On Monday, November 5th, a group of students and faculty at Furman University joined community leaders and area residents in a spirited discussion about the revitalization of the Poinsett District, an urban corridor in Greenville, South Carolina. This hour-long event brought to light recent updates from the Poinsett Corridor Revitalization Coalition, the presentation of current projects on the Corridor and an explanation of future goals, which included neighborhood master plans and student-led community design projects . It was exciting to see the passion for revitalizing the District spread throughout the hearts and minds of everyone in the room!
A panel of Poinsett area residents & community members fielded questions from Furman students and faculty to provide insight on current events and recent developments in the District. Questions regarding the future of economic development, community engagement in the design process and the specific goals and intents of the project were discussed in depth, raising additional points of discussion. The discussion was moderated by first-year Furman professor Dr. Aaron Passell, a leading sociologist and scholar on New Urbanism. Charity O. Jones, a resident of New Washington Heights, offered insight into the fabric of community affairs as a lifetime resident. After a discussion about community engagement, Charity called for other residents in the Poinsett District to get involved and do their part to make their neighborhoods great places to live, work and play.
A big thanks goes out to Boyd Yarbrough of Furman University, Paula Gucker of Greenville County Public Works, Steven Bryant of Cherrydale Chik-Fil-A, Joey Freeman of Greenville County Rec, and Kwadjo Campbell of the Poe Mill Community Organization for contributing to an insightful discussion about the exciting future of the Poinsett Corridor!