of. That was compiled into a document to help guide the artistic direction of the Glass Farm Neighborhood brand identity. The graphic designer and copywriter came up with four brand concepts. Residents voted on the winning design at our annual Glass Street LIVE block party.

We gave out banners and yard signs at the neighborhood Christmas party, and partnered with Habitat for Humanity’s Neighborhood Revitalization Program to help with installation. Now the banners and signs can be seen around Glass Farm, adding to the sense of pride our neighbors feel about the place they call home.

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VISION:

The Glass Farm Block Leaders worked with their community to develop marketing for their homes that would represent the neighborhood. Members from the community were surveyed and played a role in deciding the logo for Glass Farm Neighborhood.

PARTNERS:

Habitat for Humanity

Glass Farm Block Leaders

Glass Farm Residents

Lillian L Colby Foundation

OUTCOME:

100

Glass Farm banners

150

yard signs

residents paid for collecting surveys

IN THE NEWS:

The Chattanoogan

BLOG:

Pride Everywhere You Turn

Banner Days in Glass Farm

Warmth & Hope At the End of the Year

Facade Improvements

August 28, 2021/in Resources Previous, Top 8/by Teal

How Can Renovated Building Facades Boost Morale and Investment in the Community?

July-August 2013

BACKGROUND:

A welcoming, vibrant commercial district sends a powerful, positive message about a community. Glass House Collective was founded to bring life back to Glass Street and Glass Street back to life. We are working to restore Glass Street’s unique, historic facades—improving storefronts one building at a time to lend a critical sense of place and ownership to the area. We believe that this is an important part of bringing business and investment back to East Chattanooga.

NEED:

The commercial corridor of Glass Street was lined with worn and boarded-up buildings that needed improvements in order to inspire more development, and make the area a viable candidate for business use.

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VISION:

With the decline of commercial boom in the Glass Street area came a stigma that had been held on by business owners and investors for years, and so the area continued to reflect this lack of economic interest. The building facades along Glass Street held on to the memory of a vivacious business corridor, and with a little investment from this project, GHC hoped to renew the buildings, reinventing how people viewed the area and bringing more investment and economic opportunity.

WHAT WE DID:

Glass House Collective offered a 2:1 matching grant opportunity for façade improvement projects along the Glass Street commercial corridor in 2013. After the properties were approved for the program, local architect David Barlew created schematic design drawings and acquired cost estimates for the renovations. He then partnered with City of Chattanooga Director of Multicultural Affairs James McKissic to ensure that minority and women-owned businesses would have a chance to bid on the construction of this project. Glass House Collective and the City’s Office of Multicultural Affairs hosted a free, non-mandatory, pre-bid meeting open to the public to announce the project and field questions from the attending Contractors. Contractors, subcontractors, and product suppliers filled the first floor of Glass House Collective’s headquarters on Glass Street to learn about the project, review the in-process drawings, and submit their questions.

The three locations of the renovated properties are:

2200 Glass Street
2432 Glass Street
2523 Glass Street

Renovation work included partial building demolition, building component removal, salvage, minor roof patching and repair, rain leader construction, aluminum entrances and storefront installation, masonry repair and patching, masonry construction, porcelain tile installation, metal framing, gypsum board installation and finishing, poured-in-place concrete construction, concrete finishing, minor electrical work, exterior painting, lighting installation, and awning installation.

Following the conclusion of Glass House Collective’s facade improvements, we were thrilled to see other property owners investing in their buildings. The owners of H&R Block and Ashanti Hair Designs, two long-standing businesses on Glass Street, both completed their own improvements to their buildings.

PARTNERS:

City of Chattanooga

David Barlew

OUTCOME:

renovated storefronts

$41,957.46

dollars disbursed to individual property owners

additional business owners were inspired to invest in their properties on Glass Street

BLOG:

Facade Improvement Plans Ready for Pick-up

Facades Improvements by David Barlew Jr.

Block Leaders Founded

August 28, 2021/in Resources Previous, Top 8/by Teal

Can Neighborhood Representatives Keep a Community Engaged and be the Voice of Each Block?

