Revitalizing the Neighborhood

Renovation of urban spaces can foster morale and encourage a sense of neighborhood pride. Landscaped plazas featuring cleaned rain water fountains can function as meeting places and spaces for rest and relaxation (above and above left). Existing residential and commercial structures can be refurbished to recycle rainwater from their roofs to lower the impact of stormwater runoff into the sewer system with the added benefit of providing extra water for domestic/ commercial use (left). Such renewal of buildings and spaces can serve the community well by providing a desirable setting for commercial and light manufacturing enterprises which when present, in turn bolster the economic base of the community. Additional measures can be taken on a grass- roots scale to turn vacant land into places which celebrate community heritage and diversity, be it a sculpture garden, traditional medicinal garden or imaginative play lots (below).