On May 2-3, delegations of cross-sector leaders from 7 cities across the country convened in Indianapolis for a day and a half workshop focused on what civic leaders have done and are dreaming of doing to improve livability in their cities. Team Better Block Principal Andrew Howard added the Better Block approach to the already impressive programs from around the country that are advancing livability.

Cities are asked to perform projects “Better, Faster and Cheaper” all the time. Typically, urban planning projects are long and full of painful public meetings that pose naysayers against progressives. Even good intended projects often get watered down, because of worst case scenarios taking over ideas for complete streets, public space and redevelopment. Conversely, the better block approach of temporarily building the project over a weekend with community simultaneously strengthens community ownership and removes the fear of change, because hey its temporary!

The Better Block approach can be applied to any livability issue in any city:

•Go Directly To The Issue

•Assemble the Community

•Have an Intervention

•Document  and Publish the Action

•Move to Make Perm Change

 

All cities struggle with lack of resources and a large scale. The better block approach says, start by using existing resources and use the block as the scale for your project. In actuality, every city has all the resources and talent it needs to be livable, we just need to allocate and connect them, respectively. The better block approach to rapid revitalization is now being used in many of the CEO for Cities’, such as  Indianapolis, Cleveland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Saint Paul.

On-going partnerships are sought for future better blocks from CEO for Cities members to track the progress of a block long after the temporary better block. If you have a better block in the making or want to test a block in your city please contact info@teambetterblock.com.

Indianapolis is taking on a Better Block and our team was able to meet with local sponsors and supporters for a workshop and community walk of the proposed area. Check out what they had to say about the project and the word cloud is “feelings” created by participants at the close of the workshop. My favorite was DEPUTIZED. I think everyone that hears the better block message is deputized and has a duty to better their city in days, not years!

“The hope for all these projects is that eventually it will become permanent, but instead of sinking all this investment into it and all this money and dollars into it, you can temporarily envision what it will look like and you can see the downsides to things and you can actually change things,” said Tom Streit, Big Car Director of Neighborhood Happiness.

Coverage of the Englewood Better Block workshop can be found here.

 

Come on weather, hold out for some amazing Better Blocks this summer.

May 4th

Oklahoma City

May11th

St Joseph MO

Denver CO

Tulsa Ok

 

May 18th

Grand Rapids MI

  Dallas, TX

June 8th

Saint Paul, MN

Indianapolis

June 13th

  Multiple Across Australia

Late Summer

Toronto, Boston

Just as the landscape for development is changing, see a recent article by sustainable cities collective that outlines a future that is much more reliant on incremental change and temporary improvements to the existing urban fabric, Americas’ learning institutions are adapting. They are taking students out of the classroom. If play is the ultimate research, then the better block is the new laboratory for Universities that want to maintain a creative edge. Check out these recent projects:

North Adams A project by 16 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts students showed North Adams residents how Eagle Street could be revitalized into a “better block.”

 

 

 

 

Fort Lauderdale Better Block FTL was organized by Cadence, the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida Atlantic University and FAT Village Arts District.

Is your block being held back by outdated land development codes? Check for these signs of overly restrictive zoning in your city with examples from Dallas and then organize a group of your friends to break them over a weekend at your own better block.

AWNINGS & ARCADES

Arcades – covered walkways at the edge of buildings, which are partly inside, partly outside – play a vital role in the way that people interact with buildings.

 

Dallas Development Code.  SEC. 43-115.  ANNUAL FEE FOR USE OF PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY.

(a)     Except as provided in Section 43-115.1, the annual fee for a license to use a public right-of-way for the following uses is:

(4)     Fee for awnings and canopies:  $1,000 per awning or canopy.

 

CROWDS

The simple social intercourse created when people rub shoulders in public is one of the most essential kinds of social “glue” in society.

Dallas Development Code.  SEC. 43-129.  CAUSING CROWD TO CONGREGATE ON SIDEWALK.

     No person shall occupy any space on the sidewalk or any space near the sidewalk where the same attracts any crowd or causes any crowd to congregate on the sidewalk or where the patrons or customers must remain on the sidewalk, for the purpose of carrying on any kind of business whether for amusement or profit.  (Code 1941, Art. 143-8)

FOOD STANDS

Many of our habits and institutions are bolstered by the fact that we can get simple, inexpensive food on the street, on the way to shopping, work, and friends.

 Dallas Development Code.  SEC. 43-4.  FRUIT STANDS, STALLS, ETC., ON SIDEWALKS.

     No person shall have or maintain any fruit stand, huckster’s stand or other stall on any sidewalk in the city.  (Code 1941, Art. 139-4)

 

MERCHANDISE

A building is most often thought of as something which turns inward – toward its rooms.  People do not often think of a building as something which must also be oriented toward the outside.

Dallas Development Code.  SEC. 43-133.  USE OF SIDEWALK FOR DISPLAY OF MERCHANDISE.

