[Editor's Note: This is the second of a three-part series covering different aspects of the City of Lansing's Master Plan update. You can read Part One here.]
As the City of Lansing kicks off a major initiative to update its
Master Plan, the
Allen Neighborhood Center and the
Eastside Neighborhood Organization are co-hosting forums designed to engage stakeholders on various topics of interest within the community.
Top on their list: sustainability and environmental issues.
“These forums will help prepare stakeholders for further involvement in Master Planning sessions hosted by the city and
JJR consulting, the group hired by the city to facilitate the development of the new Master Plan this year,” says Joan Nelson, executive director of the Allen Neighborhood Center.
From where Nelson sits, it looks like the original urban development pattern of the Eastside makes it ideal for sustainable living—it has built in community gardens, tight living density and access to transportation.
But a little nudge from the masterminds behind the Master Plan can make it better.
And with the State of Michigan pushing to build an alternative energy economy, Lansing’s
Eastside looks to be a step ahead of the game when it comes to melding their sustainable vision into the city's new Master Plan.
Food, Energy, TransportationOn Lansing’s Eastside, most homes sit on modest but deep lots that benefit from mature tree cover and lend themselves to green thumbs, which is ideal for a community with a goal to increase food production by 10 percent.
And with resources like the
Allen Street Farmers Market, which is open six months a year and feeds up to 1,000 people every Wednesday; the
Hunter Park Garden House, which produced 1,500 pounds of food for the Eastside within a seven month period; and the Elizabeth Park rain garden, this community has the ability and potential to maximize sustainable living within the city limits.
The houses are already built, and its takes less energy to rehab an existing home than to build an entirely new one. "These (Eastside) houses have embedded energy, which refers to all of the materials and energy that originally went in to building the house, often followed by additional investments and improvements over the years,” says
Dave Muylle, an Eastside resident and restorationist.
And finally, there's transportation. With a population density of approximately 3,400 people per square mile, Lansing's Eastside more energy efficient than a more sprawling place like DeWitt, with a density of 1641.3 people per square mile. The closeness of the homes also means less heat loss to wind and exposure, and the placement of homes on north and south streets ensures maximum solar exposure.
And it also means that the more than 8,000 households make up a more bikeable, walkable and eco-friendly community, according to Nelson. Two of Lansing’s largest employers—
Sparrow Hospital and the state government—and East Lansing’s largest employer—M
ichigan State University (MSU)—are a two minute bus ride from the Eastside. The Michigan Avenue shopping district also allows residents to stay in the neighborhood.
Moving Into 2010While there is much to appreciate about the Eastside’s sustainable efforts, there is a downside to communities built more than a century ago. The homes are decades behind modern technology. Many need updated furnaces, double-paned windows and better insulation.
But this neighborhood is up for the challenge. The question is, how bold are they willing to be with their recommendations for the Master Plan?
At an Eastside community forum on energy, Vince Delgado, who works for the MSU Residential College on Civic Engagement, challenged residents to answer these questions in their Master Plan recommendations.
One resident suggested buying neighborhood solar panels. Others suggested utilizing solar energy for street lamps, making better use of the community compost behind Hunter Park, establishing supper clubs, better utilizing the community greenhouses and gardens and developing an Eastside Green Team, which would assist with “filling in the gaps,” in green building.
Rick Kibbey is with the Community Research and Education Center and a long-time Eastside resident. Some of Kibbey’s ideas, which he compiled in a paper, include creating an energy efficient district, “turning the opportunities of the neighborhood as it is currently constructed into actual advantages.” He also suggests marketing “the walking and biking opportunities of the Eastside and improving the approach to non-motorized access.”
According to both Nelson and Kibbey, the energy efficient district is in the works and includes 21 blocks of houses between Michigan Avenue and I-496.
Tackling Challenges“The Eastside has been very much involved in development of the last several city Master Plans, particularly for the northeast quadrant,” Nelson says.
And it's likely that many of the sustainability issues being brought to the table on the Eastside would be applicable to other neighborhoods across the city.
For example, although the Eastside community is already fairly bike friendly and walkable, the group attending the forum agrees that the
Frandor area needs to have a better layout to allow for biking. The area is heavily utilized by Eastsiders, but is a walking and biking nightmare.
There is also a need for more intra-neighborhood bike and walking paths to foster the rich culture and diverse demographics within the communities that make up the Eastside.
The group is also interested in any incentives for the community to build wind turbines and solar panels. The state is said to be creating an Energy Corps that would weatherize 100,000 homes in Michigan; the Eastsiders would like to be in the mix.
They are also interested in utilizing the Michigan Saves program as a way to promote a growing, sustainable market for energy efficiency and start a trend among communities.
NOTE:
If you would like to get more involved with the city's Master Plan update, they are looking for people to volunteer as coordinators for their upcoming Workshop in a Box series. The city's Workshop in a Box Coordinator training is on Thursday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Gardner Middle School, 333 Dahlia Drive. If you're interested, you can call the City of Lansing Planning Office at 483-4060 or visit them on the web right here.
Tara Adams is a freelance writer for Capital Gains Media and believes if Kermit can do it, so can you.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Eastside shops along Michigan Ave.
Joan Nelson
Hunter Park Garden House
Welcome to Eastside
Dave Muylle
Allen Street Farmers Market
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie