RHNA Receices Arizona Planning Association's first annual Making Arizona Competitive For The 21st Century Award
By: Joe Silins, Watershed Management Group
The Watershed Management Group and the Rincon Heights Neighborhood Association are the joint recipients of the Arizona Planning Association’s first annual Making Arizona Competitive for the 21st Century (MAC21) Award, which recognizes their innovative approach to community development and green infrastructure in the Rincon Heights neighborhood in central Tucson. Details on their collaboration are available in the following article, and on their website at http://watershedmg.net/.
Introduction
Walking or driving the streets on the eastern side of the Rincon Heights neighborhood two years ago, the average pedestrian or driver wouldn’t notice a stark difference between Rincon Heights and several other neighborhoods surrounding the University of Arizona. Like those other neighborhoods, many of the homes were built before 1950 with a high percentage of homes rented to students, and many of the streets have parking restrictions due to students’ parking needs. Rincon Heights also shares some of the challenges that those neighborhoods face, including cut-through traffic that often speeds through neighborhood streets, and the temporary flooding of neighborhood streets due to intense seasonal rainstorms and a lack of adequate stormwater infrastructure.
However, walking or driving down those same streets today, the average pedestrian or driver will notice a series of traffic calming and landscaping features that address those challenges and make Rincon Heights a model for the successful integration of green infrastructure into neighborhood streets. Recessed rainwater harvesting basins have been retrofitted into public rights-of-way to capture rainwater runoffcoming from individual properties and neighborhood streets, while traffic calming features designed to capture rainwater have the added function of slowing drivers in the neighborhood’s interior.
While these features may be the most visible product of a three year collaboration between the nonprofit Watershed Management Group (WMG) and the Rincon Heights Neighborhood Association (RHNA), from a community development perspective the most valuable benefits of this initiative are those that aren’t as visible during a brief visit through the neighborhood; those that come in the form of the relationships developed and the environmental education gained over the course of this partnership spanning the last three years.
The Beginning of a Beautiful Partnership
The collaboration between WMG and RHNA began with one impromptu workshop aimed at improving neighborhood tree planting efforts, and has since grown into a sweeping initiative that has engaged the local community through a suite of projects promoting environmental conservation, neighborhood beautification and citizen engagement. Watershed Management Group (WMG) is a Tucson-based nonprofit that has several community-based water conservation programs and the Rincon Heights Neighborhood Association (RHNA) is an established neighborhood association that has confronted many issues associated with its proximity to the University of Arizona.
Rincon Heights neighbors first contacted WMG in 2007 to provide technical assistance with neighborhood tree plantings. Neighbors had observed that trees they were planting were not thriving, and sought WMG’s help in pairing their plantings with water harvesting strategies. WMG’s Executive Director held a spur-of-the-moment workshop with the neighbors to teach them techniques of building water harvesting structures like earthen basins and swales. This led to a series of planting and rainwater harvesting workshops that WMG and RHNA did together over 2007 and 2008.
In 2008, Watershed Management Group obtained grant funds from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to conduct water quality improvement and education in the neighborhood. WMG brought the technical resources necessary to improve the quality of neighborhood runoff, while RHNA brought strong leadership, continued resident participa- tion, and a deep interest in learning rainwater harvesting techniques to the table.
This two-year project involved a series of educational, hands-on public workshops to install stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) like bio-retention basins, berms, curb cuts and infiltration trenches on ten neighborhood blocks to improve local water quality. Bio-retention basins and infiltration trenches are depressions in the ground that are placed along neighborhood roads and sidewalks to capture rainwater runoff. Earthen berms slow and direct rainwater runoff from adjacent properties, while stormwater from the road enters basins through gaps cut out of curbs.
After demonstrating the effectiveness of these initial BMPs and the dedication of workshop volunteers, WMG and neighborhood leaders convinced the University of Arizona to install similar features at seven of its parking lots and facilities in the neighborhood. Subsequently, some 80 traffic mitigation structures incorporating rainwater harvesting features were implemented along two main neighborhood streets with the support of Pima County bond funds, and volunteer labor to plant the structures.
Additional projects undertaken during this initiative include a workshop series to train community leaders from 13 other Tucson neighborhoods in BMP implementation, a cleanup of a local wash, and the installation of a natural “pocket park” within the neighborhood to provide outdoor community space within the neighborhood. This veritable laundry list of projects is a testament to the success of this collaboration and to the sustained engagement of this community.
Lessons Learned from Rincon Heights
Over the course of this collaboration, several factors contributed to the success of this initiative. Watershed Management Group and Rincon Heights Neighborhood Association are established organizations experienced in conservation and community development, and their collective knowledge informed the approaches used during this initiative. After reflecting upon the successes and missteps experienced over the course of this collaboration, the following Best Practices (not to be confused with Best Management Practices (BMPs)) were distilled.
Grassroots Approach to Community Development
Contrary to the provider/client dynamic employed by some organizations working in community development with a unilateral decision-making process, WMG employed a neigh- borhood-centered approach to determine the extent and form of projects to be completed in Rincon Heights. While WMG staff provided technical guidance, along with workshop leadership and implementation, neighborhood leaders were involved in the design and implementation of this initiative from its inception. Furthermore, the impetus, authority, and responsibility for the improvements lie with neighborhood residents themselves, who are prepared to maintain them.
