| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.80 |
| Liaison | Kelly Wellman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 19, 2022 |
Texas A&M University
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Jaimie
Masterson Program Coordinator Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
1st Partnership
Rio Grande City, TX
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Sustainability-focused
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
About: The county seat of Starr County, Rio Grande City is located along its namesake river, roughly 100 miles from Laredo and Brownsville. Its location along the Mexico border has historically connected the city’s economy and culture to Mexico and Gulf Coast ports such as New Orleans. The community has a 98.5% Hispanic population. 32% of the residents live in poverty, including 40% of children.
Purpose: In collaboration with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Working on Wellness Environment Program (WOW-E), and TxTC, the community aims to develop its first comprehensive plan.
Catalyst: The plan's development is part of an ongoing partnership funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) High-Obesity program. The CDC supports land grant universities to work with community extension services to increase access to healthier foods and safe and accessible places for physical activity in counties with more than 40% of adults with obesity. The project uses a collaborative approach to prioritizing local solutions and transformative change to address community health-related challenges. Through this partnership, the City of Rio Grande City identified a need for a ten-year comprehensive plan.
Outputs:
In the summer of 2021, TxTC collected pertinent data to develop the State of Community Report.
The team developed an Engagement Report by establishing community relationships, creating a task force, and collecting community feedback through community engagement meetings, focus group interviews, community pop-ups, engagement kits, and surveys.
Community identified six big ideas as the overarching priorities for the plan, including, Buena Vida – Good Life, Estabilidad y Progreso – Stability & Progress, Viviendo Saludable – Living Healthy, Fuerza Unida – United Community, Comunidad Conectada – Connected Community, and Desarrollo Inteligente – Smart Growth
PLAN 662 and PLAN 678 students developed goals, objectives, and strategies for each of the big ideas.
LAND 212 students developed design ideas focusing on downtown and parks to create walkable and vibrant spaces that support community health, safety, and economic development.
Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ assessment.
Outcomes:
Forthcoming Landscape Architecture master’s project final year of study. The project would include concepts for historic downtown, redesign of the County park, and connectivity of key landmarks.
A ripple effect of the project was exploring the Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ through the lens of public health. Assistant Professor Dr. Siyu Yu scored policies and their impact on public health across the city’s network of plans. The scoring informs the policies that are recommended within the comprehensive plan. (Funded by the Department of Homeland Security)
Purpose: In collaboration with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Working on Wellness Environment Program (WOW-E), and TxTC, the community aims to develop its first comprehensive plan.
Catalyst: The plan's development is part of an ongoing partnership funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) High-Obesity program. The CDC supports land grant universities to work with community extension services to increase access to healthier foods and safe and accessible places for physical activity in counties with more than 40% of adults with obesity. The project uses a collaborative approach to prioritizing local solutions and transformative change to address community health-related challenges. Through this partnership, the City of Rio Grande City identified a need for a ten-year comprehensive plan.
Outputs:
In the summer of 2021, TxTC collected pertinent data to develop the State of Community Report.
The team developed an Engagement Report by establishing community relationships, creating a task force, and collecting community feedback through community engagement meetings, focus group interviews, community pop-ups, engagement kits, and surveys.
Community identified six big ideas as the overarching priorities for the plan, including, Buena Vida – Good Life, Estabilidad y Progreso – Stability & Progress, Viviendo Saludable – Living Healthy, Fuerza Unida – United Community, Comunidad Conectada – Connected Community, and Desarrollo Inteligente – Smart Growth
PLAN 662 and PLAN 678 students developed goals, objectives, and strategies for each of the big ideas.
LAND 212 students developed design ideas focusing on downtown and parks to create walkable and vibrant spaces that support community health, safety, and economic development.
Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ assessment.
Outcomes:
Forthcoming Landscape Architecture master’s project final year of study. The project would include concepts for historic downtown, redesign of the County park, and connectivity of key landmarks.
A ripple effect of the project was exploring the Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ through the lens of public health. Assistant Professor Dr. Siyu Yu scored policies and their impact on public health across the city’s network of plans. The scoring informs the policies that are recommended within the comprehensive plan. (Funded by the Department of Homeland Security)
2nd Partnership
Salvation Army of the Brazos Valley
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Sustainability-related
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
About: The Salvation Army is a non-profit organization of the universal Christian Church that exists to “meet human need wherever, whenever and however it can.” The Salvation Army provides services for homelessness prevention, youth programs, food insecurity, Christmas assistance, emergency disaster services, and spiritual care.
Catalyst: The Brazos Valley has experienced significant growth over the last 10 years. The pressure on affordable rental housing has only increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of these economic shifts, more residents in the Brazos Valley are on the brink of homelessness and lack available affordable housing.
Purpose: To develop research and exploratory components addressing a new addition of transitional housing and support services for the Salvation Army of the Brazos Valley.
Urban planning students researched and generated data and information to inform transitional housing options, including: an analysis of the built environment (e.g. change in urban patterns, land use, zoning and local regulations); an atlas mapping social and institutional networks of regional housing and supportive initiatives; case studies of transitional program housing; regional transportation demand analysis; survey instrument and structured interview question design; and updated the 2015 Community Needs Report.
