how-to

We Started Here

post from ioby.org We Started Here is ioby’s multimedia storytelling series exploring the work of neighborhood leaders across the country. Video and photography by Dan Lane and Erin Moore of GoodEye Video. Written by Tobin Hack. When Justin Moore thinks of his grandfather, he sees him hard at work on a “project,” pouring and forming concrete in […]

From Food Desert to Urban Oasis

We hear a lot about food deserts that impact many of our urban communities throughout the United States. At Urban Patch we are developing an initiative that will take on this critical issue with our local community and local farmers.  As we develop the program we hope to make a real and immediate impact on […]

Interdependence

Interdependence consist of one large star sculpture (six interlocking pieces) in a small urban pocket park located in Indianapolis. Interdependence is meant to provoke people to see and appreciate the invisible people and places in their lives—those people and places we encounter every day but are invisible to us. The quiet kid in school, the […]

Re-Booting the Inner City: National Preservation Conference Recap

Last month we hosted as a part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation National Conference in Indianapolis a community-based field session. As a result of the workshop we wanted to share the results that focused on neighborhood partnerships  and preservation strategies. We hope that this might encourage further work both in the Mapleton-Fall Creek community […]

Indy Star: Inspiring urban neighborhoods is a family affair

Inspiring urban neighborhoods is a family affair By Erika D. Smith “It really started with this picture of my grandfather.” Justin Moore fished around in the pocket of his suit jacket for his smartphone. He tapped the screen a few times, and found a black and white photo of a distinguished-looking, balding black man. The […]

Fundamental Education

In 1954 the U.S. Congress funded the Board of Fundamental Education, an innovate public-private partnership based in Indiana, New York, and Texas. The document excerpt below gives a summary of their model — one that we might consider recovering for the challenges that we still face today.  Click on the images to enlarge.     […]

Community Garden 2.0

Urban Patch has helped to start the Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden in Harlem.  During Earth Week the group of community members received their approval to turn a vacant city-owned lot into one of the city’s newest Green Thumb sites, and had their first work day cleaning up the garden. The site is small (like everything in […]

Urban Patch honored as one of ioby’s 2012 ” Heroes In Our Backyards” for its work reimagining vacant space

Every year, ioby awards the Heroes In Our Backyards awards to those ioby project leaders that exemplify the ioby spirit of community activism. ioby Heroes In Our Backyards are hyper-local, community-based, entrepreneurial and tireless. In 2012, we awarded three groups with this award around the key tool for revitalizing urban centers: reimagining vacant space. The […]

Delaware Project: Cellulose Insulation for Lath and Plaster Walls

We did several energy-saving sustainability upgrades as part of our Delaware Project restoring a vacant historic home.  The most important green upgrade, with biggest bang for the buck, was to better insulate the building. Many older homes, while well constructed, have no insulation in the walls.  Installing costly energy-efficient new HVAC systems would do no good without […]