M-B Residents & Officials Thank SDAT

The Sustainable Design Assessment Team has concluded its work in Indianapolis’ Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, reporting its findings to the community as well as local planners and officials at the Washington Park Family Center on Friday night. The team spent three days investigating, listening, analyzing and preparing, all in the effort to better understand how to create systemic and long-standing improvement in the area.

One of the examples of how the team worked together with the community is the story of local resident Amy Harwell (pictured), who had the opportunity to work with urban planners to address a particular plan for a vacant lot in the area. Harwell took things a step further than planning, tracking down the owner of the lot and making plans with an SBC partner — the Indy chapter of Architecture For Humanity.

Harwell addressed the meeting, particularly praising the Ball State University students who had volunteered their time with her. Josephine Rogers gave praise to all the efforts on behalf of the Martindale-Brightwood Community Development Corporation. Also in attendance were Nancy Stimson (Freewheelin’ Bikes), Will Pritchard (DCI), Chris Harrell (Smart Growth), Janine Betsey (King Park CDC), Brad Beaubien (Ball State) and Pearl Carter (Hillside Neighborhood Association). And thanks to host Cassandra Shelby of Washington Park and all those folks in attendance who we have yet to meet.

Abe Farkes of the SDAT talked about the need for K-12 education in the area, particularly honing in on mentorship, internship and raising graduation rates for high school students. Martindale-Brightwood, to the best of our knowledge, has not had a high school for more than a century, but Schools Building Communities hopes to change that in 2011 by bringing an international business and design high school to the corner of 22nd and Yandes Streets.

Don Edwards closed the presentation with some advice for the community and a quote from Robert F. Kennedy. “Your wealth is your people,” he told the crowd. “Nothing will bring about your plans like a well-educated constituency for change.”

He then added the Kennedy quote, which was delivered just blocks away on the evening of Martin Luther King’s assassination at what is now known as King-Kennedy Park. “The vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.”

The reports that have been generated in this process will soon be available on the American Institute of Architects website as well as Ball State’s Community-Based Projects site and the Smart Growth Indy website.