Architecture students documented the site in 2D and 3D drawings and established general design strategies, for scale, material, programs, and distribution. Students generated a site plan, sections (long & short), elevations, specific program & elements, and axonometric drawings.
Outputs:
7 background reports
7 schematic design proposals for the Salvation Army campus master plan
6 Graphic Reports
Final schematic site design of the Salvation Army campus
Final presentations of all report content
Outcomes and/or impacts:
Private donor-funded student work opportunities
The Salvation Army broadened the institutional conversation around transitional housing and the redevelopment of their Bryan location
Expanded vision, strategies, and opportunities for Salvation Army’s future capital campaign
Catalyst: The Brazos Valley has experienced significant growth over the last 10 years. The pressure on affordable rental housing has only increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of these economic shifts, more residents in the Brazos Valley are on the brink of homelessness and lack available affordable housing.
Purpose: To develop research and exploratory components addressing a new addition of transitional housing and support services for the Salvation Army of the Brazos Valley.
Urban planning students researched and generated data and information to inform transitional housing options, including: an analysis of the built environment (e.g. change in urban patterns, land use, zoning and local regulations); an atlas mapping social and institutional networks of regional housing and supportive initiatives; case studies of transitional program housing; regional transportation demand analysis; survey instrument and structured interview question design; and updated the 2015 Community Needs Report.
Architecture students documented the site in 2D and 3D drawings and established general design strategies, for scale, material, programs, and distribution. Students generated a site plan, sections (long & short), elevations, specific program & elements, and axonometric drawings.
Outputs:
7 background reports
7 schematic design proposals for the Salvation Army campus master plan
6 Graphic Reports
Final schematic site design of the Salvation Army campus
Final presentations of all report content
Outcomes and/or impacts:
Private donor-funded student work opportunities
The Salvation Army broadened the institutional conversation around transitional housing and the redevelopment of their Bryan location
Expanded vision, strategies, and opportunities for Salvation Army’s future capital campaign
3rd Partnership
Juneteenth Legacy Project
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Yes
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing
Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Sustainability-focused
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
About: Juneteenth is the oldest celebration of the abolishment of slavery in the United States. June 19th marks the day when Gen. Gordon Granger stepped onto Galveston Island with 2,000 troops and issued General Order No. 3 proclaiming freedom for more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas in 1865. One hundred and fifty-six years later, Juneteenth finally received federal recognition as a holiday.
Catalyst: After gaining national attention and federal recognition in 2021, passionate local citizens in Galveston County approached TAMU in July of 2021 to help rethink and re-imagine how Galveston would best develop commemorative spaces of the historic event at its place of origin. TxTC formed and met monthly with a local task force beginning in January 2022. The Task Force represents various stakeholders with past and current interests in commemorating the Juneteenth historical event and fostering the development of a proposed museum in Galveston with local "knowledge bearers" of Juneteenth in Galveston. Task force members discerned that as the country grapples with re-imagining monuments and memorials, we also needed to expand the narrative of our shared history.
Purpose: To provide design concepts of commemorative spaces, programs, and scholarship associated with or inspired by Juneteenth in Galveston.
Freedom Walk: To bring the historical content beyond the walls of a traditional museum, students and faculty developed concepts for a distributed, open-air, public art project that integrated virtual and extended reality formats. The TAMU research also launched a proof-of-concept crowdsourced collection tool at different nodes of Galveston's "Freedom Walk." These locations connect to the TAMU team's AR/VR vignettes and the Hello Lamp Post texting application. Visitors learn about the history and share stories by accessing the vignettes and applications, so data can be woven into and included in a distributed museum, thus enabling deeper connections to the expanded narrative.
The Bell: The Nia Cultural Center installation features a full-scale, proof-of-concept "bell" art display that symbolizes plantation bells, slave ship bells, and fugitive slave bells. This bell also symbolizes freedom and a call to action. The TAMU team developed a tripartite, large format exhibition screen that featured the historical narrative of the bell, the making of the bell with Dallas-based artisans Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin, and the output of the TAMU/PVAMU Design Charrettes.
Outputs:
Produced measured drawings of the three sites.
Toured the sites and recorded and transcribed the tour guide presentations
PVAMU, the TAMU team conducted a series of design charrettes to develop potential design schemes.
Conducted oral history interviews.
Developed proof-of-concept "Freedom Walk" AR/VR vignettes and the B-roll footage for the documentary.
Researched three similar types of museums, analyzing and categorizing them by their programmatic use, distribution, size, scale, quality, and organization to understand better how they might inform the programmatic layout on the three sites.
Gathered data on interior and exterior installations and branding opportunities for the project that the TAMU+PVAMU team could use to create a project identity.
Participated in a Reinventing the 21st museum workshop and used those ideas to lay a foundation for the TAMU+PVAMU designs.
Utilized Hello Lamppost to lay a foundation for gathering crowdsourced data that could be woven into and included in the distributed museum approach to the project, thus enabling deeper connections to the expanded narrative that the TAMU design team wishes to pursue.
