Re-Connect Devington is a campaign that not only re-imagines our community under new conditions, but activates a shared responsibility between our city and our neighborhoods. We are proud to support Devington Community Association and its efforts to grow and bring residents together.
(CLICK HERE) FOR RECONNECT DEVINGTON PLAN
w/purpose wanted to begin an honest conversation about what the legacy of our city might look like. For us this meant neighborhoods, their environment and what they might look like going into this next century. We wanted to be involved in an effort that might realign citizens with our community’s health, infrastructure, development and future.
In this particular urban scenario, we’ve focused our attention on the issue of mid-century retail development and its exhaustion in many first ring suburbs. These “first suburb” developments have become part of a new debate in cities and universities. According to research by the Brooking Institute:
“First suburbs—containing nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population—are inimitable and quite distinct from the rest of the nation and other parts of metropolitan America.”
“These first suburbs exist in a policy blind spot with little in the way of state or federal tools to help them adapt to their new realities and secure a role as competitive and quality communities.”
We have taken a special interest in these “distinct” communities in our city. We have become interested in new partnerships between public community groups, private owners, and urban advocates such as People for Urban Progress, Big Car, or IndyCog. We believe collaboration between these groups will reveal some unique opportunities that will shift our thinking about regeneration in these communities.
Traditional retail models, such as Devington Plaza will not survive going into the next century. Instead, we’ve considered a hybrid mix between Devington Farm + Devington strip mall could be the type of thinking that reverses disinvestment and disconnection first suburb communities. Our design considers a scenario that invites transit based density housing to participate in an ecological development that provides citizens proximity to natural tributary, flower gardens, high school library, shopping, transit speed bus to Downtown, maintained wetlands, and a performance pavilion for story telling or dance.
In the interest of helping communities, we’ve invited many local and community leaders to adopt this type of campaign into their lives and businesses. With these resources, Devington Communities Association is developing a  plan of action that will be rolled out this year. To further develop this plans like this, meetings will occur over the next year that will provide ALL residents an opportunity to have a voice in the proposed changes. There will be multiple levels of involvement from beautification (planting flowers) to pure neighborhood activism.
Read Revival by Rail: Devington’s Past an Inspiration for its Future
We understand this effort to begin in three primary areas and will be coordinated by various key partners with-in Devington. They are:
1. 56th and Emerson Retail Zone (Millersville )
2. Devington Shopping Plaza (DCA // NY Owner)
3. 38th Street Infrastructure Redevelopment (between Arlington and Emerson)
What you are about to see is the result of many months of information and data gathering, urban design strategy and down to earth grassroots efforts between residents, church leaders, neighborhood groups, and Community Development Corporations.
We understand these proposed infrastructure and urban planning changes to simply be guiding principles on how to begin re-connecting many dots, so please come with an open mind. To make our collective vision of a reality, we need to draw upon the spirit, skills, resources and ideas of our community members.