Infrastructure & Equity
The 2022 IEDL organized around the theme infrastructure and equity, investingating how issues of equity intertwine with infrastructure development. We examined efforts to drive more benefits to community through community benefit agreements, and neighborhood trust models. We learned about the link between community benefit and transit oriented development and adaptive reuse of public infrastructure. A key theme throughout our work centered on how issues of power and control in urban governance networks shape equitable (or See below for a presentation diving into each of these themes.
Slides available here
City of New Haven Stakeholder Deliverables
This year, the IEDL worked closely on city stakeholder projects, structured as student engagement on deliverables focused on four different types of infrastructure. The first project investigated ways to fund the redevelopment of the Goffe Street Armory. The second project researched community benefit agreements to inform early ideation on the redevelopment at Union Station. The third project developed a website about a new economic tool called the neighborhood trust. The fourth project recommended strategies for teacher retention and increased profit margins at a local Montessori school, Dwight CDC Montessori. Selections of this work below.
Goffe Street Armory
The Goffe Street Armory is a historic 92-year old building in New Haven and served as a gathering space for several neighborhoods during its prime. Now it is need of significant repair. The students working on the Goffe Street Armory project focused on finding ways to fund the redevelopment of this historic building. Deliverables included a presentation to stakeholders reviewing the history of the Armory in New Haven, a review of precedent studies on other Armory renovations, and highlevel financial modeling for two different proposed uses for the Armory with an overview of next steps for mobilizing capital, community engagement and political will to move an Armory renovation and adaptive reuse initiative forward.
Slides available here
CBA at Union Station
Union Station is a main transportation hub in New Haven with Amtrak, commuter rail, and bus lines all running through it. Students working on this project focused on what the redevelopment project at Union Station can do to create community benefit. Deliverables included a white paper featuring recommendations on different categories of community benefit that can be actively incorporated into infrastructure development.
Neighborhood Trust
The neighborhood trust is a new economic development tool for community wealth building, community control, and affordability in gentrifying cities and neighborhoods. Students working on this project built a website that collects resources and case studies about the model in action. See the website here: https://iedl.yale.edu/neighborhood-trust, and a presentation for anyone interested in learning about the model.
Slides available here
Dwight CDC Montessori School
The final project was for the Dwight CDC Montessori School. Deliverables included strategies for teacher retention and cost analyses for their new expansion as well as financial modeling for sustainable growth.
Thank You to All Who Engaged with the Lab
Individuals and organizations who contributed to this season’s learnings and podcast include:
Virginia Parks (Chair of Department of Planning, Policy & Design, UC Irvine), Roxana Tynan (ED of LAANE), Lisa Berglund (Dalhousie University), Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris (Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School), Karen Chapple (Director School of Cities, University of Toronto), Jeremy Levine (University of Michigan), Elihu Rubin (Yale University), Jessica Sager (All Our Kin), Joe Margulies (Cornell University), Adriana Abizadeh (ED of Kensington Corridor Trust), Sara Bronin (Desegregate CT), and Greg Reaves (Mosaic Development Partners).
Individuals and organizations who contributed to this season’s stakeholder projects include:
Adriane Jefferson (City of New Haven), Aicha Woods, Alkim Salaam (CEDP), Anne Gatling Haynes (Austin Cultural Trust), Arlevia Samuel (City of New Haven), Brian Murray (Shift Capital), Carlos Eyzaguirre (City of New Haven), Doug Hausladen (Parking Authority), Dwight GDDC Team, Eliza Halsey (ECM), Ernest Pagen (NASRCC), Jaimie Myers-McPhail (New Haven Rising), Jim Staniewicz (Parking Authority), Joe Evans (Kresge Foundation), Lizzy Donius (WVRA), Maurice Williams (CEDP), Melissa Mason (New Haven Works), Mike Piscitelli (City of New Haven), Nadine Horton (Armory CAC), Sean Reeves (CEDP), Tagan Engel (CBEY resident fellow), and CMTs at the Hill, Dixwell, Newhallville, and Fair Haven.