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Neighborhood Revitalization and Capacity-Building |
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The National Center for Neighborhood and Brownfields Redevelopment works in partnership with community and faith-based organizations, and local, county, and state governments to focus attention on the economic, infrastructure, and quality of life issues affecting communities that are impacted by brownfields. We help community organizations participate in what are often complex development and redevelopment decisions that impact their neighborhood and facilitate productive relationships between government, business and local residents to address brownfields opportunities and impacts.
Building Capacity for Brownfields Redevelopment in Community-Based Organizations
In 2005, the USEPA selected the National Center for Neighborhood & Brownfield Redevelopment to develop a series of technical assistance modules to aid community-based organizations in their efforts to resurrect derelict brownfield properties in their communities.
The project produced five initial modules to provide community leaders with a common base of knowledge on the following critical aspects of brownfield redevelopment:
- Neighborhood Marketing, Improvement and Participation through Brownfields Redevelopment
- Planning and Visioning for Brownfields Reuse Within a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy
- Phase I Site Assessment: Brownfields Identification and Community Engagement
- Moving from Phase I to Phase II Site Assessments and Understanding Risks
- Financing and Insurance Programs for Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup
We have implemented the program with Community Development Organizations in Paterson, NJ, Philadelphia, PA and Jersey City, New Jersey. (See CDC Profiles). The second phase of this work focuses on sharing the tools with key organizations and the planning community across the country.
Module Brochure
See Recent Events for information about the April 4 workshop demonstrating the program.
Allegheny West Neighborhood in North Philadelphia
Judy Shaw advises a CDC during a technical assistance session.
Elizabethport Community Health Intervention:
The Center was awarded funds from the Mushett Family Foundation to provide technical assistance to the socio-economically and environmentally distressed neighborhood of Elizabethport in Elizabeth, NJ. The Center has worked closely with local community groups and the City government since 2004 to implement community-based approaches to address health hazards and to positively impact public health, including establishing a new pediatric asthma management program administered by the Elizabethport Health Center.
Children at Health and Fitness Table Sponsored by NCNBR at July Fest Event
Redevelopment in Elizabethport Neighborhood of Elizabeth, NJ
Plainfield West End Revitalization Project
From 2002 through 2007, the Center provided technical assistance related to community capacity building in an effort to revitalize a 44-block low-income neighborhood that borders brownfield properties in the West End of the City of Plainfield, NJ. The Center organized and conducted community visioning sessions that defined and prioritized needs and sponsored meetings to educate the community and its evolving leadership on organizational and funding issues associated with implementing these plans. The Center's work resulted in the formation of a new community-based organization called POWER (Plainfield Organization for West End Revitalization).
Funded in part by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the Center helped to build partnerships between residents, local nonprofits and the City government, helped to obtain a $100,000 planning grant from the Wachovia Regional Foundation and led the development of a community-based revitalization plan. To sustain the effort, the Center also helped the City to obtain two $200,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grants, and is currently leading a community steering committee to advise the City on brownfields cleanup and reuse.
West End Neighborhood Strategic Revitalization Plan
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| Plainfield West End Residents at Visioning Meeting |
GIS Map of West End Neighborhood |
NCNBR Exec. Director Henry Mayer (fourth from left) and Program Associate Karen Lowrie (fourth from right), with other members of the POWER Partnership, at Kickoff Celebration for award of $100K Neighborhood Planning grant from Wachovia Regional Foundation
Arts Village Development:
The Center recently completed a project for the township of Woodbridge, NJ to help to assess issues related to redeveloping a brownfields site into an artists' village. We convened focus groups and produced a report including analysis of survey and interview data and presentation of key issues, along with recommendations for further study and community involvement.
Arts Village Report
Lead Paint Registry
Funded by New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the Center is analyzing and processing state databases with regard to the codes & standards required to inspect all rental properties every 5 years for the presence of lead and status of any removal. The Center will then attach spatial coordinates to all of the data and build an interactive user friendly web site for the public's use.
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