HOUSTON – The American Institute of Architects held a community planning event from July 27-30, 2012. The process – called a “design charrette” – included a stakeholder workshop with key community leaders and officials, an open “town meeting” that discussed issues and opportunities for the area. The meetings resulted in a public presentation entitled the “The Fabulous Fifth: A Revitalization Strategy for Houston’s Fifth Ward.”
This project is part of a larger Lyons Avenue Renaissance initiative that is being led by the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation and includes many partnering organizations and institutions. The Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) program will help shape directions for subsequent and related projects along the Lyons Avenue Corridor. This initiative includes a major community improvement program, which is bringing several thousand volunteers to Houston in October and which will accomplish hands-on projects to create parks, housing repairs and landscape improvements in the area. Additionally, the community is seeking additional funding from Federal Disaster Relief Programs. The design charrette will help set the stage for portions of this project and other future actions to reshape the neighborhood, building on its strengths and inviting reinvestment. For more information about the project, contact the Fifth Ward CRC office 713- 674-0175.

Photos from The American Institute of Architects and Fifth Ward Revitalization
community planning workshops. Photo Credit: Mamisi Gordon