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Food Insecurity in Birmingham – A Short Film on East Lake
Click the link for a short film on food insecurity in Birmingham and efforts in Birmingham’s East Lake neighborhood to improve healthy food access and consumption. http://vimeopro.com/user3732648/digital-city-2014/video/94114446 continue reading »
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The extension of Birmingham’s Civil Rights Trail is complete!
Back in February 2012, with the leadership of Freshwater Land Trust and support through the Health Action Partnership, our countywide greenway master plan (the Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System) was completed. Implementation of this plan got a major boost when the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $10 million to the City of Birmingham to develop 29 miles of trails, bolstered by $5 million in matching funds from a partnership of local supporters. Now the first segment of the trail has been completed. On Saturday 3/8/14 at Smithfield Library, the City of Birmingham hosted ribbon cutting ceremony for the extension of the Civil Righ ... continue reading »
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National award shows off best of Railroad Park
Congratulations to Birmingham’s Railroad Park, honored in October with the national Open Space Award from the Urban Land Institute. The award, which comes with a $10,000 cash prize, is designed to highlight public open spaces that spur what ULI describes as regeneration and transformation in the surrounding community. That’s a great way to say exactly what Railroad Park has done in its two years of existence. What was once 19 acres of wasted space along the railroad tracks in Birmingham’s city center has become a gathering place for people to walk, run, play games or picnic. The surrounding area also has been transformed, with a new baseball ... continue reading »
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Five smoke-free cities and why this matters
Since 2011, five cities in Jefferson County have advanced comprehensive protections against secondhand smoke exposure in all worksites, restaurants and bars. That covers 43 percent of the county and the largest city in the state — Birmingham (212,000 people), Midfield (5,365), Vestavia Hills (34,033), Fultondale (8,380) and Bessemer (27,456). At an event to celebrate this achievement, Birmingham City Council member Johnathan Austin explained why this matters to him: “As chairman of the public safety, my number one charge is for the health and safety of all the citizens of Birmingham. Looking at something as comprehensive as this w ... continue reading »
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What Is a Greenway?
You’ve probably heard the term “greenway” used a lot recently. Simply put, a greenway is open space set aside to connect people and places. Most greenways contain paved or unpaved walking and biking trails, which help improve a community’s activity levels and connect people to the places they need to go. Greenways can also help reduce flooding in floodplain areas, raise property values and provide natural habitats for plants and wildlife. In short, greenways are important to our community’s overall quality of life. In Birmingham, a good example of a greenway is Lakeshore Trail. Meandering alongside Shades Creek, this greenway offers walkers, ... continue reading »
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The Magic City Leads on ‘Complete Streets’
Birmingham’s Complete Street policy, adopted in 2011 through a resolution, is recognized as one of the nation’s leading examples of safe, smart transportation policy according to a new nationwide analysis conducted by the National Complete Streets Coalition. The annual report, which rates every Complete Streets policy across the country on a numerical basis according to best practices criteria, highlights Birmingham’s resolution as being especially strong in the area of accommodating for all users and modes. “All across the country we’re seeing more and more communities embrace a new understanding of their streets and roadways,” says National ... continue reading »