We received community input on how, where, and what should be designed at the corner of North Chamberlain and Glass Street.  ADA-compliant, handicap accessible sidewalks, streetlights, curb bump-outs, and traffic calming trees were all installed based on a design the using neighbors’ input. This was a big win for our community. The City of Chattanooga investment $350,000 into this intersection and since then we’ve seen 1.8 million dollars of public investment go into purchasing and renovating buildings along Glass Street.

In 2016 at the Next Big Thing Urbanism workshop, GHC was advised to “book end” Glass Street with similar improvements at the intersection of Dodson Avenue and Glass Street, and our neighbors were very excited to participate in generating design concepts. So, we made that a priority and raised funding to both solicit feedback and begin the project.

In 2017, residents imagined a landscaped Glass Street at the intersection of Dodson Avenue and Glass Street. They participated in an interactive activity at Glass Street LIVE that invited color-coded post-it style feedback to indicate preferences for green space, desired or undesired land use, and a color for new ideas.

Under the leadership of Nicole Lewis, our Community Relations Manager, the 80 responses received at GSL were collated, and GHC further engaged residents in what they would like to see take shape at the intersection of Dodson Avenue and Glass Street. During February and March 2018, Nicole initiated twelve community input design sessions engaging 200 neighbors in the East Chattanooga area. Building on the input gained during 2017 Glass Street LIVE, the process focused on partnering with community leaders, neighborhood associations, local elementary schools, and neighbors.

The artistic process for gathering feedback was created and facilitated by 800 Collective’s Josiah Golson and Mary Ann Twitty. The Chattanooga Design Studio was involved in the initial meeting with 800 Collective about the information needed to be useful for planning. Shawana Kendrick, who was an assistant facilitator in the 2014 community input sessions centered around the North Chamberlain and Glass St. intersection, was hired to help with facilitation of the larger meetings.

With funding from the Lyndhurst Foundation, Glass House Collective had the opportunity to invest dollars in neighbors to host the streetscaping dinners, instigating a flow of welcome and pride through sharing hospitality with friends new and old. Residents invited their neighbors into their homes for small group discussions about improvements needed at the intersection. Over 50 neighbors participated in the dinners. Many of these neighbors had never previously engaged in traditional meetings and had no interest in doing so, but were grateful to be engaged in a non-traditional manner. A Larger meeting was hosted by Councilwoman Coonrod and another one with Darien Scott from the Chamber at the Orchard Knob Elementary Community School PTA meeting. Habitat for Humanity and local neighbors were involved in the Recreation Centers meetings.

Since this streetscape project was so inclusive and creative, our application about the project was chosen as a panel presentation at the Intersections 2018, Smart Growth America’s placemaking and complete streets conference held nearby in Nashville, TN. Session overview can be found here. Speakers included:

·       Bert Kuyrkendall, P.E., Senior Transportation Engineer ()

·       Blythe Bailey, AIA, Administrator (Chattanooga Department of Transportation)

·       Nicole Lewis, Manager of Community Relations (Glass House Collective)

·       Josiah Golson, Artist (Glass House Collective)

·       Greg Heath, DHSc, MPH, Guerry Professor of Exercise Science, Health and Human Performance (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga)

During the neighborhood dinner sessions, common themes of safety, landscaping improvements, new uses for existing buildings, and new uses for a vibrant public space were included in the recommendations and analysis given to architect, David Barlew. The report and analysis can be found here. David created technical drawings from the analysis. He also estimated all costs for the project based on unit costs provided by CDOT.

At Glass Street Live 2018 on Saturday, November 3rd, David and a team of volunteers and neighbors installed a “tour” of the proposed permanent changes by along a 40-foot stretch between 2200-2300 Glass Street to take some of the ideas off the drawing board and temporarily illustrate them on a human scale. This provided for another chance to voice opinions. This short block was chosen as the “life-sized street sketch” for a few reasons, including the desire for wider sidewalks and a more pedestrian-friendly area. This stretch includes existing 9-foot sidewalks already, making it a great starting point to expand on that pedestrian-friendly idea.

Glass Farm resident Johnny Patmon volunteered to help kick things off in the morning and said he appreciates how the block party became a place for productive conversations directly with the community who are impacted and advocating for change on Glass Street. “That’s who you should ask in the first place, is the community who wants to see change and improvement in their community. So we asked people if they lived in the neighborhood and for how long because that’s important,” he said.

Feedback on the streetscaping proposal and signatures of support were gathered in different ways throughout the day at Glass Street LIVE. Gail McKeel, who has lived near Glass Street for years, prepared several signs expressing different opinions of the mock-up and streetscaping plans. Visitors to the installation were asked to pose for pictures with signs of their choosing that expressed their opinion of the proposed scheme. In all, Gail collected more than fifty photos of individuals, friends, couples, neighbors, and families sharing their thoughts about the mock-up. All 60+ photos of residents participating in this activity can be found here.

Our common public space comes alive only to the extent that we view it as a shared resource in which as many neighbors as possible participate and understand the difference design makes for everybody. We look forward to activating the area between now and when the permanent changes are underway.

]]> http://www.glasshousecollective.org/activating-intersections/feed/ 0 http://www.glasshousecollective.org/project/glass-street-christmas-party/ Thu, 09 Jan 2014 00:52:28 +0000 http://jeremyhixon.com/sandbox/glasshousecollective/?post_type=project&p=2379 Can a holiday party build confidence and reassure progress is being made?

