On Dec. 5, Heartland Conservation Alliance and the Urban Neighborhood Initiative hosted The Vacant to Vibrant Summit. The Summit was virtual and welcomed over 75 attendees to learn what is happening in Kansas City and beyond to revitalize communities using innovation to turn vacant and unused land into vibrant and beneficial spaces. Participants heard from Sandra Albro, the author of Vacant to Vibrant, Creating Successful Green Infrastructure Networks, for lessons learned and her experiences restoring vacant lots in Cleveland, OH. The Summit concluded after participants gathered in breakout sessions to discuss concerns about their own neighborhoods and the City of Kansas City's participation in their restoration.
We invite you to participate in our Annual Partnership Survey. The Annual Partnership Survey evaluates our ability to provide support, resources and information as well as increase connectivity and engage new stakeholders. The survey informs HCA's work and direction. We measure success by the feedback we receive about our ability to connect, convene and conserve in the Blue River watershed. It takes about 5 minutes and will help guide our Work Groups and Steering Council in 2021. The Survey is due December 15.
At the October Urban Waters Steering Committee meeting, we created three working committees to advance the 319 Grant, the Water Equity Roadmap, and Restoring Vacant Lot projects. The committees will meet and work on developing goals and objectives for their projects and share plans at the December meeting. The next meeting is Wednesday, 12/16/20 at 1 PM.
The next Partnership Work Group meeting will be in 2021 and the date is to be determined. If you would like to attend a Work Group meeting, please contact Jill Erickson at jill@heartlandconservationalliance.org