The Green Impact Zone® Neighborhood Vision
The Green Impact Zone neighborhood leadership is made up of the leaders of the 10 neighborhoods and community development organizations that are included in whole or in part in the zone. The leaders of these 10 organizations developed the following vision, outcomes, principles and strategies that guide this game plan.
Vision
To develop a sustainable community; one that is environmentally, economically and socially stronger tomorrow than it is today...using a comprehensive green strategy...coordinated programs with innovative delivery mechanisms...and intense resident engagement...to more rapidly push community change, build community capacity, and make the Green Impact Zone a place where people want to live, work and play.
Outcomes
The long term outcomes for the Green Impact Zone are:
- A high quality of life for everyone in the zone
- Quality housing for everyone living in the zone
- Safe, attractive and sustainable neighborhoods
Guiding Principles
The work to realize the vision of the Green Impact Zone will be guided by these principles:
- The work will be inclusive, consisting of resident
participation and representation, community accountability and transparency.
- The work will be effective, achieving the outcomes
listed above, being responsive to community desires, having noticeable
impact on resident lives and the community, and building organizational
and community capacity.
- The work will be efficient, leveraging resources, strategically
using resources, fiscally accounting for resources, and using data to
make decisions.
- The work will complement and enhance existing neighborhood
goals and activities.
- The work will cross-pollinate ideas, programs and
people to enhance the ability of people inside and out of the Green Impact
Zone to learn from the programs and policies.
- The work will be evidence-based, using information
and data to evaluate the effectiveness of activities and adjust program
design.
- The work will be targeted so that each block sees significant improvement to lives, homes and community assets.
Strategies
The success of the Green Impact Zone will depend on implementing and coordinating a wide range of strategies and programs over a long period of time guided by the principles listed above. The following are the initial strategies to begin this work.
The most important strategy underlying all of the work of the Green Impact Zone is a strong neighborhood outreach program that not only engages every resident and business in the activities of the zone, but is able to help every resident understand and access the wide range of resources that are available. This will require not only "boots on the ground," but an in-depth knowledge of the programs and resources available to zone residents and businesses and an ability to help those residents and businesses make the most effective use of them. The outreach program will be the critical link between the strategies below and the residents and businesses of the Green Impact Zone.
Housing and Weatherization Programs – the Green Impact Zone neighborhood leadership, Coordinating Council, housing and weatherization program providers, and strategic partners will develop and implement a highly coordinated initiative to contact every resident, assess their housing needs, develop an individual strategy for each home, and implement this strategy. This will require a high degree of coordination between programs and the neighborhoods and will require an extensive outreach effort by the neighborhoods. This individualized approach to housing improvement will be supplemented by programs to rehabilitate foreclosed homes, develop new housing on vacant lots, remove dangerous buildings, address rental property maintenance and absentee ownership, and improve Kansas City Housing Authority property.
Employment and Training – the Green Impact Zone neighborhood leadership, Coordinating Council, employment and training program providers, and strategic partners will develop and implement a highly coordinated initiative to identify zone residents who need assistance in entering the job market or need to upgrade their position in the market, connect these individuals with programs and opportunities to gain or improve their employment skills, and then connect these individuals to jobs that pay a living wage and offer a career path to long-term employment.
Public Safety and Community Services – the Green Impact Zone neighborhood leadership, Coordinating Council, public safety and neighborhood services providers, and strategic partners will develop and implement a highly coordinated program to provide enhanced public safety and neighborhood services to the zone. The program will include community policing and code enforcement operated in close coordination with the neighborhood leadership and residents. Also included will be the use of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) to make sure that existing homes, newly renovated homes, and new homes are designed and developed with public safety in mind.
Energy and Water Conservation – the Green Impact Zone neighborhood leadership, Coordinating Council, utilities, and strategic partners will develop and implement a highly coordinated initiative to reduce energy and water use within the zone and in the process reduce utility bills for residents and improve the community. The initiative will include individual property strategies as well as neighborhood-wide strategies such as installation of a smart grid and the expansion of solar and other renewable energy sources within the zone.
Infrastructure – the Green Impact Zone neighborhood leadership, Coordinating Council, utilities, and strategic partners will develop and implement a highly coordinated infrastructure plan for the zone. Housing improvements will not only be targeted block by block, but will be enhanced with complimentary public improvements of streets, curbs, sidewalks, parks and other public amenities.
