AUC and Community Together Promote Green Infrastructure at Community Forum 2

ECO-Action and its partners  (The Conservation Fund, Park Pride, CIA, WAWA and MAUWI), continue to engage the impacted under-served communities of English Avenue and Vine City in the Proctor Creek watershed through its Green Infrastructure for the AUC Initiative. The 2nd Green Infrastructure Community Forum held on November 14th at the Lindsay Street Baptist Church made a big step in advancing this effort.

Speakers first shared progress on the implementation of the Proctor Creek/North Avenue Study (which proposed green infrastructure improvements for the Vine City and English Avenue neighborhoods) and progress on ongoing efforts by AUC faculty, staff and students to develop green infrastructure conceptual plans.
Having this material as a foundation, participants created action plans that could guide their collective efforts to spearhead community led projects that would improve conditions in Proctor Creek neighborhoods. The action plan areas were:

1. Developing a Proctor Creek Learning Exchange,
2. Advancing Workforce Development for Green Infrastructure,
3. Creating a Smart Relocation Resource Center and
4. Advancing the Improvement of the Proctor Creek North Avenue Conceptual plans through joint student/community efforts.

All of these projects will  engage community and University participants in service projects that advance green infrastructure and address community environmental justice concerns. The plans that were created are a roadmap for future efforts. They also include a structure that engages AUC faculty, staff and students in these efforts. The action steps developed during the group’s deliberations will not only help to advance green infrastructure but also help to lift up communities out of unhealthy homes, create green spaces, and improve the quality of Proctor Creek.  You can read more about these action plans on the Green Infrastructure at the AUC page of the website.
The forum closed with tour of the nearby Lindsay Street Park led by Shannon Lee of the Conservation Fund.  This Vine City park which formally opened in October,  showcases a daylighted section of Proctor Creek and includes green infrastructure and native plantings.