The Westside Resource Center, located at 907 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, will host volunteers that week and expand their hours of operation to accommodate anyone wanting to sign up for the waitlist. 

This year, the girls attended demonstrations led by an all-female crew of students and staff. They stopped by the Clough Undergraduate Learning Center (CULC) to see the Urban Honey Bee Project led by Dr. Jennifer Leavey. The Technology Group visited the retroTECH to play with vintage computers, video games, and more. The Women in Electrical and Computing Engineering (WECE) demonstrated how to build a wind turbine out of everyday objects. Across campus. The Mathematics group learned how to code their own music songs using rhythm and beats with EarSketch.

The photo scavenger hunt took them to the water slide in the recreation center, a dining hall, the bowling alley, and several popular student hang-out spots on campus.

Catered lunch took place overlooking Historic Grant Field at Bobby Dodd Stadium in the Student Success Center, while the Dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts spoke about the importance of their presence on campus. Jade Sims, from the Office of Admissions, used the GPA game to stress the importance of grades, extracurricular activities, and tailored admissions essays when applying to college. Current female student athletes talked about an appropriate study-life balances, camaraderie, and the diversity of scholarships at Tech.

The WCA Data Dashboard serves as a one-stop shop for key data that is accessible to community stakeholders, researchers, local government agencies, and relevant foundations interested in sustainable Westside community development.

“We believe that this tool has the potential to encourage greater data-driven decision-making at the neighborhood and Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) level in addition to supporting research and policymaking that addresses significant challenges in areas of education, economic development, transit and mobility, and public safety,” said WCA Associate Director Mackenzie Madden.

In its current form, the dashboard offers resources in seven categories:  1) Community Profiles, 2) Economic Development, 3) Education, 4) Public Safety, 5) All Data, 6) Historical Data, and 7) Resource Library.

Presently, the dashboard displays information for NPU’s K, L, and T – the three NPUs connected to the WCA – as compared to the City of Atlanta.

The dashboard is a user-friendly tool that:  1) draws upon available quantitative and qualitative data, 2) stores data collected for current and future research initiatives, 3) provides metrics for assessing the success of diverse engagement and intervention models, and 4) develops comprehensive reports to identify the impact of “anchor institutions” such as Georgia Tech on neighboring communities to highlight knowledge gaps.

The Data Dashboard project began in 2011 as a static Westside neighborhoods asset map created in conjunction with faculty in the Georgia Tech College of Architecture. Under the leadership of Dean Royster and her WCA leadership team, the first virtual tool was created in Fall 2013 by a group of graduate students in Dr. John Stasko’s Data Visualization class. That iteration mapped transit and walkability in the city. The platform also provided a heat map of census data that has since been transformed into the Big Data tool available today. Graduate Research Assistants in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts continued building the dashboard into its present form.

Katie O’Connell, MCRP 2015, was hired as the Project Manager for the Data Dashboard in Summer 2014. She began by researching similar platforms across the country and collecting relevant data for the city of Atlanta. During an Online Tools session of the WCA’s 2014 Community Studio, O’Connell was able to determine the basic pros and cons of existing resources such as the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Neighborhood Nexus, the U.S. EPA’s Enviromapper, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Several focus groups with Westside residents and stakeholders were held as various portals were designed to garner feedback on the usability of the dashboard.

The WCA staff has presented the dashboard at various conferences and symposia including The Center for Community Progress’ Vacant Properties Conference in 2015, Atlanta Studies Symposium, TEDx Atlanta, and the Georgia Tech Center for Urban Innovation.

The WCA Data Dashboard has been made possible through various stages of development in collaboration with entities at Georgia Tech including College of Architecture, College of Computing, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, the Center for Geographic Information Systems, and with funding from the Ford Foundation.

Please visit wcadatadashboard.iac.gatech.edu to explore the platform. Please use the hashtag #WCADataDashboard in social media settings, when referencing the tool.

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of death and the most commonly diagnosed cancer among African-American women. The Westside Communities Alliance, of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech, in partnership with Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta will sponsor a night out for 50 westside community residents and leaders for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. These women will be treated to a HEALing Dinner Party focused on breast health and FREE tickets to a play at the Ferst Center Theater.

This Friday, October 16^th, our westside residents will meet at the Neighborhood Union Health Clinic on Sunset Avenue, a newly-opened location of the HEALing Community Center. A bus will transport them to the Ferst Center at Georgia Tech where they will be treated to a special dinner catered by local favorite Urban Cannibals. Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta and the HEALing Community Center will discuss the importance of breast health and affordable healthcare options available in the westside communities.  Participants will also have the opportunity to make appointments to receive mammogram referrals. Following dinner, attendees will enjoy the play Sister Outsider inspired by the writings and teaching of Audre Lorde, author of The Cancer Journals.

This event provides the unique opportunity to reach communities of color with textured narratives that speak to their experiences as women. Working with campus and community partners, and with generous support from Georgia Power, we seek to encourage more women of color to get breast health screenings, while also promoting general health and wellness in the areas we serve.

