Green Communities Partnerships in Indian Country
May 27th, 2008 Update! The 2008 Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country Builder Training was a great success! Click here or see "Hands-on Workshop" for more information.
About the Project:
In 2002, the leadership of the Red Cliff community invited a group of faculty and students from the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin Madison to participate in a community planning and design initiative that would address the need for affordable housing while preserving their natural and cultural resources.
In response to that invitation, faculty and students worked with staff from community planning, housing, social services, and natural resource programs to develop maps and topographic models that clearly illustrated "where to build and where not to build" based on ecological principles. When the community leaders agreed upon the most economically logical and culturally appropriate place to build within the 'where to build" areas, the faculty and students prepared a series of concept plan drawings illustrating a variety of ways to lay out housing and community facilities.
The residents of Red Cliff were invited to a public workshop to review and offer feedback on the pros and cons of the different plans. The faculty and students made changes to the plans based on that feedback, and submitted another draft plan, which was, with a few minor changes, approved by the Tribal Council. The roads for that new development were constructed in 2005. Twenty four new homes will be constructed by the end of 2008. The success of that partnership led to similar collaborative projects with several other First Nations communities around the state.
Now, in response to requests for technical assistance with the design and construction of energy efficient, healthy, affordable homes, the “Green Communities and Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country” initiative includes a hands-on, tech transfer/jobs training program working with First Nations across the upper Midwest to disseminate advanced technologies in conservation development and housing construction based on natural systems, organic materials, local labor, and energy efficiency (i.e. “green”).
Participants include experienced builder/contractors; community members; licensed professionals; elected and appointed officials; academic researchers; government agency staff; and student volunteers. The approach is hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves, and engage.
As one might imagine, these trans-disciplinary collaborations have been anything but smooth routine. However, as one might also imagine, the core values of this initiative cut across sectoral boundaries. So when we run into rough patches (and we do!) those core values hold us together, and we always learn something in the process.
Many Thanks to our Funders:
Ira and Ineva Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Foundation
University of Wisconsin-Extension Native American Task Force
UW-Extension Community, Natural Resource, and Economic Development Program
UW-Madison Department of Landscape Architecture
UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
US Department of Agriculture
UW-Madison Division of Adult and Continuing Education
Kelly Design Group, Landscape Architects
Design Coaltion, Architects
UW West Madison Agricultural Research Station
UW-Madison Department of Biological Systems Engineering
USDA Forest Products Research Laboratory Madison