Local Media Covers the 4th Annual Neighborhood Summit

This past Saturday, community leaders from around the Memphis area gathered for the 4th Annual Neighborhood Leaders Summit sponsored by Livable Memphis. 

In today's Commercial Appeal, Mr. Tom Bailey wrote about the event, calling it "an information buffet provided to participants from neighborhoods that include Frayser, Hickory Hill, Balmoral, Annesdale Park, Normal Station, Richland Acres, Cooper-Young, Whitehaven, Sherwood Forest, Cordova, Downtown, South Memphis, Glenview-Edgewood Manor, Evergreen Historic District, Park-Moor, Vollintine- Evergreen and South Main."

The Memphis Flyer's Mary Cashiola wrote about the keynote address delivered by Mr. Sadhu Johnston, Assistant Deputy City Manager for the City of Vancouver.  Ms. Cashiola cited Mr. Johnston's comments about Vancouver's commitment to bicycling:

"The car comes last. We don't design anything exclusively for the car anymore," Johnston said.

After installing protected bike lanes, the city saw a 400 percent increase in its morning bike commute within two months.

Mr. Bailey reported on local consultant John Lawrence's talk about the economic importance of walkable neighborhoods:

"The changes in house values over a recent 10-year period show Cooper-Young's values rising 32 percent, compared to Collierville, 23 percent; Germantown, 17 percent; Millington, 11 percent; Arlington, 11 percent; Bartlett, 8 percent; and Memphis as a whole, 3 percent, (consultant John) Lawrence said. 

According to Mr. Bailey, Lawrence

projected a photograph of an ice cream shop -- surrounded by parking lots and devoid of sidewalks -- on suburban Germantown Parkway and remarked, "If you wanted to walk to Baskin-Robbins, you can't."

Cashiola points to the ecomic advantage that Vancouer now enjoys as a result of its emphasis on envrionmental sustainability and livability. 

All the changes have given Vancouver the lowest per capita emissions in North America, and that, in turn, means a competitive advantage.

"By making our cities more livable, we make them more competitive," Johnston said. "This isn't just about making our cities beautiful." 

Livable Memphis was proud to host such an exciting and inspiring event for leaders from around our great city.  Stay tuned for information about our next event, the Broad Avenue Facelift.