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University District

Garden Training April 5

University District residents are invited to a free garden training.
Thursday, April 5
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
UALR Bailey Alumni and Friends Center

Register by April 4

The first 30 residents, who didn’t receive a garden last year, to register may receive a free raised bed garden if funding is available. Residents may bring a soil sample in a waterproof container. Label with your name, address, phone number, and what you’re growing. You’ll receive a liming and fertilization recommendation in two weeks.

For questions, email udresidents@gmail.com.

Updated 3.29.2012

University District Seminar on Walkability and Livable Communities

Members of the UALR and University District community are encouraged to participate in a workshop and walk audit on Monday, January 9th, with Dan Burden, the nation’s leading walkability expert, to discuss ways that the University District can advance active transportation and make streets safer for all modes of transportation – from walking and rolling to driving and riding.

The event will kick off at 12:45pm with a workshop presentation at the Donaghey Student Center (Rooms A, B, C), followed by a walking audit, or walking workshop, of the District, where participants can experience first-hand conditions that impact walking and biking in that neighborhood. For residents who know the District well, this is a chance to view the area through a new lens, and to share the experience with others who are passionate about creating and maintaining a safe, walkable, and healthy community. Burden, executive director of the non-profit Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, will lead a debrief and make recommendations following the audit. The event will conclude by 5:00 P. M.

The workshop is made possible by the University District Partnership, the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP), and the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute. The workshop will highlight links between economic vitality, public health and transportation. “In many parts of the country, we have engineered activity out of our daily lives by building streets that accommodate only cars, not people,” Burden said. “Unfortunately, this has negatively affected the health and economic vitality of our communities. We can do better.”

“With obesity rates on the rise and the epidemic being most dramatic in the south, it is time to make a change,” said ArCOP Co-Chairman Joy Rockenbach. “Nine of the ten states with the highest adult obesity rates are southern states. Studies have shown that people are more likely to exercise if they can fit activity into their daily lives because time and schedule are the primary reasons most of us put off exercising.” This is one goal workshop: to make the healthy choice the easiest choice. Presently, 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 5 children in Arkansas are obese.

You may participate in a portion of the workshop and tours if you don’t have the full afternoon available.

Wear your walking shoes and Please RSVP directly back to me at rrcopeland@ualr.edu so we can have a head count to organize the walk audit.

Updated 1.4.2012

November 22 Event: Senior Justice Workshop

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Updated 11.17.2011

December 8 Event: Growing Healthy Communities

To attend this event, fill out the registration form.

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Growing Healthy Communities is a project developed by ArCOP in 2009 as a collaborative effort funded by the Blue and You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas, the Arkansas Department of Health’s CDC Cooperative Agreement, UAMS Partners for Inclusive Communities, and the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. This GHC initiative is designed to help communities enact policy and other changes to make healthy lifestyle choices more accessible.
Throughout this year UALR’s Janea Snyder and Donna Quimby Department of Health Sciences, and other members of the University District’s Growing Healthy Communities team Mayor Mark Stodola, Assistant City Manager Bryan Day, Beth Phelps of the County Extension Service, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas, Dr. Donna Quimby, chair of the UALR Department of Health Sciences; John Brush of Hometown Health Improvement; Julie Hall, director of the University District Educational Network; Lynn Lincoln of the Midtown Health Alliance, Margo Bushmiaer of the Little Rock School District, and Aiesha-Parker Hicks have worked collaboratively with University District Partnership, neighborhood community leaders, UALR faculty, staff and volunteers, and university district residents to help contribute to growing a healthier university district community.

Join us Thursday, December 8th to highlight how to make change happen in growing a healthy community. The event willl be from 9AM-1PM at UALR’s Donaghey Student Center, Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Joe Thompson will be the Keynote Speaker on the topic “Healthy People 2020″This event is opened to all free of charge. Lunch will be provided. For your convenience you may park in the UALR Parking Deck, to exit the deck you will be provided a dollar token once you check-in at the Summit.

Updated 11.10.2011

Law Students Present UDDC Recommendations

Six law students in a service- learning Neighborhood Development course presented recommendations for the UDDC April 28 at the UALR Bowen School of Law.

First Scott Jones, who graduates in December, presented a statistical analysis of the Oak Forest neighborhood, which mostly consists of one-story, ranch-style homes that range from 900 and 1500 square feet. His research included title searches and compiling records of sale information, owner/renter occupation, and appraisal value. Jones suggested the UDDC could become the landlord, turn lots into green space until the market turns around, or make a larger impact with the SNAP program.

UD Law School presentations 4-11 007 web small1.jpgLaTrenia Byrd, who graduates in May, presented a model lease agreement for homeowners and tenants, who may be legally unsophisticated and not able to hire an attorney. She provided a copy to representatives of the UDDC.

Will Choppin of Nashville, Tenn., a 2012 law candidate, shared recommendations for a residential purchase agreement, emphasizing fairness, readability, and simplicity.

UD Law School presentations 4-11 016 web small.jpgNext Jim Miners, who graduates in December, discussed ideas for opt-in covenants as a neighborhood development tool. Restrictive covenants are promises by homeowners, such as in historic neighborhoods and subdivision developments. Common covenants are no mobile homes or trailers and only single-family residences. He suggested starting on Harrison Street, where the UDDC’s first refurbished home is, giving neighbors the opportunity to opt in and offering a SNAP program incentive.

May graduate Robin Horn, who will practice law in Camden, researched land bank programs to include side lot transfers, foreclosure prevention, and green space in Flint, Mich. Land banks can be set up by a government or nonprofit entity to reverse blight and stabilize neighborhoods.

Nicholas Gastel looked into community land trusts, which are not currently in Arkansas; however, one is forming for a retirement community in northwest Arkansas. He presented information on establishing land trusts, membership, governance, and their benefits and disadvantages.

Lynn Foster and Cliff McKinney were the students’ professors. This is the second year for the course.UD Law School presentations 4-11 007 web lg.jpg

Updated 7.29.2011

Residents Eligible for Free Garden

University District residents may receive a free vegetable garden by participating in one training session.

The UALR Department of Health Sciences and Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention received a Growing Healthy Communities grant to plant 30 gardens in the University District. To participate, residents must attend the training from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26, at the UALR Bailey Alumni Center. The garden beds and plants will be delivered and constructed Saturday, June 4.

Registration is required from May 6 to 20 by contacting Janea Snyder at udresidents@gmail.com or 501-952-2311. Gardens will be given to the first 30 residents.

Updated 5.5.2011