Gemma Lowery, MBA, CATC’s Post

🎨🌇 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞? 🌊 Baltimore concealed urban streams like Sumwalt Run in the 20th century, creating "ghost rivers" via sewer system construction. 🎨 Artist Bruce Willen's "#GhostRivers" initiative visually brings attention to these buried waterways, featuring pale blue lines on streets and sidewalks across 1.5 miles in the Remington neighborhood. 🗺️ The project, a result of two years of community engagement, includes pavement art, sculptural signs, and a mapped walking tour, aiming for accessibility and increased public awareness. 🏢 "Ghost Rivers" highlights the environmental costs of inadequate urban infrastructure, revealing stories of flooding in old buildings due to hidden waters contributing to citywide issues. 🌇 As urban areas nationwide explore "daylighting" buried waterways, Willen's work serves as a precursor for public awareness and discussions about revitalizing underground rivers. 🚶 The installation offers a tangible representation of stormwater runoff impacts, allowing visitors to follow Sumwalt Run's path and gain insights into the city's waterway and pipe interactions. 🔗 Source: Jackson Progress-Argus (Link in comments) ----------------- 👇👇👇𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔, 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆: 🔍 Follow me & #20MinRule 🔔 Click the bell icon on my profile 👍 Like 🔁 Repost --------------- #BaltimoreArt #UrbanHistory #EnvironmentalAwareness #CommunityEngagement #SustainableCities #GhostRiversProject #DaylightingWaterways #CityRevitalization #HiddenStreams #PublicArt

St. Thomas’ Church is one of the oldest churches within Montgomery County, dating back to 1698. The historic cemetery includes the graves of 12 veterans from the Revolutionary War. CVDA developed the master plan for the restoration of the approximately 42-acre site that included the sanctuary, historic supportive buildings including a school site, the historic cemetery, nature preserve, and community garden. One of the key challenges was upgrading the antiquated circulation and parking system to be ADA compliant while maintaining and enhancing the historic setting. The master plan improved site visibility of the sanctuary, accessibility, and wayfinding; introduced stormwater infiltration in the parking lot; established a community garden and nature preserve; created new community athletic fields; and provided for overall landscape maintenance and restoration to enhance the historic setting of the church property. The first phase included the development of a new main entrance that improved safety, stormwater management and wayfinding. #historicchurches #masterplan #wayfinding #stormwatermanagement

Daylighting covered waterways is a difficult and intense process. Every step we can take to highlight these hidden waters brings us closer to more connected floodplains.

Imagine transforming hidden blemishes of our urban landscapes—those old, forgotten underground tanks—into the heart of community joy. With a bit of expert intervention (shoutout to Tri-State!), these once-unused plots become the backdrop for children's laughter, family picnics, and neighborly chats. This is not just a cleanup; it's a canvas for community masterpieces. Each step from uncovering these hidden tanks to cultivating vibrant green spaces is a testament to creativity and community spirit in action. It’s a story of turning environmental woes into wins, proving that with a little ingenuity, we can craft the communal oases of tomorrow. #UrbanRenewal #GreenSpaces #CommunityBuilding #EnvironmentalInnovation #TriStateSuccess

Did you know the historic Druid Hills neighborhood was nearly erased by the construction of a highway? Check out our story (and some really cool photos) in the latest issue of Decatur Living. #decatur #communityengagement #communityimpact #communitydevelopment #community #communitybuilding #communitylove #atlantarealestate #atlanta #atlantafinehomes #atlantahomes #historichomes

Well said, Adrian. In previous positions, I have worked successfully to create or help create affordable housing in historic buildings, bringing strategic investment to neighborhoods with older, underutilized or abandoned buildings and established infrastrucutre that just needed the right vision and commitment at multiple levels to provide more mixed income housing units. Historic preservation is a powerful tool for - not a roadblock to - affordable housing.

We are currently developing a site in the West Nashville/Bellevue area (Location Undisclosed) but, if you are familiar with this part of town, you know there are tons of variations in elevation and topography. This can be a huge plus when it comes to views and scenery, but it can also be a hurdle when developing a site. To provide some context on how this may affect the project and density, let's look at a few things. The parcel is subject to a Conservation Overlay (CO), which aims to preserve unique or sensitive natural resources. These resources include steep slopes, hillsides, streams, wetlands, floodways, floodplains, problem soils, archaeological resources, and areas with native forests or unique vegetation. The objective of the CO is to foster the creation of natural open space. Due to the presence of natural features, the zoning mandates that developers maintain 60% of the total site as open space, meaning that only approximately 40% of the site can be developed, with the remaining area to be left undisturbed. This means that although our site is over 20 acres, we will only be able to dedicate between 30-40% of the land for building. Matching that with the varying changes in elevation means that our density will be greatly compromised. However, we knew this when selecting the site, and the numbers still made sense. It’s always good to develop not only what you want but also what's in line with what the community wants. #development #realestate #nashvillerealestate #nashville #harvestriverpartners

Do you have questions about zoning? I want to help answer them! Reach out to me on our website: https://lnkd.in/ehZ3fC4V #ZoningQuestions #ExpertAdvice #CRE #ZoningHelp #CommercialRealEstate

We all know the critical importance of Main Streets to community vitality…at least I hope we do. 😉 Of course we also know that many Main Streets have faced waves of challenges over the past century. Well this article about Morristown (not our Morristown in N.J.) shares a glimmer of hope!

Historic Preservation Alert: 🔨 Is your community in the throes of a losing a historic building? 🔨 Is your community administration considering demolition of a historic building in favor of new construction? 🔨 Do you feel like you're the only voice in favor of historic preservation in your community? If so, I want to hear about it! ------------------------------| Preservation Forward can assist your community with identifying alternatives to demolition while understanding the unique needs of your community. Based in East Lansing, Michigan, we have a good pulse on preservation in our home state. However, we're extending our preservation reach and are expanding to nearby states where we can be an additional resource for preservation expertise. -------------------------| Got old buildings that are threatened? We can help you to flex a little preservation muscle in your community. DM me for more details. Choose to give a second chance on an old building. Preservation Forward will teach you how 🔨 --------------------------------------------| #savingplaces through targeted #historicpreservation efforts