Naomi Davis speaks in St. Louis Sept. 15
By Don Fitz
For the St. Louis American
When African-American servicemen returned from World War II, GI benefits could not overcome the red-lining which kept them from buying homes. In Chicago, many went to Riverdale, one of the Windy City’s 72 neighborhoods.
But a half a century later, Riverdale is notorious for environmental degradation and public housing which is deteriorating. Enter a community coalition pulled together by Naomi Davis of Daughter’s Trust/The Village Builders. Davis will be in St. Louis to speak at the Great Green Pesto Feast on Saturday, September 15 at Grace United Methodist Church, 6199 Waterman.
The coalition has a vision of renewal in Riverdale that extols black heritage, gives opportunity to those who need homes and incorporates the best green practices. If successful, it could be a model for rebuilding St. Louis without uprooting current residents.
A major energizer in the plan to develop Riverdale is the Chicago Calumet Underground Railroad Effort (C-CURE), headed by Martha Boyd. C-CURE sees the potential for cultural tourism which focuses on the Underground Railroad. The revitalization plan includes recording oral histories of Riverdale’s senior residents.
The Riverdale area comprises 1,000 acres that include single-family homes in need of repair, duplexes from the 1960s, public housing and vacant land. It also has a forest preserve, a park, a river and a lake. The goal of Daughter’s Trust is to create a CDC (Community Development Corporation) for this blighted community.
The coalition worries that a Tax Incremental Financing approach could leave low-income families out in the cold. Many do not have funds that would allow them to pay higher real estate taxes or refinance their homes.
“We want people who live in the community to be able to stay in the community,” Davis says. So she works with the multi-ethnic coalition of city planners, home builders and social change activists to seek “layered” financing. They are looking for funds from federal, state, county and city sources as well as lending agencies.
The model proposes single-room occupancy space for ex-offenders. They also suggest co-housing, with units that seek to share space and resources, including home items such as ladders and lawn mowers.
A key to making Riverdale sustainable is creating environmental and cultural jobs that develop skills for economic changes that could become necessary by oil shortages and global warming. This will include local energy production based on solar, wind and geothermal power.
An integral part of revitalizing Riverdale with green jobs is storm water management. Planners have already outlined how to use rain barrels and permeable pavement so that storm water will not run into the sewer system.
Daughter’s Trust also envisions a “transit-oriented” community that relies as little as possible on privately owned cars. Major development in Riverdale is hoped to take place next to mass transit lines. Local businesses will be encouraged to locate within walking distance.
Davis sees neighbor-owned businesses as being central to ending colonization of black communities. “If you look at the many English-as-a-second-language communities, they develop by residents opening businesses and keeping the money in the community,” she said.
“African-American neighborhoods must have locally-owned businesses if they are to thrive.”
Her dreams are shared by conservation designers, real estate developers and green consultants who are working with their city government to build consensus for a master plan and obtain funding. The vision could help communities across America build healthy neighborhoods without displacing anyone.
Davis will speak at the Great Green Pesto Feast, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, September 15 at Grace United Methodist Church, 6199 Waterman (at Skinker). Tickets, which include dinner, are $20 ($15 if before September 9) and can be ordered by calling 727-8554.