Challenge
Well-known for its barbeque and rich music culture, Memphis, Tennessee has recently experienced an influx of young professionals and new investment. These trends have spurred an ambitious urban revitalization effort in the city’s core. Even so, not all parts of the city are experiencing these benefits. The South Memphis neighborhood, for example, has experienced degradation of its transportation infrastructure and services due to various funding and operational constraints. This presents a particular challenge for the historically African-American, low-income neighborhood, as many of its residents are dependent on public transportation to access resources necessary to lead healthy lifestyles, such as nutritious food, healthcare facilities, and areas safe for recreation. Obesity and Type 2 diabetes rates in South Memphis residents are among the highest in the country.
Solution
The Works, Inc. is a secular, nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by the St. Andrew AME Church to serve the housing and community development needs of the South Memphis community. Based on the successes of The Works, several other groups, including the University of Memphis, Memphis Regional Design Center, and other foundations and professional groups established the South Memphis Renaissance Collaborative (SMRC), and worked together to develop the South Memphis Revitalization Action Plan. With the help of University of Memphis students and oversight of a steering committee consisting of 25 community leaders, members of the collaborative met with individual city council members to discuss the plan’s expected benefits, ultimately leading to its unanimous adoption in 2009.
The plan, which was informed by robust community engagement including door-to-door surveying, focuses on three significant and desired transportation improvements to facilitate healthier living in South Memphis:
South Parkway is a major road that runs through South Memphis. Originally, the parkway featured a landscaped central median that connected downtown areas and suburban parks. In the early 1960s, the median was removed, leaving a long patch of unused asphalt next to the roadway. Many of the vehicles utilizing the South Parkway were large trucks that neighborhood residents believed were jeopardizing safe travel. The SMRC learned that the community wanted the median rebuilt and South Parkway redesigned to include bicycle lanes and on-street parking, all interventions to calm the highway’s traffic. Through collaboration with the Mid-South Regional Greenprint project—a recipient of a 2011 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Planning Grant for approximately $2 million—the City of Memphis received funds for the South Parkway Median Restoration Plan to conduct planning and design activities, such as community outreach and designing the median. SMRC also received funding to plant shade trees and an $82,000 public art grant to improve the road’s aesthetic appeal.
To enhance bicycle and pedestrian access in the neighborhood, SMRC launched a project to convert 2.1 miles of an abandoned railroad into the South Memphis Greenline, which will eventually connect to South Parkway and the broader regional trail network. The project was inspired by the Greater Memphis Greenline, an advocacy organization that has championed the installation of multimodal paths throughout Memphis that afford pedestrians and cyclists the ability to traverse the entire neighborhood without a car. The Greenline will provide greenspace, increase opportunities for safe physical activity, and better connect residents to their neighbors and amenities like shops, restaurants, and a grocery store. The route will also connect to businesses and schools, providing new employment opportunities and safe travel for schoolchildren. The Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which allocates funds from the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBGP) for bicycle and pedestrian projects every year, allocated approximately $222,000 in the 2014-2017 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for planning and design of the Greenline. The City of Memphis requested approximately $2.8 million in the 2017-2020 TIP for final engineering, right of way, and construction.
Conclusion
The success of the South Memphis Revitalization Action Plan is largely attributable to a strong grassroots effort and effective partnerships between citizen groups and city leaders. The South Parkway improvements and the Greenline project are examples of how the partners are working together to make transportation improvements that support and improve the quality of life for this traditionally underserved community.