Neighborhood-Scale Green Infrastructure
In addition to this project’s unique community-based approach, this project pioneers the installation of “green infrastructure” to address and integrate stormwater management, water conser- vation, livability and beautification goals. The installed stormwater BMPs remove pollutants, reduce flooding and provide moisture for native plantings without creating a long- term need for additional irrigation. The plantings in turn shade neighborhood streets and sidewalks, mitigate the urban heat island effect, calm traffic by reducing perceived (and actual, in the case of vegetated chicanes) street width, attract native wildlife, and beautify the streetscape.
Make Green Tools and Technologies Accessible to All
WMG staff and RHNA leaders purposefully engaged people from a variety of different backgrounds over the course of this initiative. All WMG workshops conducted in Rincon Heights have been free, and have been open to all members of the public (with the exception of the Neighborhood Leaders workshops). The number of participants is limited for each workshop to ensure that attendees have the tools and supervision necessary to make the workshop a success. Over the course of this initiative, over 200 workshop participants were trained in the hands-on implementation of green infrastructure BMPs.
These participants represented a variety of age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds, and included neighborhood homeowners, renters, individuals who use Rincon Heights for parking only, and participants from outside of Rincon Heights. This variety among workshop participants is a testament to the broad-based interest in sustainability and conservation in Tucson. To address this broad-based demand for green technologies and techniques, WMG’s programs are structured to make them as affordable as possible to all interested individuals, and also provide grant assistance to low-income families to help them afford green improvements.
Beyond satisfying individuals’ interests, diversity among participants helps engage new partners. It was the involvement of university students in this project, along with the neighbor- hood’s proximity to the University, which prompted the University of Arizona to get involved in this initiative.
The Multiple Benefits of Community-Based Conservation – Environmental Education, the Generation of Social Capital, and the Increased Utility of Community Investment
As mentioned in the introduction to this article, the greatest benefits gained through this partnership are not the environmental benefits yielded by the green infrastructure BMPs. Rather, they are the less tangible benefits yielded by sustained community participation in this environmental conservation initiative. Along with learning how to construct earthen structures, workshop participants were instructed in landscaping design and plant selection techniques, which they can use to implement BMPs at their own homes. Additionally, the community leaders that came from outside to participate in the Neighborhood Leaders training program have been able to apply these new skills to design and implement projects in their own neighborhoods that integrate BMP principles.
The hands-on, participatory nature of the BMP workshops also helped reduce the need for investment from sources outside of Rincon Heights. While grant funds were used to pay for WMG staff time and for workshop materials, workshop participants leveraged their own “sweat equity” to construct the different BMP features and the pocket park. During this time of shrinking budgets, the low cost of implementation for these projects certainly extended the life of the initial grant.
Beyond the technical skills and economic benefits gained through the BMP workshops, the relationships developed between workshop participants will long outlast the two-year lifespan of the initial BMP grant. These interpersonal bonds have enhanced the sense of community pride and connection within the neighborhood, and these new relationships will help this community address future challenges.
What’s Next for Rincon Heights?
In Rincon Heights, the next big challenge will be maintaining the BMPs that have been installed in dozens of locations across the neighborhood over the past two years. WMG and RHNA are working to mobilize and organize support for this effort not only from inside the neighborhood, but from the greater community. WMG is exploring developing a community-based volunteer “Green Streets Stewardship Corps” that could help provide maintenance to these sites across the city. Since initiating the project, WMG has worked with several other Tucson neighborhoods seeking to follow in Rincon Heights’ steps, and these neighborhoods have used Rincon Heights as a model for developing green infrastructure practices. With a grant from the Arizona State Forestry Division, WMG is now working with the City of Tucson to develop official standards for green street/stormwater BMP practices that can be used in neighborhoods citywide.
Watershed Management Group: Pioneering Community-Based Conservation
The community-centric and innovative approach used for this initiative is typical of WMG’s programs. Founded in 2003 to help individuals and communities manage their natural resources more sustainably, Watershed Management Group is convinced that communities themselves are the key to ensuring the long- term quality of life on a local and global scale.
The following programs show WMG’s commitment and willingness to work together with communities to develop sustainable solutions to resource management challenges:
Green Streets
Green Neighborhoods Program WMG is working with several neighborhoods to build
community and green neighborhoods through the use of green infrastructure practices, and is working to build educational programs that can empower neighborhood leaders and advocates to spread the model throughout Tucson and the southwestern US.
Waterharvesting Co-op Program
This program employs the “barn-raising” model of community action, where members share their skills and labor to convert their homes into models of beauty and sustainability. This enables homeowners to install rainwater harvesting systems, greywater systems, native vegetation, and edible gardens, after building up “sweat equity” during workshops at other members’ homes.
Schoolyard Gardens Program
With an integrated approach incorporating hands-on educational activities and the creation of water harvesting gardens at multiples schools, this program provides K-12 students with an applied understanding of their environment with a focus on water resources and native plants.
WMG’s International Programs
Currently working in India and Burkina Faso, these programs apply WMG’s unique approach to program development by helping communities in need solve their resource challenges through grassroots action, collaborative partnerships, and community empowerment.
For additional information on the Watershed Management Group and its programs, visit http://watershedmg.net/.
James MacAdam is the Project Manager for the Green Streets-Green Neighborhoods Program, and can be contacted at james@watershedmg.org.
Joe Silins is a member of the Board of Directors of the Watershed Management Group headquartered in Tucson.