Abstract and Works Cited

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Capturing Corners:

Neighborhood Revitalization through Ecological Democracy

Andrew Clarke, Principal, urban film + design. Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.

Dr. Jacob Wagner, Associate Professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Department of Urban Planning and Design. Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.

Brett Shoffner, Graduate Student, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Department of Public Affairs. Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.

Christopher Fasl, Graduate Student, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Lewis White Real Estate Center. Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.

The authors are completing their initial paper detailing the concept of "Capturing Corners", and how, if implemented, the multidisciplinary, integrated urban design approach can create sustainable places by revitalizing neighborhoods through ecological democracy.

The notion of “Capturing Corners” has roots in Dr. Jacob Wagner’s research of the urban core vacancy epidemic seen throughout the east side of Kansas City, Missouri, and distinctly concentrates on the problem of corner lot vacancy.  Our hypothesis is that corner lot vacancy acts as a catalyst for further neighborhood decline.  Because corner lots are the first thing people see when entering a block, there are huge perceptual implications; when people drive by on main streets and only see vacant corner lots, they are not likely to want to stop and spend retail dollars in that neighborhood, and very unlikely to invest in homeownership.  With the aid of Geographical Information Systems, incorporation of past Census block demographic data is overlaid with historical land use, corner lot morphology, and historical neighborhood asset location data to illustrate that when corners lose their character, so do the surrounding neighborhoods.  Communities must re-capture corner lots to create perceptually more inviting neighborhoods as residents become reciprocal stewards of their neighborhoods by taking active responsibility for the people and places around them (Hester, 2006).  This is accomplished by engaging residents in not just the design processes, but also in the construction and entrepreneurship phases of neighborhood revitalization projects.  Capturing Corners permits high return, low cost, and low impact sustainable development by incorporating green infrastructure, social connectivity, and economic opportunity through vibrant community driven urban design; in turn, people are attracted to the neighborhood core through aesthetic beauty, natural curiosity, and economic necessity.

Through ecological democracy and sustainable planning and design, neighborhoods can "Capture Corners" in order to produce a sense of place that retains and attracts residents, thereby fostering sustainable neighborhoods and creating vibrant communities.

Mr. Brett Shoffner                                             Dr. Jacob Wagner

5622 Virginia Avenue                                        UMKC Urban Planning & Design

Kansas City, Missouri, USA. 64110                       5100 Rockhill Road, 109 Katz Hall

Phone: (785) 979-2706                                      Kansas City, Missouri, USA. 64110

E-mail: bscm8@umkc.edu                                  Phone: (816) 235-6053

capturingcorners.blogspot.com                          E-mail: wagnerjaco@umkc.edu

Andrew Clarke ·      Principal ·      urban film + design ·      Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America. Andrew Clarke is a 2012 graduate from the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. He spends much of his time on his bicycle traversing Kansas City’s historic Parks and Boulevards system and riding through parts of the city that have literally become forgotten. Mr. Clarke actively works with local elementary schools and other community organizations that are creating a precedent towards the future of urban agriculture in Kansas City. Besides urban agriculture development, a good portion of his time is spent in distressed urban communities developing neighborhood stabilization initiatives by building social capital. Mr. Clarke is also in the process of starting up the social enterprise, Urban Film and Design, which uses film as the primary medium for community based planning and organizing, urban design initiatives, and neighborhood revitalization efforts. The activities that take up his life have overarching themes, nature and people; without these crucial elements, Mr. Clarke believes, there is no hope for sustainable and equitable communities. Dr. Jacob Wagner ·      Associate Professor – Department of Urban Planning and Design, Director – Urban Studies Program. ·      University of Missouri-Kansas City. ·      Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America. Dr. Jacob Wagner is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  Dr. Wagner’s research focuses on cultural heritage, place identity, and participatory design processes in the recovery of urban neighborhoods in New Orleans and Kansas City.  He is currently president of The Historic Kansas City Foundation, which is dedicated to the preservation of the area’s heritage, neighborhoods, and historic built environment.  Dr. Wagner also serves on the Board of Directors for both Cultivate KC, Kansas City’s center for urban agriculture, and the Metropolitan Energy Center, which is dedicated to creating resource efficiency, environmental health, and economic vitality in the Kansas City region. Through his teaching and scholarship, Dr. Wagner seeks to create more sustainable communities that are connected to a deep understanding of place, public memory, and the urban environment.  Brett Shoffner ·      Graduate Student, Department of Public Affairs at the Bloch School of Management. ·      University of Missouri-Kansas City. ·      Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.