May 7th, 2016

BACKGROUND:

In May of 2016, GHC officially sponsored the Glass Farm Block Leaders, which consisted of thirteen volunteers who are dedicated to serve the community. The Leaders were founded by Dr. Everlena Holmes, who is also responsible for founding two other neighborhood associations in East Chattanooga. Other founding members include: Maria Bradley, Frank Bryant, Melanie Esquire, Jeffrey Evans, Danna Forester, Audrey McClure, Thomas Miller, Amanda Mitchell, Timothy “TJ” Mitchell, Johnny Pattman, Janette Richie, Belinda Thronton, and Glenda Welcher.

NEED:

The goals and responsibilities that Glass Farm’s Block Leaders will take on are physical and social revitalizations, by organizing cleanups and social events; ensuring safety by reporting suspicious behavior and monitoring vacant houses; and empowering the community through networking and meetings where residents from every block can be heard.

WHAT WE DID:

Since the official founding of the Block Leaders, they have had a hand in several events, most notably the National Night out in 2016, and the Neighborhood Pride Campaign, during which they initiated the banner project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, and did extensive surveying of the neighborhood for both what they took the most pride in in the neighborhood and the final design for the banners.

Their work will have a lasting effect on the neighborhood, and we hope the Leaders will continue their work acting as the collective voices of every block.

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VISION:

The Block Leaders hope to recruit leaders from each of the 29 blocks to train and be dedicated to setting aside a certain amount of time each week. Along with their main priorities of physical revitalization, safety, social fellowship, and community networking, they aim to become the liaisons between the neighborhood and their respective blocks and outside organizations, such at GHC and the local government.

PARTNERS:

Dr. Everlena Holms

Maria Bradley

Frank Bryant

Melanie Esquire

Jeffrey Evans

Danna Forester

Audrey McClure

Thomas Miller

Amanda Mitchell

Timothy “TJ” Mitchell

Johnny Pattman

Janette Richie

Belinda Thronton

Glenda Welcher

OUTCOME:

projects included heavy involvement of the Leaders

votes cast

partnerships strengthened

BLOG:

Flea Market Then, New Lease Now

How-To Guide

Day of Service

How-To and Woodwise at Cooper Hewitt

August 28, 2021/in Resources Previous, Top 8/by Teal

What Does it Look Like When the Hard Work of a Community Gains National Recognition?

30 September, 2016 – 26 February 2017, New York City

BACKGROUND:

In 2012, GHC hosted an urban design workshop in partnership with the Tennessee chapter of the American Institute for Architects. It brought together residents from the neighborhood, artists, designers, and architects to explore Glass Street and come up with creative, actionable ways to revitalize both the physical neighborhood and the experience of the residents living there. In 2014, GHC compiled some of the ideas into the first How-To Guide, which was distributed to over 200 community members to inspire residents to get involved in the renewal of Glass Street.

WHAT COOPER HEWITT SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM DID:

The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, located in New York City, chose our How-To Guide and some of the work done in the neighborhood to display at their exhibit “By the People: Designing a Better America,” which showcased socially responsible urban design projects and concepts from around the country. Along with excerpts from our How-To Guide, they also displayed photos of Zachary Reynold’s, of Woodwise Urban Design, sustainable, long-lasting products and furniture that he builds for the community, along with before and after photos of our Community Space project and our Glass St. gateway mural, both of which are part of the How-To Guide.

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VISION:

We are beyond thrilled that the Glass Street community was chosen to be part of the exhibit, and that the work we and the residents have accomplished has been noticed nation-wide. We hope our mission to bring Glass Street back to life and the work displayed at the museum inspires other neighborhoods to work together and revitalize their own spaces and homes through creative, practical projects.

PARTNERS:

Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum

Woodwise Urban Design

IN THE NEWS:

The New York Times

The Chattanooga

RELATED RESOURCES:

Cooper Hewitt’s “By the People: Designing a Better America”

GHC and Woodwise Exhibit Details

BLOG:

GHC at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian!

A How To Guide

Woodwork with Zachary

How-To Guide #2

August 25, 2021/in Resources Previous, Top 8/by Teal

How Do You Bring a Place Back to Life?

December 2015

BACKGROUND:

In April of 2015 GHC hosted the Next Big Thing workshop, which brought in residents, architects, artists, and urban designers from around the country to collaborate on small, scalable projects that would improve the look, feel, and practicality around the neighborhood. Having completed all the projects in our first How-To Guide, compiled after the AIA conference in 2012, the Next Big Thing allowed us to prepare and compile a new How-To Guide for the next few years to come.