 

     No merchant or owner of a building, fronting on any street, shall be allowed the use of any portion of any sidewalk for the display of goods, wares or merchandise.  (Code 1941, Art. 143-12; Ord. 3707)

 

SIDEWALK FLOWERS

Soften the edges of buildings, paths, and outdoor areas with flowers.  Raise the flower beds so that people can touch the flowers, bend to smell, and sit by them.  And build the flower beds with solid edges, so that people can sit on them, among the flowers too.

 

Dallas Development Code.  SEC. 43-115.  ANNUAL FEE FOR USE OF PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY.

     (a)     Except as provided in Section 43-115.1, the annual fee for a license to use a public right-of-way for the following uses is:

          (3)     Fee for landscaping and appurtenant irrigation systems:  $1,000.

STREET CAFÉS

The street café provides a unique setting, special to cities:  a place where people can sit lazily, legitimately, be on view, and watch the world go by.

 Dallas Development Code.  SEC. 43-115.  ANNUAL FEE FOR USE OF PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY.

     (b)     Except as provided in Section 43-115.1, the annual fee for a license to use a public right-of-way for uses other than those listed in Subsection (a) is $1,000 or is calculated in accordance with one of the following formulas, whichever is greater:

(1)     Fee for use of public right-of-way, including but not limited to sidewalk cafes:  area X market value X 85% X 12%.

What we need is bureaucracy free zones to try out a new form of land development and public safety.  What city is ready to try out the Better Block Approach to zoning?

 

Team Better Block is now offering on-site workshops for your city!

 

INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW

What does Team Better Block do?

Team Better Block temporarily re-engineers and re-programs auto dominated, blighted, and underused urban areas into complete ones by working with cities, developers, and stakeholders to create quick, inexpensive, high-impact changes. Team Better Block uses pop-up shops to test the local economic development potential of streets re-engineered for walkability. Additionally, Team Better Block bolsters civic pride by enlisting the community in the build-out of the temporary installation.

Why are Team Better Block’s Temporary Rapid Revitalization Projects Important?

Although comprehensive planning projects are necessary for most property developments, the cost, scale and long-range timelines associated with these initiatives can often lead to a loss in project momentum and frustration or lack of confidence among area stakeholders and residents. In our projects we have seen improved acceptance by city engineers, planners, designers, and public safety officials of some of the most progressive measures in the urban street design toolbox. The Better Block approach has been used in over thirty cities from California to New York to illustrate rapid street changes and community revitalization. These cities have reported greater understanding and urgency by elected officials, leaders, and citizens for permanent change.

What will you learn in the Better Block workshop?

Introduction to Team Better Block approach
How to re-engineer and re-program streets, sidewalks, properties, and spaces for safety, shared amenities, and
Staying power
How to rally stakeholders, community, and civic participation
How to promote the demonstration through marketing, “shared” events, and social media
How to file for proper permitting for the demonstration
How to create teams and designate tasks efficiently and effectively
How to survey public and private spaces of blighted or auto-centric blocks through “on site” visits
How to design, build, and install temporary re-engineering and re-programming elements safely, economically, and efficiently through “hands on” demonstrations
How to measure through a set of metrics and reports the successes and failures of the demonstration
How to continue future efforts and take next steps for permanent change

 

Value

Keynote Speaker $3000, plus travel expenses.  One hour speaking on the history and future of the better block.

Half-day Workshop $6,500, plus travel expenses. Program includes one hour introduction, one hour of improve building, one hour of how to build a better block, one hour of resource and talent identification. Attendees leave with one small action to make a better city and a database of people and resources to build their own better block.

Full-day Workshop $9,000, plus travel expenses Program includes all elements from half-day, a  walk about of a potential area and identification of better block elements. Three one hour of interactive design sessions for placemaking, programming and street design. Attendees leave with all the half-day items and a design document for their own better block.

Three-day Workshop $25,000, plus travel expenses Program includes all elements of half-day plus two days of building a better block. Attendees leave with the experience of building their own better block. measures of effectiveness and a guidebook to making the better block permanent.

 

For questions regarding the workshop email Andrew@teambetterblock.com

 

BIOS OF INSTRUCTORS

 

Jason Roberts is the founder of the Oak Cliff Transit Authority, originator of the Better Block Project, co-founder of the Art Conspiracy and Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, and recent candidate for US Congress. In 2006, Jason formed the non-profit organization, Oak Cliff Transit Authority, to revive the Dallas streetcar system, and later spearheaded the city’s effort in garnering a $23 Million dollar TIGER stimulus grant from the FTA to help reintroduce a modern streetcar system to Dallas. In 2010, Jason organized a series of “Better Block” projects, taking blighted blocks with vacant properties in Southern Dallas and converting them into temporary walkable districts with pop-up businesses, bike lanes, cafe seating, and landscaping. The project has now become an international movement and has been featured in theNew York Times, Dwell magazine, TED Talks and on NPR. Team Better Block was showcased in the US Pavillion at the 2012 Venice Biennale.

