Page 35 - Green Builder Magazine Nov-Dec 2017 Issue

City synergy. Lean Urbanism
projects such as the Dequindre Cut
and RiverWalk, with easily approved,
environmentally friendly
construction and landscapes, have
helped improve the economy of
once-struggling Detroit.

CREDIT: MIKE LYDON/STREET PLANS

What is the Project for Lean Urbanism? La.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; St. Paul, Minn.; and Savannah, Ga. Once we
FALK: The Project for Lean Urbanism is a multi-year project that’s develop and refine these tools, we’ll release them as part of a toolkit
developing tools to make small possible. The project focuses that we plan to make available to all, free of charge.
primarily on three goals: incremental successional growth, reducing
the resources required for compliance, and providing ways to Can you talk about how any of those pilot cities are easing
work around financial, bureaucratic and regulatory processes that red tape?
disproportionately burden the small actors and small projects. One FALK: We’ve done the first phase—the lean scan—in three of the
of its goals is to make it possible for residents and business owners four, and now we need to test the pink zones.
to participate in the building of their homes, their businesses and DITTMAR: There are some characteristics of the type of areas that
their communities. we want to work in at each of these cities. Typically, it’s a place
DITTMAR: The first phase of the project defined the idea and began to close to, but not in, the city center. Places where development is
develop the parameters and some of the tools. The second phase, which not impossible but is not active. And places where there are clear
we’re in now, aims to demonstrate that the project can make a difference opportunities for infill. Ideally, we’re also looking at neighborhoods
through pilots on the ground in a number of cities, and through those where we can identify people and community organizations that
pilots to develop toolkits that can be disseminated broadly. can take up the challenge. Small businesses, not-for-profits, or even
homeowner or small business groups that want to get involved, and
Can you talk about some of the specific lean projects and want to get involved in a way that’s different from the community
what they accomplish? development model that involves subsidies. Because this is not about
DITTMAR: One of our tools, the “lean scan,” identifies in a community subsidized redevelopment.
both the barriers to small-scale development and the opportunities
that might exist if it can assemble a crew of committed people in the How have the citizens and public officials reacted in these
private and public sectors who commit to short-term actions over communities to this idea of Lean Urbanism?
a three-to-five-year period. That is followed by a second workshop DITTMAR: We sent out an open call to a number of cities and received
that introduces the “pink zone.” The pink zone is an area where several applicants. The cities that were selected offered both a public
red tape is lightened and where human capital is brought to bear and a private sector commitment to involvement. At the leadership
on enabling small. It could be as big as a district or as small as a level, they’re all engaged in the idea of Lean Urbanism and have
corridor, but it identifies a series of short-term projects that would made funding commitments to match the grant money and in-
catalyze development. kind resources that we’re bringing to the table. I firmly believe that
FALK: For the pilot projects, we have four at the moment: Lafayette, if you don’t have skin in the game, you’re not really playing the

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