Upcoming Meetings:

Tuesday June 16th

The Phoenix Partnership: English Avenue Drug Market Initiative

Time: 6:00pm

Location: Lindsay Street Baptist Church – 550 Lindsay Street NW, Atlanta GA 30314

Monday June 22nd

The Phoenix Partnership: English Avenue Drug Market Initiative

Time: 6:00pm

Location: Pilgrim Baptist Church – 498 English Ave NW, Atlanta GA 30318

The official Call-In is scheduled for Tuesday June 30^th at a location TBA.

See more resources at: http://www.dmimsu.com/

The “Call My Name” workshop will be presented on Sunday April 27^th 2014, at the Lindsey Street Baptist Church (550 Lindsey St NW, Atlanta GA 30314) from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm.  No sewing experience is necessary and materials will be provided. Williams explains, “We have all been touched by HIV/AIDS and by creating a panel for The Quilt, we, as a community, are honoring those we have lost and we are transforming that loss into something that offers hope and can keep others safe from this horrible disease.”

The AIDS Memorial Quilt was created one 3 x 6 foot panel at a time by more than 100,000 individuals from across the country and around the world. With everything from teddy bears to wedding rings, B

oy Scout badges to love letters, the more than 48,000 handmade panels that comprise The Quilt are as varied as the individuals they honor and the people who created them.  Each year, sections of The Quilt are presented in nearly 1,000 displays around the world — in community centers, schools, places of worship, corporations, etc. — in an effort to share the messages of hope, healing and action found on The Quilt.

As HIV/AIDS claims more and more lives in the African American community, the demand for Quilt is growing.  Communities understand the power of The Quilt to open hearts and minds and to save lives, but right now we simply don’t have enough Quilt made by and for the African American community to meet this demand.  Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition (AHRC), a partner on this project, uses the harm reduction model as a key prevention tool to fight the transmission of HIV and other blood borne diseases. Please consider attending and helping us remember, create and strengthen our greatest HIV prevention tool– The AIDS Memorial Quilt.

This program is supported in part by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Westside Communities Alliance, and Africa Atlanta 2014. For more information on the “Call My Name” workshops, please go to aidsquilt.org/callmyname or e-mail sheridf@iac.gatech.edu.

NPU D Minutes February 11

NPU D Minutes February 25

TopGolf Driving Range with Restaurant and Bar planned for a currently vacant lot off of Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard Top Golf

Riverwalk Atlanta is doing a feasibility study for a linear park along the Chattahoochee River, including the old incinerator site Riverwalk

Not in NPU-D, but here is some information on the Collier Village Rezoning Collier Village Redevelopment

FACTS Academy Charter School has been proposed for a site on Marietta Blvd, which will focus on fine arts, chess, and technology education FACTS

Capital Improvements Program and Community Work Program 2015-2019 CIP and CWP 2015 to 2019

Please direct any questions to: carlyqueen@gatech.edu

The tour began here, in the downtown area known as “The Gulch”, which is part of the headwaters of Proctor Creek. This parking lot, which currently produces vast amounts of storm-water runoff, is targeted for redevelopment as a Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal (MMPT).

The bus tour continued, passing by Mims Park and Boone Boulevard before stopping at our next destination, Fire Station #16, shown above. This is a site of interest because of the rain garden, shown right. The lack of upkeep since the garden was first planted was used to highlight some of the challenges of maintaining green infrastructure in communities with limited resources.

The next stop on our tour was the North Avenue Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Facility, shown above. During rain events this facility is used to treat sewer overflow before releasing the treated wastewater into Proctor Creek, at the location shown below.

Some evidence of the creek bank degradation can be seen, where powerful water erodes the bank after being channeled through concrete tunnels and artificial creek beds.

The photo above shows the future site of the Emerald Corridor Demonstration project, which will remove invasive species and trash from this site, adding native wetlands vegetation to help slow and clean the waters of Proctor Creek.

One of the last stops on our tour was the former Bellwood Quarry in northwest Atlanta, which will be transformed into the Westside Reservoir Park as part of the BeltLine redevelopment project. Once filled, this site will hold up to a 30 day supply of water for the city of Atlanta.

View the handouts that we received on this tour here: Proctor Creek Tour Materials

Also check out our Water and Environment page for a list of local resources relating to the Proctor Creek Watershed.

Here are the notes from the Northwest Community Alliance Meeting on March 19, 2014, which included a special presentation by Keith Sharp of Riverwalk Atlanta:

Northwest Community Alliance Notes 3/19/14

We have included our own notes from questions of the events. View them here: BeltLine_WestsideTrail1

In February, the notes and presentation were put on the website. They can be found here:

Presentation: http://beltlineorg.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/January14-2014_Westside-Trail-Information-Open-House.pdf

FAQs: http://beltlineorg.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Westside-Trai_PIOH_FAQs_LH-e-d-eidts1.pdf

Information on the Westside Trail:

http://beltline.org/progress/progress/construction-progress/westside-trail/

Information on the BeltLine Community Engagement Process:

http://beltline.org/progress/progress/community-engagement-progress/