AHIP and Habitat for Humanity
BlockbyBlockInitiative (click PDF)
Fall 2011
Team members: Emily Broadwell, Dave Matthews, Sarah Mercer, Bella Purdy
The objective for our project is to assist in AHIP and Charlottesville’s Block by Block initiative. AHIP’s goal in the 10th and Page neighborhood is, “to eliminate substandard housing while preserving affordable housing without the deleterious effects of gentrification in Charlottesville.” Their aim is to improve the physical conditions of housing by educating the residents about AHIP and sustainable housing methods. We hope to make affordable housing more easily attainable and improve racial relations that have been problems in the past. Our role involves identifying target areas for community engagement and brainstorming community engagement events that will appeal to the residents of the 10th and Page area. After our research we intend on presenting our final project to AHIP representatives to initiate a dialogue about our ideas and how they can be executed.
In our planning, we first researched the history of the 10th and Page area. After evaluating the target areas and discussing ways to engage the community, we began brainstorming community engagement ideas that would allow for the residents of the 10th and Page area to be informed about improving housing standards and using AHIP as a valuable resource. It is most important to inform our audience in a respectful and unobtrusive way. We hope to foster a community that will be encouraged to live more sustainably. Through our brainstorming of ideas for community outreach, we have finalized several community engagement strategies that target the audience at several levels of engagement while supporting both short‐term and long‐term goals of creating an active community. By focusing on the direct concerns of the residents and allowing them to have a voice, we believe we can create enthusiasm about a sustainable community.