COMMUNITY ACTIVATION: engagement for ecodistrict design

COMMUNITY ACTIVATION CHRISTINE MONDOR, AIA, LEED AP EBOM Principal, evolve environment :: architecture

ANNA ROSENBLUM, MS Sustainable Design, LEED AP EBOM Project Manager, evolve environment :: architecture ZAHEEN HUSSAIN Millvale Sustainability Coordinator, Millvale Community Library

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engagement for ecodistrict design

ARCHITECT SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CONSULTANT COMMUNITY ADVOCATE MUNICIPAL LEADER POLICYMAKER REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER COMMUNITY DEVELOPER PROJECT FINANCER ENTRPRENEUR URBAN PLANNER COMMUNITY ORGANIZER ENGINEER BUILDING OWNER UTILITY REPRESENTATIVE NON-PROFIT evolveEA.com

THE IMPERATIVES PUTTING PEOPLE AND PLANET AT THE CENTER OF CHANGE

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EQUITY.

Cities that embrace equity identify and acknowledge the communities most vulnerable to change. District teams must ensure their community has the opportunity to meaningfully participate, lead, and thrive.

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PROCESS EQUITY DISTRIBUTIONAL EQUITY CROSS-GENERATIONAL EQUITY

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What this means is that:

 The right people are at the table, those that are representative of the broader community and its interests.

 Vulnerable populations or those that may be disproportionately affected by development, are represented and are an active partner.  Outreach and engagement is designed to eliminate barriers to participating in the process.  Representative voices are being heard and incorporated in a way that contributes to the outcome. evolveEA.com

http://www.grosvenor.com/research/research/2014/resilient%20cities%20research%20report/

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RESILIENCY GROSVENOR REPORT the ability of a city to avoid or bounce back from an adverse event comes from the interplay of vulnerability and adaptive capacity climate environment resources infrastructure community

PLACE

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governance institutions technical capacity planning systems funding structures

GOVERNANCE

within SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM (SES) //

RESILIENCY ADAPTABILITY

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the capacity to learn and adjust responses to changing external drivers and internal processes, and continue developing within the current system (Folke et al)

within SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM (SES) //

RESILIENCY

the capacity to learn and adjust responses to changing external drivers and internal processes, and continue developing within the current system (Folke et al)

ADAPTABILITY

ADAPABILITY evolveEA.com

within SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM (SES) //

RESILIENCY

TRANSFORMABILITY

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the capacity to create a fundamentally new system when ecological, economic, or social structures make the existing system untenable (Folke et al)

within SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM (SES) //

RESILIENCY

the capacity to create a fundamentally new system when ecological, economic, or social structures make the existing system untenable (Folke et al)

TRANSFORMABILITY

TRANSFORMABILITY evolveEA.com

CREATING A

LIVING CITY evolveEA.com

LIVING CITIES DESIGN FOR

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE evolveEA.com

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THE FOCUS COMMUNITY FORMATION evolveEA.com

FIRST CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT DESIGN evolveEA.com

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COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE

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STABILIZE

CONSOLIDATE RESOURCES

GROW

ECONOMIC SECURITY

DIVERSIFY

INCREASE RESILIENCY

SUSTAIN

MAINTAIN VIBRANCY

COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE

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Ecodistrict planning quantifies system performance, assigns value to ecological processes and promotes social equity in scalar economies.

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HOW CAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE MAKE A COMMUNITY MORE RESILIENT evolveEA.com

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POWERING COMMUNITY :: engagement for high performance neighborhoods 10/48

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A core team, with a vision, and a plan of action, can make change!

Change the paradigm from transactions to transformations! evolveEA.com

Welcome to

MILLVALE

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Millvale is a classic Western Pennsylvania milltown.

Natural resources and industry have always been important to Millvale’s physical environment and cultural identity.

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Mural painted by Maxo Vanka at St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, Millvale 1937. Photo Renee Rosensteel, vankomurals.org.

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Mural painted by Maxo Vanka at St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, Millvale 1937. Photo Renee Rosensteel, vankomurals.org.

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Bauerlein German Brewery

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Millvale Town Square Site: Former Dinette Place

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Millvale’s neighbors have money to spend.

Understand the market.

Millvalers spend more on their cars than on food.

Millvalers spend their money outside of their community.

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Shot and a beer anyone???

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Allegheny County’s cancer

risk from air toxic releases from pollution point sources is in the top 1% in the country.

Source: 2005 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment, U.S. EPA/The Toll from Coal, Clean Air Task Force

Breathing ozone can trigger

chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and worsen emphysema and asthma.

