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States at a Glance: Kentucky
East Russell was once a solid working-class neighborhood with a good sense of community, but in the 1960s and 1970s it began to decline. As shops closed and buildings fell into disrepair, crime increased and the neighborhood became trapped in the spiral of urban decay. Many thought inner-city communities like East Russell could never thrive again. But recent efforts to revitalize the area using smart-growth planning have worked wonders.
This collaboration between the University of Louisville's Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods program, the city, private developers and local residents used a holistic approach that combined redevelopment with intensive outreach. The project did more than build buildings, it also gave residents the tools and training they needed to turn things around. Instead of a top-down approach, the project empowered those who lived in the neighborhood to take possession of their community. One result of that process: Residents expressed a strong preference for creating new housing for sale instead of rental units or public housing. So, chief among the plans was the construction or rehabilitation of affordable houses that low-income residents could buy. Since then, 500 quality homes have been built close to downtown, jobs have been created and millions of dollars of investment are flowing into the neighborhood. Now that crime is down and the area is showing signs of life, a bookstore and movie theater have recently opened and more business is on the way. A growing neighborhood business area, new housing and a great location close to jobs and transit have turned this once-abandoned community into a smart-growth success story. Photo: Micheal Brazely, a Ph.D. student at Louisville who assisted with the
architechture design for the new homes.
Lexington is an area of rolling hills and bucolic farms. But the growing loss of these farms to suburban sprawl has many long-time residents worried. The conversion of Hamburg Place, a historic farm outside of Lexington, is emblematic of the changes that poorly planned growth is bringing to Kentucky. Hamburg Place was a century-old farm beloved by residents of the area that was turned into a classic suburban strip mall. Where once there were 400 acres of trees and pasture there is now an Old Navy clothing franchise and lots of parking. In fact, no significant efforts were taken to break out of the suburban-sprawl mold. The mall has little access to public transportation and is not pedestrian-friendly. Its location on the outskirts of Lexington is sure to increase traffic on nearby roads. States at a Glance | Introduction | Resources | Acknowledgments Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