Brett Shoffner is a graduate student in the University of Missouri-Kansas City Department of Public Affairs studying urban administration.  His research and practical interests are in ecological connectivity, environmental planning/policy, urban landscape restoration, green infrastructure design, social equity/environmental justice, and sustainability theory. A 2011 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, he holds degrees in Environmental Studies (minor: Spanish) and in Sociology (minor: Geography), as well as an Advanced GIS Certificate. Mr. Shoffner plans to continue his studies pursing a Masters of Landscape Architecture, and eventually a PhD with hopes of teaching at the university level. Working with a diverse assembly of partners and stakeholders, he is also the volunteer ecological trail steward for Kansas City’s urban park trail systems in charge of design and construction of natural single-track trails for hiking, running, and mountain biking in Roanoke and Kessler parks, coordinating of up to 80 volunteers for big workday events. Mr. Shoffner honors the Marie T. Freeman quote, “If you're too busy to give your neighbor a helping hand, then you're just too darned busy.”

Christopher Fasl

·      Graduate Student, Lewis White Real Estate Center at the Bloch School of Management.

·      University of Missouri-Kansas City.

·      Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.

Christopher Fasl is a graduate student in the University of Missouri-Kansas City Lewis White Real Estate Center studying real estate development.  With interests in resiliency and sustainability, Mr. Fasl has experience in a variety of real world projects.  A 2012 graduate from the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, Mr. Fasl was a part of the UMKC urban planning and design senior studio that was the first group to address recovery efforts in Joplin, Missouri after a catastrophic T-5 tornado destroyed one-third of the city. Their efforts were featured in Planning, the American Planning Association’s magazine.  He has also worked with the Kansas City area metropolitan planning organization on the national Sustainable Communities grant, focusing on Troost Avenue, a historic streetcar corridor.  Mr. Fasl is a visionary thinker and believes achieving true sustainability will require innovation and imagination as we move into the 21st century.

*Presented at the Webster University Sustainability Conference (4/16/12) and also to be presented at the Ninth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, Hiroshima, Japan (1/23.25/13)

Works Cited in Capturing Corners

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·      Benedict, Mark A., and Edward McMahon. (2006). Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities. Washington, DC: Island.

·      Bonevac, D. (2010). Is sustainability sustainable? Springer Science + Business Media, 23, 84-101.

·      Cooley, CH. (1909). Social Organization: A Study of the Larger Mind.  New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

·      Davidson, M. (2010). Sustainability as ideological praxis: The acting out of planning’s master-signifier. City, 14(4), 390-405.

·      Dempsey, N., Bramley, G., Power, S., & Brown, C. (2011). The social dimension of sustainable development: Defining urban social sustainability. Sustainable Development, 19, 289-300.

·      Gehl, Jan. (1987). Life between Buildings: Using Public Space. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

·      Hawkins, C. (2011). Smart growth policy choice: A resource dependency and local governance explanation. The Policy Studies Journal (39)4, 679-707.

·      Hester, Randolph T. (2006). Design for Ecological Democracy. Cambridge, MA: MIT.

·      Husserl, Edmund.(1913). Ideen Zu Einer Reinen Phänomenologie Und Phänomenologischen Philosophie: Erstes Buch, Allgemeine Einführung in Die Reine Phänomenologie. trans. Kersten, F., 1982. The Hague: Nijhoff.

·      Lee, K. (2006). Urban sustainability and the limits of classical environmentalism. Environment and Urbanization, (18)9, 9-22.

·      Ling, C., Hanna, K., & Dale, A. (2009). A template for integrated community sustainability planning. Environmental Management, 44, 228-242.

·      Lynch, Kevin. (1960). The Image of the City. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press; Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

·      Mehta, Vikas. (2007). “Lively Streets: Determining Environmental Characteristics to Support Social Behavior.” Journal of Planning Education and Research, 27 (2), 165-187.

·      Montgomery, J. (1998). Making a City: Urbanity, Vitality and Urban Design. Journal of Urban Design 3 (1), pp 93-116.

·      Park, RE. (1952). Human Communities: The City and Human Ecology. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press.

·      Pepper, David, John Perkins, and Martyn J. Youngs. (1984). The Roots of Modern Environmentalism. London: Croom Helm.

·      Randolph, John. (2004). Environmental Land Use Planning and Management. Washington: Island.

·      Relph, E. C. (1976). Place and Placelessness. London: Pion.

·      Runhaar, H., Driessen, P., & Vermeulen, W. (2005).  Policy competences of environmental sustainability professionals. Greener Management International, 49, 25-41.

·      Spirn, Anne Whiston. (1984). The Granite Garden: Urban Nature and Human Design. New York: Basic.

·      Teelucksingh, C. (2007). Community-based solutions to urban sustainability. Environments, (35)1, 93-96.

·      Tuan, Yi-fu. (1974). Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

·      Vallance, S. & Perkins, H. (2010). Is another city possible? Towards an urbanized sustainability.  City, (14)4, 448-456.

·      van de Meene, S.J., Brown, R.R., & Farrelly, M.A. (2011). Towards understanding governance for sustainable urban water management.  Global Environment Change, 21, 1117-1127.

·      Von Meiss, Pierre. (1990). Elements of Architecture: From Form to Place. London: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

·        Whyte, William H. (1988). City: Rediscovering the Center. New York: Anchor.