This is a guest post written by Bradford C. Grant, a Lower Georgia Avenue Main Street Neighborhood Strategy Council (NSC) Member. Bradford is a local resident and a Professor at Howard University.
I joined the Neighborhood Strategy Council (NSC) because I wanted to have direct input to the health of Lower Georgia Avenue (LGA), I wanted to ensure diverse representation, and I wanted to be able to teach and learn more about my neighborhood. Also as a resident of the LGA neighborhood and as Professor of Architecture at Howard University, I wanted to offer an architectural design perspective of LGA as a rapidly developing and gentrifying urban corridor.
With over 12,000 members of the Howard University community within reach of LGA, I am looking for closer and stronger connections between Howard University and the LGA’s small businesses, public spaces, and activities—much like many other commercial thoroughfares at or near urban Universities.
With the rise of COVID-19 and new and changing constraints and determinants for safe and healthy urban spaces, we need to envision and plan new innovative designs for buildings, private properties, and public spaces for LGA with a premium on trees, fresh air, sunlight, justice and equity as design criteria.
Lastly, we need to develop LGA in a way that allows longtime Black residents to thrive and lead in the community’s growth—a “Black in Place” policy.
Bradford C. Grant, Professor
Department of Architecture
College of Engineering and Architecture
Howard University
District Bridges is a Community Driven Economic Development non-profit. Our success lies in our ability to create a sense of community and belonging. The Lower Georgia Avenue Main Street program is a part of the District Bridges family. We bridge our residents, community leaders, and business owners who make our communities the places we know and love. Help us bring Bradford C. Grant’s vision to life and continue doing out work by chipping in $10, $100, $1,000 at districtbridges.org/donate