Make your neighborhood green!
North Memphis V.O.I.C.E. | Re-imaging the greening of North Memphis
This project is a collaboration with the Center For Transforming Communities. It is an intervention aimed at catalyzing the transformation of the community's environmental conditions
What are the goals?
To increase the amount of green and open spaces within the North Memphis V.O.I.C.E boundaries
Demonstrate the transformative nature of using strategic approaches to change blight influences into community assets
At least 1 block from each of the 22 neighborhoods within this area will be adopted, cleaned, evaluated for soil health, and activated for community use
V.O.I.C.E Boundaries
Map to the Left—->
Borders:
North: The Wolf River
South: A.W. Willis/North Parkway/Summer Ave
East: N Graham Street
West: The Mississippi River
If you aren’t sure if you neighborhood is in the Boundaries, just ask!
How will these goals be attained?
Through community-led cleaning and greening of unkempt lots
Using vacant lot activation tool kits like the In Good Tilth and models like Detroit Future Cities Field Guide
With the help of many Community Champions, such as
Memphis City Beautiful
Clean Memphis
Bloom901
Most Importantly, through the continual commitment of the community and residents to facilitate their spaces for a greener future
Survey (Step 1)
Assessment of Applications and Lots
Take Soil Tests (looking for any presence of heavy metals and fertility levels)
Photo Documentation
Begin Video Ethnography
Planning (Step 2)
Blight Clean-up, Beautification, and Review Soil Test Results
Community Site Visioning and Design
Utilize Tools Kits from Community Champions for beginning transformative steps
Seek Control Documents for Rights to Access
Develop budget for Project Development
Implementation (Step 4)
Community Project will be implemented with the guidance of Community Champions
Memphis Tilth will provide volunteer coordination through our supporter base
Join us here if you are interested in volunteering for this project!
Equipment and other project resources will be sourced from Champions and other community connections
If you have any scrap wood, spare tools or other resources to share, please fill out this form here
During this phase, we will help the community acquire any permits and comply with any legal regulations for the land-use
Evaluation (Step 4)
Review Quantified Outcomes
Number of Blocks successful activated for re-use Goal of at least 22* of VOICE Boundaries
Number of Participants including community residents, organizations, and volunteers
Review Data
Soil Test Outcomes will be documented as research for soil health and environmental impacts
Create Map of the clean, evaluated and activated lots
Education and Cultural Knowledge Review
Is there a change in knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors of community residents because of this process?
Visible Use of New Green Spaces
Photo documentation of on-going activities will be posted on the Center for Transforming Communities website
Historical and Cultural Documentation
Success stories and other stories generated from the community by the project will be saved and shared in a Culture and Storytelling Work Group
How do you get started activating your Vacant Lot?
Fill out a lot application, click button above or below
Talk to your neighbors about the Project - we need volunteers for implementation
Email [email protected] to set up a Site Visit for Soil Test and other documentation
Contact Memphis Tilth if you want become a Community Champion for this project, also click button below
but wait! There is more…
Memphis Tilth introduces the SOIL YOUR UNDIES Challenge: Memphis Edition
This unique Civilian Scientist project began in Oregon, but that has taken place in rural areas all other the world, including the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Memphis Tilth was awarded SPARCC Climate Micro-Grant Award to expand the soil data mapping part of the Re-Imagining the Greening of North Memphis Project.
We are partnering with Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Environmental Council who have begun conducting this research on the campus of Vanderbilt itself. Recently, the U of M Departments of Earth Science and City and Regional Planning joined the team.
This will be the largest, urban implementation of this project - we have hopes to expand this research to a city-wide soil map. This network of local Universities and regional partners collaborating with residents is all to better understand what’s underneath our feet in our communities.