Avondale Quality of Life - Neighborhood Planning Initiative
In the fall of 2018, the Avondale Development Corporation launched its Quality of Life initiative (QOL). QOL is designed to capture residents’ visions for Avondale and turn those visions into achievable projects. In addition to street layouts and housing and retail needs, QOL takes a broader look at the whole community – schools, parks, safety, organizing, social services and opportunities for economic advancement. Neighborhoods that have a strong plan are better able to realize their vision, rather than be swept along in development. This effort comes at the perfect time for Avondale.
Avondale Quality of Life, Visioning Session - February 2019
ADC and its partners in the QOL – including Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) and the Community Building Institute (CBI) – started with a survey of more than 230 residents. Those responses informed a visioning session in February, where residents were invited to share their thoughts on the four priority areas: safety, access to opportunities, mobilizing residents, community/institutional partnerships and influencing and directing change. In parallel, CBI – a partnership between Xavier University and United Way of Greater Cincinnati – is conducting an environmental scan of Avondale.
Avondale Quality of Life, Working Groups - April 2019
Avondale is currently in the Working Group phase of the QOL plan. Information from the community visioning session held in February 2019 was gathered and analyzed and used to further inform and organize the theme areas. From this process four major areas of interest emerged: Increasing Safety, Sharing Success, Strengthening Partnerships and Improving Housing.
From these themes working groups have been established comprised of both residents and stakeholders. Working groups have been meeting since April 2019 to identify goals, recognize strengths and opportunities, brainstorm solutions and develop strategies to achieve the neighborhood vision.
Throughout the process Avondale has engaged in early action projects including working with the Cincinnati Police Department to improve police-community relations and impact crime through a series of resident-led "Good Guy Loitering" community events and "Door Knock" safety check initiatives. Avondale has also engaged in a series of neighborhood art and trail projects to provide safe, well lit, well attended points of interest and recreation for the community.
We anticipate releasing the full Avondale Quality of Life plan in late summer 2019.
Learn more about Avondale Quality of Life at www.growavondale.org/quality-of-life.