Big Idea: Building Community Connections
Building Community Connections describes our quality of life and the culture, arts, and places that make Greensboro unique and memorable and the ties us together as a community.
This Big Idea includes strategies that improve livability, strengthen neighborhoods, and increase public safety, access to affordable housing, and public amenities. It encompasses historic preservation, arts and culture, and education. The strategies in this section will establish Greensboro’s identity by promoting the cultural and educational opportunities that make Greensboro a vibrant place.
Why Build Community Connections?
Greensboro’s community defines the City. One of the most significant threads in public comments was that people liked the friendly, engaging, and open spirit of Greensboro, and are very satisfied with the quality of life found here. In particular, people said they appreciated the number of amenities Greensboro has for a city its size. Focusing on community and the “softer” assets of the City is a vital part of the future of Greensboro.
Issues and Opportunites Addressed
- Changing Age Demographics
- Embracing Our Universities
- Historical Significance
For more information see Chapter 8 of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Current Implementation Activities
Comprehensive Wayfinding System
To create our our new Wayfinding System, the City engaged a wide range of stakeholders to identify important destinations and create a set of cohesive designs for a range of sign types. The program will help visitors and residents alike find the places that make Greensboro special!
Piece of Now
The Greensboro History Museum created Pieces of Now to record history as it was being made. The exhibit is a collection of art painted in the summer of 2020 on the boards being used to cover shop windows in downtown Greensboro, along with other artifacts of the time such as masks. A virtual tour is available, and will remain after this exhibit is removed in the summer of 2021.
What we hope to accomplsh: A record of the spontaneous reaction of Greensboro residents to the events of 2020.
African American Architectural Survey
In the fall of 2020 the City completed a survey of mid-century modern architecture in east Greensboro neighborhoods, which includes work by significant local African-American architects, as part of its Historic Resources Inventory. Check out our new Story Map!
What we hope to accomplish: Recognition of the physical and cultural history of a large portion of east Greensboro that played a critical role in civil rights history and presents a strong architectural legacy. The City will pursue a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
Love Your Block
The City has been sponsoring the "Love Your Block" initiative since 2020. The City partners with neighborhoods on a variety of projects such as removing garbage, educating nighborhors about waste and recycling schedules, helping elderly residents with yard work, or even cleaning graffiti. The program helps revitilize the community one neighborhood at a time, and was inspired by community leaders working with City leadership to address problems that affected neighborhood quality of life.
So far the City has participated in 7 events, with 3 more planned for this fall. To date, Field Operations has removed 8.75 tons of trash, 257 gallons of paint or oils, 40 tires, and 30 televisions and computers.
OUR GOALS AND STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY CHARACTER
Our goals and strategies for building community connections focus on what makes us a unique community, be it our diversity, our history, the presence of higher education, or the events and festivals we hold.
Goal A
Greensboro is a thriving, dynamic, and livable city that people love to visit and call home.
Strategy 1: Develop a process to understand, measure, and build on the qualities of Greensboro that make it an excellent place to live. Identifying the key elements that we want to measure and improve will make quality of life issues more tangible, particularly for the elements that make Greensboro feel open, friendly, and welcoming.
Strategy 2: Actively celebrate the City’s unique and positive attributes, like its strategic location in the state and region, and market Greensboro as a tourist destination. Identify the reasons why residents and visitors love our city and make those known. Additionally, identify Downtown as the key central area of Greensboro and highlight its importance to the City. The places that residents and visitors gather should leave a lasting impact.
Strategy 3: Comprehensively delineate and create land-use plans for the areas around significant gateways that define key entrances to the City, and continue to build a program that creates design elements that clearly indicate to visitors that they have arrived in Greensboro and that make a positive and memorable first impression.
Goal B
Greensboro’s cultural identity–our museums, libraries, arts communities, festivals, and events is a source of pride and shared experience.
Strategy 1: Strengthen sustainable support for arts and culture that creates an environment for artists and cultural organizations to flourish, increases public participation, and builds Greensboro’s ability to attract artists. Advance cultural parity and arts participation for all Greensboro residents by focusing on equitable access to programs and resources for success.
Strategy 2: Locate public art strategically in neighborhoods throughout Greensboro to create unique and memorable public spaces. Distribute art installments and cultural activities across Greensboro to show the uniqueness of Greensboro’s neighborhoods and create more reasons for people to visit different areas across the City. Foster relationships between artist and residents, making cultural activity a point of civic pride for all residents.
Goal C
Greensboro treasures its history, honors its role in the civil rights movement, and celebrates its diversity through engagement and inclusion.
Strategy 1: Actively celebrate Greensboro’s rich history. Market the fact that Greensboro is a place that "makes history" for tourism, economic development, and college recruiting. Continue to celebrate Greensboro's role in world-changing events like the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and the Greensboro Sit-ins.
Strategy 2: Embrace a broad definition of diversity, protect vulnerable populations, and continue our tradition of being a safe haven for refugees and immigrants. Celebrate the wide range of cultures present in Greensboro, provide opportunities for cross-cultural relationships, and continue to facilitate everyone's participation in city governance through groups like the International Advisory Committee (IAC).
Goal D
Our colleges, universities, and Career and Technical Education facilities play a leading role in the cultural, social, and economic fabric of the community.
Strategy 1: Build on existing partnerships between the City, neighborhoods, and colleges and universities, while creating opportunities for new partnerships, so higher education campuses play an increasingly stronger role in the cultural life of the larger community. Build on efforts that make neighborhoods around campuses strong and vibrant neighborhoods. Make institutional spaces and programs easily accessible to residents.
Strategy 2: Market Greensboro as a University City, rich with colleges and universities that provide cultural and educational opportunities. Highlight the institutions that have flourished since their inception and the leading programs that attract students from across the country and the world.
Goal E
Everyone does their part to maintain stable, attractive, and healthy places to live and raise families.
Strategy 1: Build upon successful community initiatives to improve housing conditions while encouraging community involvement and participation. Work to ensure the quality, quantity, and diversity of housing choices across and between neighborhoods.
Strategy 2: Build neighborhood association capacity to work collaboratively, assess conditions, and effect change. Strengthen neighborhood planning tools and coordinate City programs and funding initiatives to support public and private efforts to protect and improve all neighborhoods. Create and foster partnerships among and between neighborhoods to strengthen the social fabric of Greensboro.
Strategy 3: Improve the city’s housing through effective use of code enforcement and the strategic leveraging of resources. Encourage local collaboration between nonprofit organizations and health providers that highlight the importance of housing conditions and their impacts on public health.
“I love this city because it's a melting pot of people of different backgrounds and cultures. The arts are rich with culture and diversity.”