{"id":1997,"date":"2015-04-05T06:30:54","date_gmt":"2015-04-05T12:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/challengedetroit.org\/blog\/?p=1997"},"modified":"2015-04-05T06:30:54","modified_gmt":"2015-04-05T12:30:54","slug":"challenge-4-7-ways-we-impacted-the-fitzgerald-neighborhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/challenge-4-7-ways-we-impacted-the-fitzgerald-neighborhood\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenge 4: 7 Ways We Impacted The Fitzgerald Neighborhood"},"content":{"rendered":"
This blog was written by current fellows and Project Coordination Leads for this challenge, Martha Cavazos and Elizabeth Grabowski.\u00a0<\/em><\/h5>\n

This challenge, we had the privilege of working with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center<\/a>, a multi-disciplinary non profit architecture and urban design firm housed in the University of Detroit Mercy<\/a>. The DCDC has experience designing and building sustainable spaces and communities, currently developing neighborhood activation strategies with the Fitzgerald neighborhood.<\/p>\n

The Fitzgerald neighborhood is located near the Lodge Freeway, the Avenue of Fashion, Marygrove College, and the University of Detroit Mercy.<\/p>\n

\"ChallengeBlog1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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For the challenge, fellows were divided into seven teams-each tasked with a different design question. Connecting these seven tasks was our collective goal to develop materials, resources, plans and events to support the engagement, empowerment and development efforts of local community leaders in the Fitzgerald neighborhood.<\/p>\n

As a neighborhood activation challenge, fellows were able to interact with local block club leaders, community organizations, business owners, and schools. We\u2019re grateful to have collaborated with the Marygrove Community Association, College Core Block Club, Fitzgerald Community Association, Maggie Lee\u2019s Community Center, and Bethune Elementary School. Without their support and guidance, we could not have created strategies, videos, marketing materials and more!<\/p>\n

So here you have it — a short list over viewing just some of what we\u2019ll pass on to our community partners and Detroit Collaborative Design Center in hopes of continuing to activate the beautiful Fitzgerald neighborhood.<\/p>\n

1. A powerful video<\/strong>:\u00a0The Storytelling team created a promotional video <\/a>that reflects the community\u2019s vibrant history, and its equally storied neighbors. While crafting the video, it was critical for the team to engage with various community leaders and neighbors. These two beautiful videos will allow community associations and groups to\u00a0brand their identify as the Fitzgerald Neighborhood, assist in applying for grants, and help communicate with other entities in Detroit.<\/p>\n

2. A grant writing toolkit<\/strong>:\u00a0The Fundraising and Granting Writing team worked alongside Maggie Lee\u2019s Community Center to unpack its financial and programmatic goals and visions for the center. As a result, the team put together several materials that will aid the organization of the grant writing process. We can\u2019t wait to see how grants can impact the center and the neighborhood!<\/p>\n

3. A community\u00a0bulletin\u00a0board design:\u00a0<\/strong>Community bulletin boards have gotten a ton of positive feedback in several Detroit neighborhoods as well as urban spaces around the country. The Community Bulletin Board team not only designed a multi-purpose design of a bulletin board, but outlined strategic placements for these boards as well as other \u201cWelcome to Fitzgerald\u201d signs. We think these pieces will brighten empty lots and unify the community\u2019s messaging.<\/p>\n

4. A community garden raised bed model:\u00a0<\/strong>\"ChallengeBlog2\"<\/a><\/strong>Urban farming is not a thing of the past in Detroit,\u00a0and most neighborhoods and community centers want in on this proven community engagement strategy. Maggie Lee\u2019s Community Center is no exception and the Community Garden team pulled together implementation plans and strategies to make it happen in the center\u2019s near future. With a full scale model and the team\u2019s building instructions, we hope Fitzgerald residents will be planting this spring!<\/p>\n

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5.\u00a0\"ChallengeBlog3\"An event plan for a neighborhood bike ride:\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>Recently renovated Lollo Park sits in the heart of the Fitzgerald neighborhood, which means it also sits atop an opportunity to further engage the community as a beautiful public space. The Lollo Park Committee Planning team created many plans to leverage the park in the community, but we are extra excited about the team\u2019s proposed \u201cLollo Roll.\u201d Based on the famous, \u201cSlow Roll,\u201d community bike ride, \u201cLollo Roll” will be an excellent opportunity to bring residents of all ages together and most importantly, to Lollo Park.<\/p>\n

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6.\u00a0A plan for a mentoring program:\u00a0<\/strong>The Fitzgerald neighborhood is home to both Mumford High School and Bethune Elementary School, in addition to two outstanding places of higher education, University of Detroit Mercy and Marygrove College. As a result, the Youth Outreach Strategy team had the enormous task of devising best practices to engage the youth of the neighborhood. We are most proud of the forged partnership between Bethune Elementary School and UDM\u2019s American Institute of Architecture Students that we hope will result in a robust mentorship program for all students involved.<\/p>\n

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7.\u00a0\"ChallengeBlog4\"<\/a><\/strong>A bundle of marketing materials for a neighborhood clean up:\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s not news that many Detroit neighborhoods suffer from blighted homes, empty lots, and general garbage dumping, and the\u00a0Fitzgerald neighborhood is no different. The Cleanliness Campaign team designed a strategy for a neighborhood-wide clean-up. Based on feedback from community members, the team created marketing materials from brochures to lawn signs to deter dumping and beautify the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

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Can you believe this is only a snap shot of all we accomplished in 5 Fridays? The year three Challenge Detroit Fellows are excited to have contributed to the support of the Fitzgerald Neighborhood and its residents by working with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center to celebrate local Detroiters!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This blog was written by current fellows and Project Coordination Leads for this challenge, Martha Cavazos and Elizabeth Grabowski.\u00a0 This challenge, we had the privilege of working with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center, a multi-disciplinary non profit architecture and urban design firm housed in the University of Detroit Mercy. The DCDC has experience designing and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1997\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}