Land Use Innovation Initiative

Groundwork Bridgeport was awarded a $20,075 Land Use Innovation Grant to collect community input on a waterfront activation plan to help guide the restoration of a large, coastal, publicly-owned brownfields site known as Sliver by the River. Bridgeport is home to 45 parks, yet many are low quality, poorly maintained, and lacking engaging programming. GW Bridgeport is focused on bridging the gap between the environmental needs of the people and land use planning by using a multi-channel approach to address community needs. By engaging the voices, knowledge and participation of the neighboring communities they aim to ensure that equity and sustainability are embedded in the Sliver by the River design process. Working with its youth program participants to conduct on-the-ground engagement, Groundwork Bridgeport is using innovative digital platforms to allow community members to weigh in on the ongoing Sliver by the River project and help planners develop an equitable design that meets the needs and expectations of the surrounding neighborhoods. This will serve as an ideal model for the future transformation of brownfields!

Groundwork Hudson Valley received a $50,000 LUI grant to engage community members in the design of the future of Ludlow Park – a new public park along the Hudson River in Southwest Yonkers! Over a century ago, the city of Yonkers designated the site for commercial and industrial use, and millions of gallons of waste from manufacturing and agrochemical plants were disposed into the Hudson River each day. This project represents one of the most ambitious brownfield-to-park projects in the city’s recent history – building climate resilience in an area that will be dramatically affected by sea-level rise, heat waves, and coastal storms. Groundwork Hudson Valley and local partners will implement a community engagement and design effort to ensure that the inaccessible and polluted areas of the Hudson River Waterfront are transformed into a healthy and green space that meets the accessibility and resilience needs of the surrounding neighborhoods. Community input and climate resilience designs will address environmental issues and support educational programs that highlight the importance of ecosystem and water protection in the Hudson River.

Groundwork Jacksonville’s Emerald Trail Stewards (ETS) program, funded by the Land Use Innovation Initiative, is a green workforce training and brownfield education program, focused on providing economic opportunities to residents from Emerald Trail neighborhoods. This program trains stewards to install and maintain the native landscapes and green infrastructure along the Emerald Trail through a combination of classroom and on the job training. At the conclusion of the six-month program, successful Stewards will earn FNGLA’s industry-recognized Horticulture Professional and Landscape Technician certification.

Community engagement and participation are essential to the creation of inclusive, diverse, and sustainable land reuse endeavors. Groundwork Lawrence received a $25,731 LUI grant to help engage residents in the transformation of the former Cyr Oil property into an accessible greenspace that extends active transportation opportunities in the neighborhood while addressing climate concerns.

The site is located in the Arlington neighborhood, a community in Lawrence with a legacy of divestment, contamination, brownfields, vacant lots, limited green space, shade inequity, air pollution, and auto congestion. GW Lawrence is prioritizing the transformation of Cyr Oil property in the Lawrence and Bennington Triangle with the creation of a neighborhood advisory group, which will receive capacity building and training to lead the reimagination of the site. The advisory group will develop a plan based on the critical needs of the local communities by evaluating the site’s past and present impacts and engaging their neighborhoods in a redesign process.

GW Lawrence is excited to partner with residents and the City of Lawrence to create a resident-informed, reimagined, and enhanced green space resulting in a beautified, vibrant gateway to the City.

Through the Land Use Innovation Initiative, Groundwork Milwaukee aims to educate residents of Metcalfe Park about brownfields and climate risks in their neighborhood. This includes identifying local brownfield sites, understanding associated health risks, and exploring land reuse options. The project will culminate in a climate resilience plan involving local brownfield sites, serving as a blueprint for future restoration projects to mitigate climate change effects in Metcalfe Park.

Multi-use recreational spaces fulfill the needs of transportation, green spaces, and community connection. Yet, often these spaces are not accessible to all. Groundwork ORV received a $49,982 LUI grant for their trailblazing proposal to establish a new Climate Safe Neighborhood’s Climate Advisory Group to  develop a plan for improving five brownfield sites and lay the foundation for a future Mill Creek Greenway Trail extension into South Cumminsville. GWORV will connect youth employment, city policy, and the priorities of frontline communities to guide site improvement and climate planning in the city.

We discard around 80 million pounds of food waste a year in the US! Groundwork Rhode Island is working to combat food waste and received a $49,051.75 LUI grant for the planning efforts needed to support the development of educational programming at their new West End Compost Hub. For over 20 years, two adjacent vacant lots in Providence’s West End neighborhood have remained empty – attracting illegal dumping. GWRI is leading the state-funded remediation process to turn the brownfield-designated area into a medium-scale composting facility that will process food scraps and yard waste into nutrient-rich compost.  GWRI’s West End Compost Hub will be a vital community resource that will provide community education on climate resilience, composting benefits, urban agriculture, and brownfield remediation. Community partners and residents will collaborate on the best tactics for engagement and outreach to ensure it develops into a welcoming space for residents, businesses, schools, and other local stakeholders to utilize and cultivate.