Great Neighborhoods

Strategy 2.1.11

Create shared design guidelines and establish a design review processes for the redevelopment of tax sale properties in order to preserve neighborhood integrity and strengthen community character.

Strategy 2.1.10

Create a “Neighborhood Clean-up Drive” program where a neighborhood has access to resources and equipment to remove debris, trash, and abandoned cars.

*Memphis City Beautiful assists neighborhoods in their clean-up efforts, contact them through their website:  http://www.cityofmemphis.org/framework.aspx?page=150   Read recent news about their efforts along with the 25-square blight pilot project here & here & here.  

Strategy 2.1.9

Assist developers to reach their pledge for the Fairgrounds to be a “green” project and for the redevelopment to demonstrate sustainable urbanism principles in action.

Strategy 2.1.8

Establish three demonstration neighborhoods where targeted policies, incentives, and public and private partnerships will be applied to develop a model sustainable neighborhood.

Strategy 2.1.7

Support community gardening programs and create an Urban Garden and Organic Farming Initiative, offering training in urban farming and help transform vacant urban parcels into community gardens.

*GrowMemphis’ primary work is aimed at training new community gardeners to transform vacant parcels into sustainable community gardens.  Currently they work with about 30 community gardens.  Recently they collaborated to design an Urban Agriculture Entrepreneur Program to help create business plans for those more interested in larger scale, for-profit urban farming.   

*Roots Memphis Farm Academy is a farmer incubator program that will create new farmers by combining sustainable agricultural education and business plan development with an incubation process that connects graduates to land, financing, and markets. Graduates of the Farm Academy will utilize currently vacant land to produce food in the urban core, providing themselves and their families with much-needed income.

Strategy 2.1.6

Apply to the League of American Bicyclists to become a “Bicycle Friendly Community.”

*Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization applied for this designation and received an honorable mention in 2011.  In addition, Memphis City Hall received a bronze in the category for a bicycle friendly business.  Read more about it here. 

Strategy 2.1.5

Neighborhood Planners in the DPD will work with the neighbors to create a character guidebook.

Strategy 2.1.4

Reorganize the DPD around Neighborhood Planners who are experts of specific geographic regions.

Strategy 2.1.3

Revise the current fiscal impact model (anticipated tax revenue vs. cost of additional services) for development to ensure that it more closely reflects the actual costs of new development.

Strategy 2.1.2

Establish a “Great Neighborhood Score” to set the standard of high-performing, successful neighborhoods and by which to evaluate all proposals and applications to the Division of Planning and Development.