Alley Uplift
When it comes to the issues facing urban neighborhoods, It's hard to decide where to start when the issues seem so numerous and overwhelming. The trick might be to start small — small changes, attainable by a small group of citizens over a short period of time. These small changes can then build both momentum and appetite for bigger change, which eventually leads to what we're all looking for: transformation.
FoCM has chosen to focus our energy on the neglected alleys that connect our city grid. Increasingly becoming front doorsteps for many of our Midtown residents, we think they deserve attention and care, which we hope will promote the wellbeing and safety of our whole neighborhood.
So, what small measures can we take to create change? One way to approach the daunting issue of alley renewal is through a system called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), a method used by architects, city planners, landscape and interior designers, and law enforcement to create a safer community through the physical environment.
FoCM has developed our own version of CPTED based on Alley Uplift ideals and objectives, which feel a bit more citizen-scaled and attainable, called UPWARD ACTION:
- UPend our ideas of how an alley functions in a neighborhood
- UPgrade technology and infrastructure to improve safety and aesthetic
- UPcycle urban items into functional objects of art and urban greenery
- UPkeep the area to maintain the conditions necessary for an alley to thrive over time
- UPlift the spirit, character and atmosphere of our alleys and the surrounding neighborhood
With any of these strategies we, as a community, can create small actions for big change. Whether we work in our small neighborhood groups, enroll other individuals and organizations to join us or get help from our city officials, if we work together, we can significantly impact the health, security and wellbeing of our alleys and, eventually, the whole neighborhood.
SMALL Actions TO take NOW
SUGGESTED INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS
- Claim a section of your alley to maintain
- Prevent garbage or dumped items from piling up behind your lot
- Talk to your neighbors and get them to join FOCM or any neighborhood association
- Fix any broken or burned out lamps
- Add aesthetically pleasing outdoor lighting to brighten the area and add beauty, not just security
- Make sure to hide or lock your garbage cans
- Clean and/or paint any blank wall or fence
- Add mural painting or decorative elements to uplift the aesthetics of the area
- Cap open faucets and power outlets
- Remove graffiti as quickly as possible
- Start a phone tree to contact neighbors if there is security threat or other urgent issue
- Plant and maintain edible plants, herb gardens or decorative greenery along the alley
- Create beauty where you can
SUGGESTED GROUP ACTIONS
- Hold and attend weekly/monthly clean-up days
- Help members with difficult clean-up tasks
- Share helpful contacts and phone numbers for when additional outside resources are required
- Call property managers to address alley issues, such as garbage cans, lighting and fencing
- Organize community events and fundraisers in the alley to generate support and awareness
- Create awareness campaigns focused on revitalization and renewal
- Share group events on Nextdoor and other social media sites
- Find and apply for funding/grant opportunities
- Join with other neighborhood groups to grow our impact and effectiveness
- Petition city officials for social advocacy and financial support
- Maintain a presence at municipal meetings
- Work with utility companies to maintain power lines, poles and lighting fixtures
- Invite the police representatives to association meetings to tackle neighborhood issues together
- Invite local artists to contribute to alley beautification projects