Worked with casting artists to develop the bell, the proof-of-concept public art displays at various critical locations throughout Galveston.
Designed and built installation for Juneteenth 2022 celebration.
Catalyst: After gaining national attention and federal recognition in 2021, passionate local citizens in Galveston County approached TAMU in July of 2021 to help rethink and re-imagine how Galveston would best develop commemorative spaces of the historic event at its place of origin. TxTC formed and met monthly with a local task force beginning in January 2022. The Task Force represents various stakeholders with past and current interests in commemorating the Juneteenth historical event and fostering the development of a proposed museum in Galveston with local "knowledge bearers" of Juneteenth in Galveston. Task force members discerned that as the country grapples with re-imagining monuments and memorials, we also needed to expand the narrative of our shared history.
Purpose: To provide design concepts of commemorative spaces, programs, and scholarship associated with or inspired by Juneteenth in Galveston.
Freedom Walk: To bring the historical content beyond the walls of a traditional museum, students and faculty developed concepts for a distributed, open-air, public art project that integrated virtual and extended reality formats. The TAMU research also launched a proof-of-concept crowdsourced collection tool at different nodes of Galveston's "Freedom Walk." These locations connect to the TAMU team's AR/VR vignettes and the Hello Lamp Post texting application. Visitors learn about the history and share stories by accessing the vignettes and applications, so data can be woven into and included in a distributed museum, thus enabling deeper connections to the expanded narrative.
The Bell: The Nia Cultural Center installation features a full-scale, proof-of-concept "bell" art display that symbolizes plantation bells, slave ship bells, and fugitive slave bells. This bell also symbolizes freedom and a call to action. The TAMU team developed a tripartite, large format exhibition screen that featured the historical narrative of the bell, the making of the bell with Dallas-based artisans Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin, and the output of the TAMU/PVAMU Design Charrettes.
Outputs:
Produced measured drawings of the three sites.
Toured the sites and recorded and transcribed the tour guide presentations
PVAMU, the TAMU team conducted a series of design charrettes to develop potential design schemes.
Conducted oral history interviews.
Developed proof-of-concept "Freedom Walk" AR/VR vignettes and the B-roll footage for the documentary.
Researched three similar types of museums, analyzing and categorizing them by their programmatic use, distribution, size, scale, quality, and organization to understand better how they might inform the programmatic layout on the three sites.
Gathered data on interior and exterior installations and branding opportunities for the project that the TAMU+PVAMU team could use to create a project identity.
Participated in a Reinventing the 21st museum workshop and used those ideas to lay a foundation for the TAMU+PVAMU designs.
Utilized Hello Lamppost to lay a foundation for gathering crowdsourced data that could be woven into and included in the distributed museum approach to the project, thus enabling deeper connections to the expanded narrative that the TAMU design team wishes to pursue.
Worked with casting artists to develop the bell, the proof-of-concept public art displays at various critical locations throughout Galveston.
Designed and built installation for Juneteenth 2022 celebration.
Optional Fields
The Institute for Sustainable Communities (IfSC) produces transformative research that offers solutions for more sustainable and vibrant communities, translate the research to action through engagement, and create high impact learning experiences for students. IfSC works with communities in the Houston area to engage them in understanding and finding solutions for their urban problems. IfSC works closely with the Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Service (t.e.j.a.s.) to investigate the issues related to pollution and environmental justice along Houston's Ship Channel. Researchers (faculty and students) work closely with t.e.j.a.s to take water, soil, air, and particle samples to understand the heavy metals and petroleum chemicals in "fenceline" communities. T.e.j.a.s. guides the research and IfSC translates findings for community members so they can make the most informed decisions about their own health. These communities were also flooded during Hurricane Harvey and our relationship has led to quick research response to understand the level of exposure from the flood waters. This relationship has led Texas A&M to apply and win a $10 million Superfund Research Center to further investigate the public health consequences of communities with chronic exposure from petroleum refineries.
The Texas Target Communities Program (TxTC) is a high impact service-learning and community engagement program. Since 1993, TxTC has assisted more than 60 underserved communities across Texas, invested 12,000 hours of student and faculty expertise per community, and connected communities to resources for assessing and leveraging community assets. TxTC is interdisciplinary to provide the tailored support communities need to solve complex problems. TxTC’s mission is to provide training, tools, and assistance necessary to facilitate the transformation of communities from high risk/low opportunity to equitable, resilient, and adaptive by mitigating threats to the economy, environment, and culture.
The Texas Target Communities Program (TxTC) is a high impact service-learning and community engagement program. Since 1993, TxTC has assisted more than 60 underserved communities across Texas, invested 12,000 hours of student and faculty expertise per community, and connected communities to resources for assessing and leveraging community assets. TxTC is interdisciplinary to provide the tailored support communities need to solve complex problems. TxTC’s mission is to provide training, tools, and assistance necessary to facilitate the transformation of communities from high risk/low opportunity to equitable, resilient, and adaptive by mitigating threats to the economy, environment, and culture.
Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
additional url: http://ifsc.tamu.edu/
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.