 

Andrew Howard, AICP worked for 12 years in traditional urban and transportation planning at regional government offices and a top national engineering firm before leaving to help pioneer a new approach to public outreach. Realizing that over the past several decades, designers and city officials have struggled to create and maintain interest from local communities for long-term urban revitalization, Andrew and Co-founder Jason Roberts created The Better Blocks Project.Now being used in over forty cities and three nations, the better block illustrates how simple modifications can powerfully alter the economic, social, and ecological value of a city by gathering designers and community volunteers together to create a one-day urban intervention to spark the imagination and interest of citizens and leaders alike. The American Society of Landscape Architects called it, “a 21st-century version of what the Chicago World’s Fair did in 1893.” The project has now become a staple for communities seeking rapid urban revitalization and has been featured in the New York Times, Dwell magazine, NPR’s Marketplace and showcased in the US Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Biennale and highlighted at the National Association for City Transportation Officials.

 

Wanda Dye is an assistant professor in architecture at UT Arlington and founder and director of RE gallery + studio soon to open in the Cedars, Dallas, Texas. Set to open early fall 2012 – RE – a new collaborative community – will exhibit, consult, create, and disseminate RE practices in art and design – practices such as retrofitting, repurposing, reclamation, and reuse. Professor Dye received her Bachelors of Architecture from Auburn University and her Masters of Architecture from Columbia University. While in New York she worked in award winning design offices of Skidmore Owings and Merrill and Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects. For the past twelve years she has taught at several institutions and served as a consultant and/or collaborator on many design proposals and projects. Her most recent service learning teaching, consulting, and creative practice include collaborations with the Arlington Urban Design Center, AURORA, Carl Small Town Center, Cedars Open Studios, Change Chamber Development, Design Build Adventure [Jack Sanders], Ecological Community Builders, Fort Worth Avenue Development Group, National Housing Partnership, PARK[ing] Day Dallas, Alison Starr, SMU Meadows School of the Arts, Team Better Block [Jason Roberts and Andrew Howard], and The Galleries on Hickory. These collaborations have been covered in Art + Seek, A+C [Arts+ Culture] of North Texas, Dallas Morning News, D Magazine, Green Magazine, Pegasus News, The Dallas Observer, and Texas Architect.

Every community has all the talent and resources it needs to be successful, they just need to be connected and activated.

A Great diversity of people from all age groups and ethnic backgrounds mingled together in a revisioned section of Downtown Norfolk VA this past weekend.

The project was built, programmed and managed by one of the most dedicated group of volunteers Team Better Block has ever come across. On all projects, Team Better Block seeks to bring new participants into the fold of planning and designing our cities. Think of the Better Block as the new public meeting for the nimble city.

The typical public meeting process associated with redevelopment projects attracts a narrow sector of the population. Only those comfortable with the technical jargon of architecture, zoning and traffic engineering survive the powerpoint onslaught of a standard public meeting.   For about the same cost as a public meeting, set of design renderings and master plan book (shelf-fodder) we build a better block.

Melding together artist, architects, bicycle advocates, DIYers, moms, bicyclist, nerds and just about anyone with a passion we build a network of people that are the better block. A better block is not the bike lanes, cafe seating, pop-up shops, 30 foot bamboo pagodas (see below), but is the people. The relationships forged at a better block, which starts three months prior to the event date with a community walk, are the lasting social capital that allow our projects to accelerate city development and transportation policy and invigorate private investment.

The crowds at better blocks represent a consensus for changing the way we govern our cities and fund improvements. We need to think small, move fast and invest wisely.

Many say community is a thing of the past in America. That we are turning against ourselves with lawsuits, rampant gun ownership and isolation. I say we are transitioning into an even stronger union that is begun on the street during a better block. We are retraining ourselves to work together to build the city, neighborhood and block we always wanted. We are not waiting on government, the banks or some superman to come fix our place.

The better block communities built from the over forty projects around the US, Canada and Australia are developing a model for our society. One that says we are accountable for the place we live and together we can make it better. Our current condition of reduced community involvement evolved over the last 100 years, so it will take some time to rebuild. Social media and other improvements to communication will make it easier, but nothing beats personal engagement.

Better block is a training session for how to reconnect your community. Take the lessons from it and apply it to issues you are passionate about. Have an old theater in your town that is boarded up? Host an art auction in it. Have a vacant lot in your neighborhood that continually gets dumped on? Build a dog park on it. Need a hundred sandwiches for the the school band trip? Host a sandwich making party.

What you will find is that no issue is to hard if you:

#1 manage the equation of co-responsibility, divide issue and share tasks with others

#2 go directly to location of the issue, don’t meet in a library and talk about it

#3 set a date to do something, you are not going to make the situation worse and your project, no matter how simple or scaled down will make it better simply by you and others being there.

Each city needs a better block and then hundreds of smaller interventions happening to realize their true potential. Tell us about your projects at info@teambetterblock.com