“The People’s Plan” - Completion of The South Memphis Revitalization Action Plan
(October 6, 2009 - MEMPHIS, TENN) – Representatives of The South Memphis
Renaissance Collaborative, convened by Rev. Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D. and St.
Andrew AME Church, will present “The People’s Plan” - a uniquely comprehensive,
community-initiated, assets-based, action-oriented, short- and long-term plan for the
revitalization of South Memphis; driven by 12 months of highly participatory resident
involvement, and by extensive field work, data collection and analysis by faculty and
students from the University of Memphis.

BACKGROUND: Following a long period of disinvestment and decline, South Memphis
has recently begun to experience the beginnings of an exciting and much needed
rebirth, or renaissance. During the past ten years, two dozen new homes and an 80-unit
apartment community have been constructed and scores of existing homes have been
rehabilitated by The Works, Inc., the Community Housing Development Organization
founded by St. Andrew AME Church. Dozens of block associations have been formed
to combat crime through the efforts of the South Memphis Alliance. In addition,
hundreds of area children and youth have gained access to high quality education by
attending the Circles of Success Learning Academy and the Marcus Garvey Institute
and Learning Academy.

Building upon the momentum generated by these and other recent community
development initiatives, representatives of St. Andrew AME Church, The Works, Inc.,
Self-Tucker Architects, the Consilience Group and the University of Memphis came
together in the summer of 2008, with the support of the Hyde Family Foundations, to
form the South Memphis Renaissance Collaborative (SMRC). The primary purpose of
the South Memphis Renaissance Collaborative is to encourage the formation of
public/private development partnerships that can successfully undertake the kind of
ambitious, local economic and community development projects that can visibly
enhance the quality of life for local residents, and create a healthy, sustainable South
Memphis. The Memphis Regional Design Center adopted the SMRC as its first project.
Realizing the need to involve other public, private, and non-profit organizations in their
community renewal efforts in order to achieve SMRC’s ambitious goal, this newlyformed
alliance invited others to work together with them to craft and implement a
comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plan designed to transform South Memphis
into one of the region’s premier neighborhoods of choice. In the fall of 2008, 22 area
businesses, religious institutions, service organizations, and civic associations came
together, under the leadership of Rev. Robinson, Pastor of St. Andrew AME Church, to
form the Steering Committee for a South Memphis Revitalization Action Plan for an area
bounded by I-240 on the East, Person Avenue on the South, Lauderdale Avenue on the
West, and Trigg Avenue on the North.

With the support of Dr. Shirley Raines, President of The University of Memphis, and the
invaluable assistance of students and faculty from the university’s anthropology,
architecture, and city and regional planning programs, the Steering Committee
developed a detailed plan for collecting and analyzing the information required to
develop a data-driven and community-supported revitalization plan for current and
future residents of South Memphis. During the Fall of 2008 and the Spring of 2009,
more than 90 University of Memphis students worked with approximately 400 residents
and leaders toward addressing the following development objectives:

? Enhance the urban environment through a community-wide clean-up and
beautification campaign;
? Promoting family health and wellness by improving access to communitybased
health education, wellness, and primary medical care;
? Expanding entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for current and
future residents;
? Creating quality affordable housing options for South Memphis’s poor and
working class families;
? Nurturing strong children, families, and neighborhoods by eliminating
missing links in the neighborhood’s social service delivery system;
? Improving public safety and its perception by means of a resident-initiated
and led crime prevention program; and
? Improving mobility, accessibility and connectivity for local residents
through improved public transportation.

“The People’s Plan” – with signature projects and multiple immediate, short-term,
and long-term strategies will be unveiled at a news conference this morning.
It is a unique plan, compared to the typical planning effort in Memphis. This process
has allowed for the community to come together to develop a unified vision for the
neighborhood, which not only creates avenues for innovation, but also sparks new
partnerships and collaborations and builds consensus on the future of South Memphis.
Following a final community review of The Plan, it will be submitted to the
Memphis/Shelby Land Use Control Board for review, comment, and ultimate approval.
It will then be submitted to Memphis City Council for review.
The news conference will be held on the site of the Alpha Renaissance
Apartments, a new public/private affordable housing development by The Works,
Inc., and the historic Cornelius Lawrence Clancy House, which serves as the
community office building. Both are emblematic of the rebirth of South Memphis.

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