RESTORATION & RECLAMATION in the 30th Street Corridor
Artist Portia Cobb & environmental engineer Tory Kress led a walk engaging the public in envisioning the future of Milwaukee’s 30th Street Corridor. Formerly the industrial powerhouse of the City, many of the manufacturing jobs have since left, leaving economic hardship and vacant land in this area. Reflection by Tory and Portia.
May 4th, 2019, Green Tech Station, Milwaukee
Our walk covered an area that most participants had never been to before, except for possibly passing by quickly on Capitol Drive. The beautiful weather helped to highlight that the area we were covering was full of interesting, picturesque, invigorating, and inspiring places with enormous potential. Bringing a large group through the redevelopment sites of Green Tech Station, Century City, and Melvina Park and experiencing their reactions, questions, and ideas was a reminder of the importance of telling the story of these places and working to engage with the community both near and far from these sites in order to ensure that the redevelopments are successful from the community’s point of view.
One of the questions posed was about how urban areas can compete with suburban greenfields to attract economic development opportunities. My answer related to all the things that we are doing at our urban sites to make them appeal to developers who would provide good jobs for residents. But as we discussed a bit further, we all engaged in a bit of brainstorming about how creative events (like this walk) and creative uses for vacant land (like green infrastructure and various forms of art) can be a differentiator in terms of making urban spaces stand out.
One woman asked about a business that used to be in the area. I hadn’t heard of it and began talking about other former businesses that used to anchor the industrial corridor. But this woman was specifically interested in this particular company because it was her father’s former workplace, and I was at a loss to answer her question. I am so grateful to Portia for jumping in at that moment to point out that stories like this woman’s direct connection to this place are so important and how could we find a way to commemorate these stories and the places that hold meaning for everyone with a relationship to this area. In the past, we’ve discussed a museum highlighting the history of the Corridor or hosting a StoryCorps session – maybe it’s time to revisit this idea…
In Melvina Park, our group was fortunate to meet Yvonne McCaskill, the resident leader of the Century City Tri-Angle Neighborhood Association. Yvonne shared with our group about her community, their activities and events, and their vision for the future. She was an inspiration for our walk attendees and again for me as she always is, but in a new way to see her tell the story to a new audience.
Saturday’s walk was a reminder that communities, their histories, their experiences, and their visions should be fundamental to the work that I do addressing blighted and vacant land. Also, that art inspires and connects people and opens up new ideas and possibilities for solving problems. Seeing a part of the heart of this city in this way was transformative ...the true meaning of the adage “boots on the ground” was activated in each of us.