Profile of the Urban Village

"Together, We'll Find the Way"

The Beginnings
In 1984, Dudley residents came together to resist the patterns of abandonment and gentrification that had already pushed low income people out of the South End and the West End. Red-lining, disinvestment and arson fires combined to physically and spiritually devastate the community, the devastation symbolized by 1,300 vacant lots. We refused to accept these conditions. At DSNI's founding meeting, residents declared our intention to control community land and services for the benefit of the community.

The Vision - Our Urban Village
Turning planning on its head, we created the vision for the neighborhood: the 1987 plan for an urban village. It laid out comprehensive strategies for the physical, economic and human development of a vibrant, diverse, empowered community where people could live, shop, work and play.

Our vision for an urban village built on the community's greatest asset - the rich diversity of cultures, talent and willpower of residents.

Dudley Village:
A work-in-progress

Dudley village is work in progress. Early organizing victories against illegal dumping and trash transfer operations lead to hope that seemingly impossible barriers to progress could be removed. Hope replaced dispair. As we came together and started to develop a village spirit, more accomplishments followed:

• The City of Boston's adoption of our plan as its redevelopment plan for the Dudley area.

   

• Eminent domain authority to assemble parcels of vacant land for development.

   

• Long-term control of land through a community land trust (Dudley Neighbors Inc.) to ensure neighborhood benefit and to prevent speculation.

   

• Over 225 new affordable homes built according to criteria set by residents.

   

• More than 300 units of housing rehabilitated.

   

• Over 300 of the 1,300 vacant lots transformed into attractive homes, safe play spaces, gardens and community facilities.

   

• The "Unity Through Diversity" mural, designed and painted by neighborhood youth.

   

• Improved environmental safety from lead-contaminated soil, hazardous wastes and illegal dumping.

   

• A DSNI Board of Directors elected by, representative of, and accountable to community residents.

   

• A full youth summer camp program ran by "Bird Street Community Center" at Mary Hannon Park, and the park upgraded by the City.

   

• The Multi-Cultural Festival in September, an annual community building event, sharing cultural pride and contributions through food, music and crafts.

   

• Collaboratives of human service agencies and other organizations to achieve coordinated services responsive to residents' needs and priorities.

   

• The opening of the Dudley Town Common at Dudley, Blue Hill and Hampden, serving as an elegant gateway to Dudley village.

A number of key features to the village are in the works:

• Conversion of the old Dudley Mill Works building into youthbuild Boston's training headquarters and charter school, DSNI's new office, as well as commercial space.

   

• The City of Boston's commitment to renovate the old vine Street Municipal Building (the Cape Verdean Community House) as a community center.

A Vision For the Future

Out of the rubble, Dudley residents have dreamt, fought and built. We have new housing, community gardens, play spaces, multicultural festivals, new neighbors and friends. We also have a new spirit of hope and possibility.

We are now taking the next steps in defining and realizing our urban village. It is time to take our vision to the next step based on what we have been able to accomplish. Our understanding of what we want and need has changed and grown as the neighborhood has changed and grown.

This report is about the steps we just took to update our shared vision. Over a period of eight months, we designed and carried out a community visioning process. Residents from throughout the neighborhood have met together in several groups to develop an updated and shared vision. Many of those in the earlier sessions came back; many long time residents participated for the first time; and many new neighbors joined in; participants and workers at some of the area's businesses and agencies also took part. Some spoke English; some spoke Spanish; some Cape Verdean Creole.

It was a fun and creative process. We challenged each other to think boldly, to push the limits on traditional barriers and expectations. We encouraged each other to dream and to treat those dreams as things that we can and will accomplish together. We envisioned a whole and wholesome community:

• One which builds on and respects our rich cultural diversity and our sense of community values.

   

• One in which we, the residents, have political and economic power.

   

• One with a planned environment that is physically beautiful, environmentally sound, green and clean, affordable and safe for everyone.

   

• A neighborhood based on a profound respect for lifelong learning.

   

• One with a full range of recreational, educational and cultural activities.