NEED:

After completing all the projects in the first How-To Guide, we knew it was time for the next steps by hosting the Next Big Thing and creating a new guide to further beautify the area and engage the community.

WHAT WE DID:

The guide outlines 10 projects and tactics to connect with and beautify the community. It includes detailed instructions concerning supplies, potential partnerships, and cost, a sketch of what the completed project may look like, and a picture of where the project could happen. From community movie nights, to bike repair stations, to home repair and landscaping, there’s something for people of all backgrounds in the community to participate in.

VISION:

Our intentions with this new guide are to empower the community with the knowledge that small changes can happen, and they can make a big impact. The guide aims to encourage local artists to collaborate with residents to inspire renewal in the neighborhood.

RELATED RESOURCES:

Digital How-To Guide

BLOG:

GHC at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian!

A How To Guide

How-To Guide

Through Glass

June 3, 2020/in Resources Top 8/by tkinser

Project progress: 100%

when a global pandemic shuts down the world and keeps us at home how can we use art to help us re-emerge as a connected neighborhood even from a distance?

BACKGROUND:

Normally, our neighbors and neighborhood come together through collective work, but COVID-19 arrived which halted our face to face connection. Our community was hurting and, let’s face it, we were all going a bit stir crazy.

NEED:

We needed to stay connected with our neighbors in Glass Farm. Even if they were social distancing on front porches or watching the world outside through glass, we wanted to see them exactly where they are regardless of isolation. One thing the COVID19 pandemic can’t change, but proves, is the healing power of art.

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VISION:

We decided our arts-driven and artist-led work could continue, but in the form of a socially distant mini-documentary project featuring porch and window portraits of Glass Farm residents. We hired a local photographer, Reed Schick, who started a window portrait project in his own neighborhood as a way to challenge and engage himself creatively with a meaningful project during the shutdown. In Glass Farm, families and individuals signed up for one of two free evening sessions with Schick and videographer Davy Granberry. Through the process of posing for portraits, conversations and common concerns emerged and were also captured. Now, in collaboration with the participating residents and a creative team of socially engaged artists, graphic and sound designers, videographer, and Glass House Collective Creative Strategist and poet Erika Roberts, two new films titled Through Glass will be created featuring Glass Farm residents’ stories and voices during this unprecedented season.

PARTNERS:

Funder: EFA

Glass House Collective

Teal Thibaud
Creative Director & Producer
Kayla Green
Brand Designer & Website Production
Taylor Kinser
Creative Direction & Website Production
Mary Barnett
Media & Communications

Artists

Reed Schick
Director & Photographer
Davy Granberry
Director of Photography & Editor
Summer Dregs
Music and Sound Design
Carl Cadwell
Sound Engineer
Erika Roberts
Poet

GOAL:

While it may seem strange that the stay at home order is bringing us an opportunity to introduce our neighbors to a wider community, it feels powerful that this project is also giving every one of us a chance to see ourselves in these portraits as we all contend with the world as it is from where we are.

IN THE NEWS:

WTVC TV (ABC) – Good News In Your Community

Collectively Speaking (GHC) – Interview with film director, Reed Schick

WUTC 88.1 (NPR) – Scenic Roots

City Share

January 9, 2014/in Resources Previous/by glasshousec

CITY SHARE SPEAKER SERIES
What if community building was an open-source process? City Share is an ongoing speaker series Read more

How-To Guide

January 9, 2014/in Resources Previous/by glasshousec

Can condensing a movement into an instruction manual help incite collaborative action?

The How-To Guide was created as an instruction manual for residents to work with neighbors on temporary projects. The guide has been passed out to over 200 community members and serves as a catalyst for neighborhood action as it not only gives manageable directions, but also provides a visual projection of each project’s potential.

The guide is broken down into instructions for nine projects. From community banners to pop up shops, it not only gives basic step-by-step directions, but also lists the needed materials, costs, time frames and necessary collaborators for each individual project. The How-To Guide is a unique and visually stimulating representation of the near-term plan for Glass Street. The How-To Guide will be vital in the planning process for the Glass Street’s Better Block event on February 23rd.