Source: Ozone Basic Information. U.S. EPA/ Particulate Matter. Basic Information. U.S. EPA

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Death rate due to cancer

(per 100,000 people – non-attributable to air only)

~50% lung cancer Allegheny County

184.2

City of Pittsburgh

195.5

Millvale Borough

423.5

Source: Allegheny Health Department

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It’s time to

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!

YOUR CHALLENGE You are working on a project in Millvale.

Establish a community engagement strategy to accomplish the stated goal. evolveEA.com

Construct a community engagement strategy to engage, inform, and activate Millvale stakeholders.

Choose the 4 engagement strategy cards that you believe would be most successful in your given scenario (or create a card of your own!).

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text

AnnaRosenblu471 to

22333 evolveEA.com

You must send each strategy in a separate text message. If the strategy is multiple words, put a dash in between each word.

Example:

Come-To-The-Table evolveEA.com

SCENARIO ONE

Member of Millvale’s founding EcoDistrict team.

Engagement strategy will learn about community values to inform EcoDistrict goals.

Which community engagement strategies did you choose?

Please send each strategy as a separate text message.

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SCENARIO TWO

Member of Millvale’s core EcoDistrict team. Engagement strategy will encourage residents and entrepreneurs to take action to forward food-related goals.

Which community engagement strategies did you choose?

Please send each strategy as a separate text message. evolveEA.com

SCENARIO THREE

Community leader who is managing an air quality investigation. Engagement strategy will raise community capacity to complete the project.

Which community engagement strategies did you choose?

Please send each strategy as a separate text message.

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2012 ECODISTRICT 2013 BASELINE

VISION & GOALS

& PROJECT PLANNING

BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY evolveEA.com

REACHING OUT | INVITING IN

stakeholders

ENGAGE INFORM ACTIVATE outcomes

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REACHING OUT | INVITING IN

stakeholders

ENGAGE INFORM ACTIVATE outcomes

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REACHING OUT | INVITING IN

stakeholders

ENGAGE INFORM ACTIVATE outcomes

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REACHING OUT | INVITING IN

stakeholders

ENGAGE INFORM ACTIVATE outcomes

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REACHING OUT | INVITING IN

stakeholders

ENGAGE INFORM ACTIVATE outcomes

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GOAL Get feedback the represents ALL Millvalians & gather insights into how they understand their community evolveEA.com

These are places that we can

IMPROVE

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GOAL Understand place-based assets & liabilities. evolveEA.com

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GOAL Investigate interest & inspire activation.

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GOAL

Recruit entrepreneurs & imagine alternative futures. evolveEA.com

IN SITU COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOOD ALLEY models for the Millvale Town Center MAP MILLVALE tell more about Millvale I WISH THIS WAS… what should this building become? evolveEA.com

DEEP DIVE QUICK ENGAGEMENT :: IMPACT DAY WITH DELOITTE Business plan development for new or emerging companies Impact Farm @ the Millvale Town Center, The Millvale Town Center, Open Floor Maker Space, Deco Resources, Solar Co-Op, Fermented Foods, Artisanal Sriracha, Food Desert Communities evolveEA.com

DEEP DIVE LONG TERM ENGAGEMENT :: NEW SUN RISING Business support for new or emerging companies Tupelo Honey Teas, Farm Truck Foods, Steel City Soils, Gardens of Millvale, Millvale Food Hub, Three Rivers Grown, Plate Trade, Three Rivers Growers Cooperative, Plenty Wild, Sprezzatura

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Together with our community partners, the team created a COMMUNITY PROJECT TOOLKIT...

VISION

CONTEXT

COMMUNITY VALUES

PROJECTS

...to determine shared goals and inspire people to action.

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PIVOT1.0

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PIVOT2.0

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In 2012, with the development of the Millvale EcoDistrict Pivot 1.0 Plan, the community had selected three key issue areas to tackle—Food, Water, and Energy.

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Millvale completed a cycle of EcoDistrict action and is now a maturing EcoDistrict.

Pivot 2.0 provided tools to increase Millvale’s depth of commitment and breadth of adoption. completed projects

completed projects

completed projects

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TOWN CENTER

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RIVER DISTRICT

Similar to the Stone Soup folktale, the Stone Soup CafĂŠ & Food Hub is a community project where people can contribute talent and knowledge.

The first floor is home to a cafĂŠ and market where someone can find healthy food choices.

The second floor is home to food enterprise incubator and community offices.

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DISTRIBUTION Millvale is a community with low access to fresh food distribution points like grocery stores and supermarkets.