   

• One with safe, reliable, accessible and affordable transportation.

   

• One where there are strong partnerships with public and private institutions that share our vision.

Please take a look at what follows - at all the ideas - big and small - that, together, will create the entirety of our village. discuss it with your neighbors. Add to it. Because this is a guide of our minimum expectations.

Perhaps the best way to describe what we think in a few words is in this poem:

You're What it Takes (To Make a Village)
by Paul Yelder

Some will claim It takes stores and shops Others believe We need more bus stops These are important That's for sure But You're what it takes For a Village to endure Houses with yards Some will say Safe places where Our children can play These are important Yes, indeed But You're what it takes For a Village to succeed Mail-boxes, tot-lots Malls and park benches Clearing up vacant lots Eliminating foul stenches These are important I will admit But You're what it takes For a Village to be legit You're what it takes For a Village to be real Sharing with your neighbors A love you can feel Yes, You're what it takes Both young and old You give us true worth More than silver, More than gold

Village Visioning

Groups met throughout the neighborhood. Using the type of scenarios that are on the next page, we dreamed about what we wanted in out future village, and shared these dreams within our groups. We drew, we talked, we wrote. We told stories. We recorded our best ideas on "post-its" and put them on the wall. Some of us took a field trip to other "Villages" and neighborhoods in the area. Some talked to friends and relatives about their vision. We added more of "hot ideas".

Then we grouped or clustered the ideas that came up with cluster names. We recorded everything publicly - so the entire group could see, discuss and make our changes together. We were weaving the fabric of our community to create something truly shared. We asked ourselves, if this is what we want, then what do we need? We tried to understand the relationship of the clusters to each other, and came up with some new insights.

Here are a few samples of the initial dreaming that we did:

Describe what you do, where you go for the next hour or so.

 

We talk and gaze at the beautiful flowers that the neighborhood planted. We sit at the Common and plan our time - what to do for the next two hours. We decide to go to the movies. Before that we go have an ice cream near the Commons in the ice cream parlor. We walk in the neighborhood stores, gaze around and buy nothing. We chat with other neighbors whom we meet along the way. We buy some popcorn in the neighborhood pop corn shop and watch the neighborhood kids swing, play ball and cheer them up. We could even go to visit the beautiful animals in the zoo close by your house   -Bahjah Zarinah Muhammed and Raheil Bernard

 

. . . For the most part, Dudley Street today is cleared of traffic. I notice the monorails soaring swiftly and silently overhead . . . As I continue my trek to Dudley Common, I pass the Dudley shopping Mall which is really sort of a plaza. I see the parking area reserved for electric cars. Instead of gas stations, I see the service station designed for electric cars. Actually, all it is is a picturesque stone wall that is fitted with electrical outlets for customers to recharge their cars while shopping, if necessary. . .   -Warren Brown

 

I see shop owners sweeping the front of their stores. The street cleaners and cleaning trucks are sweeping and washing the streets. What a time we had with the City getting the contracts so that these residents could have these much deserved jobs with the right pay and benefits. Out Bed and Breakfast place is always open. However, it's usually full. What a perfect spot for it in the middle of the village. . . .They can walk to the commuter rail if they want to connect to anywhere else in the state. Thank God that it was remodeled and we have that beautiful parking lot. So many of my neighbors own and operate everything in our community. Well, we're still learning. There's a Board of Trade meeting at 7PM. We're looking over our guidelines and procedures for our new Resident Banking and Lending institution...   -JacQuie Cairo-Williams

 

Village Visioning

After all the small group meetings, a core team took the reports from all the sessions and put them together. We clustered the clusters and came up with the theme areas listed below.

This was a truly amazing process that allowed us to consider hundreds of ideas.

Themes From Visioning

Out of the many dreams, stories, and images of out future that emerged from these vision groups, these were the themes or goals that seemed to organize our ideas:

• Encourage lifelong learning
• Build and sustain unity through neighborhood activity
• Community economic power
• Physical and visual quality of life
• Harmony with nature
• Community security
• Community friendly transportation
• Self and group expression
• Political power
• Mutually supportive relationships

Within each theme, we listed "standards" - that capture values or principles that will ensure maximum community benefit - and "actions" - the concrete activities that will help us meet our goals. The ultimate "standard" by which every activity will be judged is that it must benefit the community.

