Green Community: Focus On
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Each month, we will highlight one of the communities featured in Green Community. Check back often for updates as we put the FOCUS ON their sustainable practices!
Grayslake, Illinois
Prairie Crossing, a suburb of Chicago, is striving to cultivate its own regional identity. This commuter suburb is surrounded by Liberty Prairie Reserve, and many residents fill their own yards with tall grasses, wildflowers, and other native species. Additionally, the rail lines that stop at Prairie Crossing further reduce the space needed for cars – and give the residents an easy way to get to Chicago.
For more information:
Prairie Crossing
Liberty Prairie Conservancy
Atlanta, Georgia
When the Atlantic Steel mill closed in 1998, it left a contaminated industrial campus in a prime location. The developers decided to clean up the soil, water, and even the air by making Atlantic Station a transit-oriented neighborhood. Public health researchers are studying this community to see if the residents’ overall health goes up while their car usage goes down.
For more information:
Sustainable Communities: Creating Healthy Communities
Atlantic Station
Atlantic Station Health Study
Guatemala City, Guatemala
The ad hoc community formed around the largest garbage dump in Guatemala faces many obstacles. In addition to the struggle of surviving on the equivalent of $13 a day, the lack of a formal community structure meant that there were no public meeting rooms or schools for the families making their home there. Landscape architects from the University of Washington worked with the residents to design a civic space for gathering – and an equally important safe play space for the community’s children.
For more information:
DC Environmental Film Festival: Recyced Life
University of Washington Landscape Architecture Design-Build Program
In May of 2007 a powerful tornado flattened over 90% of the structures in Greensburg, Kansas. While the physical town was in shambles, the community remained solid. The 1400 citizens are now working with the wind that once almost destroyed them. Wind turbines stand tall above the crops that surround the town and innovative ways to conserve water are being built right into the landscape. These and other efforts to create a sustainable community have helped put the green back in Greensburg.
For more information:
City of Greensburg
Greensburg Sustainable Long-Term Community Recovery Plan
Greensburg Sustainable Rebuilding
Denver, Colorado
When the Elitch Gardens amusement park moved to another location in 1994, the roller coasters and carousel were abandoned in what had become a residential area. Faced with the task of adapting an unusual space, the planners of Highlands Garden Village not only used the demolition debris from the site for paving, but also embraced the neighborhood’s past. The historic theatre and carousel pavilion are now unique neighborhood landmarks that pay tribute to the site’s history.
For more information:
Sustainable Communities: Green and Affordable Housing
Highlands Garden Village
The 187 residents of Stella recognized the threat of impending suburban sprawl from a nearby city – and they decided to do something about it. Over a series of meetings, Stella residents of all ages identified what they most valued about their town. As a beta test site for the Environmental Protection Agency’s SMARTe program, Stella residents were able to plan a small, walkable downtown that leaves agricultural land intact. Just as important, however, was their plan to foster local traditions and celebrations, ensuring the town’s legacy for future generations.
For more information:
Stella, Missouri and SMARTe
Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic
Bogotá, Colombia
Colombia's capital city chose to build streets designed as shared public spaces, instead of the usual roads built with only car traffic in mind. Alameda El Porvenir was the first of these green boulevards – alamedas in Spanish – to be constructed. The alamedas meander through the city and provide space for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as dedicated lanes for buses and cars. The alameda doesn't just connect the city's southwest district with schools, public libraries, and public transportation, it also creates a unique shared space for all residents to enjoy.
Muskegon Heights, Michigan
Mona Terrace is a new community that is planned for 51 acres of land that was once rendered unusable, contaminated by a hazardous wastewater treatment plant. The combined efforts of citizens, local and state governments, the U.S. EPA, and private industry led to cleaning up the brownfield site. It will now be further transformed into a walkable neighborhood with housing, shopping, and community gardens. This renewed area of the city will be reconnected to the rest of the community, and the restored wetlands of neighboring Little Black Creek will again be enjoyed by all of Muskegon Heights.
For more information:
City of Muskegon Heights
EPA Responsible Redevelopment and Reuse Initiative
