Project For Public Spaces Awards Free Technical Assistance

Some public spaces in South Knoxville's Old Sevier community have captured the attention of a national planning organization and may soon see transformation.

PPS is a nonprofit planning, design, and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces, with the bigger aim to build stronger communities. PPS planners will conduct a day-and-a-half technical assistance workshop focused on transforming public spaces along the Sevier Avenue corridor. MPC and the Health Department will work with Old Sevier Community Group, the City of Knoxville, and South Knoxville Elementary on design ideas for the school property and neighboring areas to create vital, healthy community spaces.The Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission, in partnership with the Knox County Health Department, has been selected as one of nine teams nationwide to receive free technical assistance from the Project for Public Spaces (PPS). The group will come to town this spring to help neighborhood groups and area officials work on designs to transform South Knoxville Elementary School and adjacent properties into an inviting hub for community activity.

"This exciting partnership helps advance our Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities work in South Knoxville, and it helps fulfill the neighborhood?s vision for a healthier community," said Knox County Health Department Program Manager Ben Epperson.

In 2014, Old Sevier?s South Knoxville Elementary was named the county?s seventh community school. As such, the school serves as a center for organizing community resources to improve neighborhood health and safety and student academic success. Tanna Nicely, principal of South Knoxville Elementary, says "the school is eager to engage the surrounding neighborhoods and connect students to innovative ideas that will improve the community."

PPS will be working with local partners using a development concept called "Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper (LQC)." LQC activates public spaces by capitalizing on the creative energy of the community to generate new uses and revenues for places in transition, at a lower cost and a lower risk than typical development activities. These types of projects help translate community visions into physical reality. Some examples include adding flexible seating and rotating public art to interject comfort and interest into a public space. LQC can take many forms, requiring varying amounts of time, money, and effort and should be seen as ongoing to build lasting change.

MPC is excited to work with the Health Department and south Knoxville partners to take advantage of PPS expertise and explore different ways of implementing their community vision.

To learn more about the PPS, visit www.pps.org.