Encourage Lifelong Learning

What is our community's "competitive advantage" in these tough times? One advantage that will allow us to succeed is that we value learning on every level - for young and old, in and out of school. We want the information, knowledge, and skills to control our destiny.

"This is the first time that anyone has asked my opinion about anything of importance." -- Vision Pilot Group Participant

Build and Sustain Unity Through Neighborhood Activity

Our village is a culturally vibrant, active, people-centered, mutually supportive community with a sense of "can-do" optimism. We want play spaces, community gatherings, and a full range of neighborhood services, activities and activism.

"We lived here in the 70's, but we moved out. Now, we're back because the children want to be close to our family. It's so exciting to be here and see all the wonderful things that are happening." --Cape Verdean Creole vision group

Community Economic Power

We don't just want more jobs and businesses; we want ones that build the economic power of community residents. Our future village is a place where we can shop, eat, play, bank - right here. Our unique multicultural richness also attracts visitors.

"Once we all get together and stay together, we can do anything." --Jessie Farrier

Physical and Visual Quality of Life

Dudley Village is a planned physical community - one that is high quality, affordable, resource efficient and well-cared for.

"I looked out my window last night and said, 'Oh what a beautiful light' and realized that it was the Dudley town common. It used to be so dark." --Jessie Farrier

Harmony with Nature

Our community is clean and green, and reflects our respect for our surroundings.

"This is OUR place! That's why we all take care of it." -- the original play "A Village Grows in Dudley"

Community Security

A truly safe and secure community will be an outgrowth of successful realization of out entire vision. Two of the foundations are, a village spirit of watching out for each other, and the establishment of this as a neighborhood where negative activity will not be tolerated. Villager and police must each do our part.

"There's no better place to live. We don't need to be ashamed of living here. Our friends, family, children and older people all are here" --Jose Barros

Community Friendly Transportation

Dudley village is children and pedestrian friendly. Residents can move safely and conveniently within the neighborhood, as well as to other areas of the city.

"We won't get all the things we want if we (e.g. Blue Hill Avenue) become just a thoroughfare for commuters" --Mt. Pleasant vision group

Self and Group Expression

The nourishing of the human spirit - on an individual, ethnic group and on a community level - is a critical part of a wholesome neighborhood.

"Everybody is dreaming for a better community" --Cape Verdean Creole vision group

Political Power

In order for our voice to be heard, we need to register to vote, vote, be informed and advocate for ourselves.

"We've never been shy to dream and never so faithless as to not take risks." --Clayton Turnbull

Mutually Supportive Relationships

We can't do it alone. It is through cooperation that we come to understand that anything is possible.

"You know what's best? We ALL had a chance to help plan this village.
That's why it works.
That's why people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds feel like this is really OUR place!" --the original play, "A Village Grows in Dudley"

Next Steps

Building on our tremendous accomplishments, we have updated our shared community vision. We have dared to dream, and to believe that we can define our village, and have power over out destiny. We will continually lift the ceiling on our sense of possibility

This vision will provide the framework for the DSNI staff and committee work. We will now work to translate vision into reality. We will look for the resources, work with partners and implement a strategic plan to achieve our goals.

Along the way, there will continue to be many remarkable things - big and small - happening in Dudley Village. Some will be very visible, like new businesses, gardens, lights, new families moving in, tot lots, and, who knows, maybe even a greenhouse.

Others will be less visible, but no less striking - like a safer neighborhood with a positive community spirit, even greater participation in our community decision making process, and every eligible Dudley resident will be registered to vote!

If we all stand and work together, we will achieve our vision!

For more information, see:

DSNI's CPN affiliate page

or contact:

Gertrudes Fidalgo or May Louie
DSNI
617-442-9670