North Highland Park A Strategic Plan for Neighborhood Revitalization Through Arts and Culture Carson C. Lucarelli Candidate for Master of Urban and Regional Planning L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Virginia Commonwealth University Spring 2014
Plan Purpose I. Increasing access to art and culture will:
-Attract Investment -Increase Community Participation. -Improve the neighborhood’s image. II. This plan will address the following issues: - A lack of access to cultural amenities - Community-wide blight
- Commercial disinvestment
North Highland Park North Highland Park
Laburnam Ave.
CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
Source: Richmond GIS
North Highland Park
Source: Richmond GIS
Figure: Period architecture from the days of the street car remains abandoned
Goal 1: Make Arts and Culture a Priority for the Neighborhood Objective 1.1: Incorporate Arts and Culture into the neighborhood fabric
•Petition the City / Quality of Life Team to create a “Cultural Liaison” position
Objective 1.2: Pursue Funding Sources •Pursue grants at the state, federal and local level
Source: Virginia Commission for the Arts
Goal 2: Enhance Cultural Arts Participation Objective 2.2: Foster a new generation of culturally minded youth
•Reach a benchmark of annually impacted youth; increase figure yearly.
Source: www.villagearts.org
Objective 2.3: Promote and strengthen existing neighborhood festivals
•Increase exposure by inviting multi-cultural organizations to neighborhood festivals to act as cultural vendors.
Source: www.rvaonthecheap.com
Goal 3 Use art and culture to remedy blight and attract investment Objective 3.1: Concentrate public art in targeted locations to enhance the neighborhood appearance • Organize Pop-up Galleries along Meadowbridge Road
Objective 3.2: Leverage the historic character of the neighborhood Lucarelli, 2012.
•Create a new neighborhood logo using volunteers from the Brand Center, MoB and Storefront for Community Design. Objective 3.3: Strengthen relationships with local businesses •Connect local business owners to artists at an annual workshop Best Practice: The Conference Board, Richmond 2012 Meeting (Source: Americans for the Arts) Figure: www.brandcenter.vcu.edu
Conclusion Neighborhoods like North Highland Park stand to significantly benefit from increased access to arts and culture.
With a new mural and a new strategy, it’s time to continue the momentum‌
Source: Hamilton Glass