Washtenaw County Youth Land Use Agenda
Area high school students create
priorities for redevelopment
| Washtenaw
County high school students gathered Tuesday, May 16 2006
for a day-long leadership forum focused on regional land use
and sustainability.
The event, coordinated by the
High/Scope
Educational Research Foundation,
followed students' classroom study of land use issues using
the "Lessons
from Land"curriculum.
Through a series of group decision-making
processes, including voting, debating, and caucusing, students
arrived at the 4-point agenda listed below.
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4-Point Youth Land Use Agenda Developed
by Washtenaw County Teens
Urban redevelopment: Develop the
Exemplar Building in Ypsilanti into a large youth center with
indoor and outdoor recreation areas that is accessible to youth
living in surrounding areas and districts. This fights urban sprawl
by using land that has already been developed, providing a safe
place for youth in Washtenaw County to hang out after school and
on weekends.
Transportation: Create a county-wide
bus route improvement initiative, expanding routes in Washtenaw
County. Increase accessibility of areas surrounding Ann Arbor.
Include youth and small business owners in planning process to
make sure that bus systems would improve access to both large
and small residential and commercial areas in the county.
Zoning and regulation: Simplify
zoning regulations for builders and developers; encourage mixed
use development; plan development around public transportation.
Redevelop under-utilized buildings for
teens: Improve the economy, health, attractiveness of the
community and provide safe place for teens by redeveloping under-utilized
buildings.
Next steps for youth include communicating with local leaders
about the agenda. The Land Use Agenda will also become part of
on-going classroom study of land use as the
"Lessons
from Land" program expands.
"Lessons from
Land" is funded by the Washtenaw
County Department of Planning and Environment and the US
Environmental Protection Agency |