On Thursday, December 6^th Glass House Collective hosted a Christmas party at their headquarters to debut the plans for the Glass Street District Design Vision. The night included a turkey dinner, visit from Santa, and an overall good time between residents of and around the Glass Street area.

The walls were adorned with Christmas decorations and twinkle lights, but more importantly, architectural and branding proposals for Glass Street residents to officially view for the first time. David Barlew, lead architect, explained the streetscape and public space plan to residents and business owners. Rondell Crier and Sheena Benavente spent the evening answering questions and receiving feedback on the proposed brand for Glass Street. Katherine Currin and Teal Thibaud greeted the guests and revealed specifics about Glass House Collective’s plan for the community. Not only did the party foster resident feedback, but also brought the community together in a spirit of solidarity for Glass House’s ongoing efforts.

Outcome:
Over 130 guests attended

Media:
The Pulse

Times Free Press

Facebook album can be viewed here.

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.

The idea for a new public space on Glass Street was developed through a series of visioning meetings.

With the support of Hefferlin+Kronenberg Architects, local designer Matthew Parks created and tested designs for the space with people from the neighborhood. Is it functional? Is it beautiful? What resources do we need to make this happen? This learning process continued into the construction phase of the project as well. On-site problem-solving was led by local designer Joshua Jorgensen,  Chattanooga-based artist Rondell Crier, and resident Travis Yeagley.

A plaque thanking all those involved was unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony with local elected officials and neighborhood association leadership. Now, our neighbors have a new and beautiful space for interaction and enjoyment on Glass Street – built by and for the community.

Outcomes:
25 people engaged
$2,600 worth of donated materials
230 hours of volunteered time

Also, please consider a contribution of time, talent or treasure to our Pocket Park by visiting our Causeway drive. All will help turn a once vacant lot into a beautiful new park!

To visit the facebook event page, please click here.

For more information about how you can get involved or support this project, please contact CNE Director of Development Nick Wilkinson at 423-756-6213 or nwilkinson@cneinc.org.

The Flying Squirrel

Wednesday, November 20th

5:30 p.m. – close

The idea for a new public space on Glass Street was developed through a series of visioning meetings.

With the support of Hefferlin+Kronenberg Architects, local designer Matthew Parks created and tested designs for the space with people from the neighborhood. Is it functional? Is it beautiful? What resources do we need to make this happen? This learning process continued into the construction phase of the project as well. On-site problem-solving was led by local designer Joshua Jorgensen,  Chattanooga-based artist Rondell Crier, and resident Travis Yeagley.

A plaque thanking all those involved was unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony with local elected officials and neighborhood association leadership. Now, our neighbors have a new and beautiful space for interaction and enjoyment on Glass Street – built by and for the community.

Outcomes:
25 people engaged
$2,600 worth of donated materials
230 hours of volunteered time

For one day this Feb. 23, Glass Street will come alive in the way that local leaders are working to implement permanently in the area. This one-day project is part of a Better Block initiative that will give neighborhood residents and community members a chance to be a part of Glass Street revitalization.

“It’s basically going to be a test drive of the future,” said Glass House Collective Director of Outreach and Communications Teal Thibaud.

In order to successfully implement the event, which will include live music, food vendors, kids activities, local art, a community resource center and pop-up shops, she said Glass House Collective is looking for local partners to pair with residents of the neighborhood.

“We want people in the community to pick a project they would like to be a part of,” said Thibaud. “We are asking them to champion those events. If they champion an event, I have a group of local people that have inquired about helping with this that we will pair with them.”

She said she has already paired a local architect with people in the neighborhood interested in carpentry for one project and helped a Glass Street neighborhood resident prepare to open a flea market shop during the event.

As the event approaches, Thibaud said the collective and the neighborhood need more people to help participate in the event. The collective is hosting additional preparation meetings Mondays, Jan. 28 and Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. and work days Monday, Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and Saturdays, Feb. 2 and 16 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

“It’s going to take all of Chattanooga’s parts to rise this place up,” she said.

In addition to helping coordinate the Better Block initiative on Glass Street, the collective has also worked with the city and through a $300,000 ArtPlace America grant it received to bring additional lights to the street and bus stop covers to the area.

Before deciding on these projects, Thibaud said the collective surveyed as many as 500 area residents to determine their needs and desires for the neighborhood.

“The top priorities for this community are things that other communities already have,” she said. “They just want to be a healthy, normal community.”

The new lights and bus stop covers will help people feel safer and more comfortable as they travel around their neighborhood, she said. Unfortunately, Thibaud said, these things will take time to implement, so the Better Block initiative is a way to keep people energized and excited while those projects come to fruition.

This article was written by Rachel Sauls for the TFP Community News.

Build Tree Planters: Help beautify Glass Street, slow down traffic and provide a sense of enclosure

Create Community Banners: Celebrate the district and promote the community’s identity

Create A Community Space: Provide a gathering place for the community and connect neighbors

Install Public Art: Make a local landmark and create a visual experience

Paint A Mural: Showcase creativity and beautify a building

Create Pedestrian Crossings: Slow traffic in district, improve pedestrian safety and encourage feet on the streets

Build A Pop Up Shop: Attract local businesses, activate empty storefronts and bring people to the street

Create A Community Event: Bring neighbors together and strengthen the neighborhood

The contents of the How-To Guide will culminate at Glass House Collective’s Better Block event on February 23, 2012. The event will be a celebration of the collaboration between Glass Street residents, Glass House Collective and YOU!

We need you. If you see something within the How-To Guide that you want to champion, please get in touch with us at info@glasshousecollective.org.