Based on Just Harvest’s report, there is only one business that offers products from all three food groups (energy giving, body building, protective) 2. Moreover, the Farm Stand project is the only access to fresh food from local farmers within Millvale. The only distribution business available in the community are:

2 food distribution facilities • Sunoco • Family Dollar

1 Farmers Market The Farm Stand Project by Pittsburgh’s Community Food Bank, began to provide communities like Millvale with fresh food from local farmers. It has been the most significant source of fresh food within Millvale. However, the program is in jeopardy due to recent funding cuts, and food security issues become paramount for Millvale.

The Farm Stand project at Millvale

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FOOD DISTRIBUTION Food distribution points for residents and visitors plays a key role in Millvale’s food system.

Since existing access to fresh food within the community is limited, the development of a central distribution point becomes critical.

PROCESSING Millvale has an inventory of commercial kitchens, processing businesses and restaurants. There are:

9 commercial kitchens • churches • Meals on wheels • VFW

24 food facilities • restaurants • coffee places • bars

4 food processing businesses • bakeries • breweries

A cob oven is located in the community garden

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FOOD PROCESSING As for processing & supply, an existing network of commercial kitchens, processing businesses and restaurants has been identified within the community.

In 2013, there were 24 food service businesses and 30 commercial kitchens in Millvale.

PRODUCTION Currently in Millvale there are:

2 lots of community gardens 1 community orchard 3 apiary sites 4 breweries The production potential of the community was assessed to identify viable areas for urban agriculture. The inventory shows that currently within Millvale there are:

9.1 acres of hillside area 4.5 acres of vacant lots distributed across 66 vacant lots Not all areas are easily accessible. Strong candidates based on likely condition of soil, access, parcel control and proximity to other services are outlined as shown below.

Events at the Millvale Gardens

During the summer of 2010 the Millvale Gardens came to life

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FOOD PRODUCTION The production potential of the community was assessed to identify viable areas for urban agriculture.

Millvale has 66 vacant lots, which equates to 4.5 acres viable for food production.

DISTRIBUTION PRODUCTION PROCESSING Millvale has isinaMillvale community with low access kitchens, to fresh food Millvale an inventory ofare: commercial Currently there distribution points like grocery stores and supermarkets. processing businesses and restaurants.

There are: 2 lots of community gardens Based on Just Harvest’s report, there is only one commercial kitchens 19 community orchard • churches business that sites offers products from all three food groups 3 apiary • Meals on wheels 2 (energy 4 breweries •giving, VFW body building, protective) . Moreover, the24 Farm Stand project isofthe access to fresh food The production potential theonly community was assessed food facilities from local farmers within Millvale.

The only distribution to identify viable areas for urban agriculture.

The • restaurants business available the community inventory shows thatincurrently within are: Millvale there are: • coffee places 2 food distribution 9.1 acres of hillsidefacilities area • bars • Sunoco 4.5 acres of vacant lots distributed across 4 food processing • Family Dollar businesses 66 vacant lots • bakeries 1 Farmers Market Not all areas are easily accessible.

Strong candidates • breweries The Farm Stand Project by Pittsburgh’s Community based on likely condition of soil, access, parcel control Food Bank, began to provide communities like Millvale and proximity to other services are outlined as shown with fresh food from local farmers. It has been the most below. significant source of fresh food within Millvale. However, the program is in jeopardy due to recent funding cuts, and food security issues become paramount for Millvale.

Events at the Millvale Gardens

A cob oven is located in the community garden During the summer of 2010 the Millvale Gardens came to life

The Farm Stand project at Millvale

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All the performance categories are integrated into redefining Millvale’s public spaces, including the first complete streets improvements.

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TOW N CENTER

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TOW N CENTER

The Town Center is the heart of Millvale. It is where business and people come together. Proposed strategies for the Town Center include green infrastructure that serves the stormwater management issues, but also creates liveable places for residents.

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The community imagined solutions for mobility chokepoints that reflect their unconventional culture, such as a Kayak Commuter Hub and Kayak Crossing Intersection.

Photo google.com/maps

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The community imagined solutions for mobility chokepoints that reflect their unconventional culture, such as a Kayak Commuter Hub and Kayak Crossing Intersection.

Photo google.com/maps

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M More than a library – an agent for social change

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Tree Planting and Care Training

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Parking lot rain garden

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Green Jobs Training

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State of PA PennVest Grant $700K = 850 trees + 2 bioswales

Public | Private Partnerships $350K = planning + development services

Allegheny County

$50K = community gardens + orchard + training

Local Foundations

$450K = project implementation

Volunteers

70,000 hours = service + community building

Speculative Grants $2.1M = planning + projects evolveEA.com

Thank you for attending!

COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? Interesting in a community engagement card deck?

Visit this link to order your copy! http://www.evolveea.com/CommunityEngagement @ImagineMillvale www.millvalelibrary.org evolveEA.com

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