Birmingham, Alabama Embraces an Equitable Development Toolkit for its NW Downtown District
How do we better connect adjacent neighborhoods to the daily life and economy of the Civil Rights District and The Switch? How do we ensure that local businesses and residents benefit from future growth?
The Northwest Downtown Development Plan was an 18-month community-based process for aligning future investment and development in the Civil Rights District and the Switch Innovation District with the community’s vision for this locally- and internationally-significant place.
The study built on recent planning projects, including Freedom Walk and the City Center Master Plan, to create a clear road map for implementing the community’s aspiration for these urban districts, better connecting the Northwest Downtown area to adjacent neighborhoods, and addressing meaningful questions about goals for equitable development.
The Birmingham Civil Rights District, Historic 4th Avenue Business District, and The Switch have national and international significance. The civil rights story and the Birmingham story are cultural treasures for the worldwide community and must continue to be made robustly visible and accessible in order to inform and inspire future generations. Both the physical campus of the Civil Rights District and the narrative of the civil rights story must be preserved and presented to the public with creativity and dignity. Likewise, the vision of Birmingham as a hub of innovation, embodied in The Switch, must be developed as a destination with signature placemaking qualities in order to attract and retain world-class talent.
In collaboration with place-based community development organizations of Urban Impact and REV Birmingham, neighborhood residents, the faith community, and the business community, MKSK and Development Strategies prepared an investment and development strategy supported by an Equitable Development Toolkit.
The study area for this plan included the Civil Rights District and The Switch innovation district, within the greater Fountain Heights neighborhood.
The Equitable Development Toolkit not only presents a strategy, but a playbook to guide key stakeholders in implementation and ensure that future investment in the NW Quadrant is equitable and inclusive.
The plan proposes implementing targeted public realm improvements on four critical street corridors and two public spaces to connect the District to adjacent neighborhoods and provide the framework for private investment and development.
The plan proposes creating a critical mass of innovation businesses and business activity around existing anchor uses and planned developments.
Rendering of the proposed “public living room” in the open space south of Third Avenue in the Frisco Switch. This signature, 18-hr attraction will support local business and serve as an iconic component of the Switch district.
Rendering of proposed improvements to the heart of Kelly Ingram Park. These will support opportunities for outdoor learning with shaded group seating areas for classes and small gatherings, distanced from street traffic.
The core components of the NWDT Plan included analysis and recommendations for the public realm, real estate market opportunities, catalytic development sites, parking strategies, and placemaking ideas. Collectively, the recommendations in these arenas will be utilized to inform public policy, capital budget planning, business attraction, and site-specific approaches to redevelopment.
To bring in to focus the immediate steps needed to implement the NWDT Plan, six priority action items were identified. These initial steps, along with ongoing stewardship and advocacy for the District by Urban Impact and REV Birmingham, create the opportunity to advance towards the community’s goals for inclusive growth in a thriving district of both local and international significance.
Link to the Plan here.
Consultant Team: MKSK, Development Strategies, CCR, and GCRA