The goal of the Park DuValle HOPE VI Plan was to transform public housing into mixed-income neighborhoods with rental and homeownership opportunities for a wide range of income groups.
The urban design and architecture of Park DuValle had to be based in strategies that would instill confidence and, ultimately, create a safe, stable neighborhood. By using the images and forms identified with successful, traditional Louisville neighborhoods, the design strategies have served to reassure residents, turn their initial skepticism into support, and foster the rebirth of this area as a community in which they can take pride. Seven key principles guided the plan.
- Build a Neighborhood
The master plan extends the area beyond the boundaries of the two projects, eliminating other contiguous distressed and vacant areas and connecting the sites with the adjacent neighborhood streets. The plan revises the street patterns, linking new neighborhood streets with existing ones as well as to the existing, but separated, parks, seamlessly connecting this neighborhood with the larger community.
- Build on Louisville’s Olmsted Tradition
The configuration and design of streets and parks directly continues the forms established in Louisville by the Olmsteds. Algonquin Parkway and Algonquin Park, both parts of the Olmsteds’ plan, form two edges of the area. New, residentially scaled park ways connect all of the schools, as well as many of the churches, parks, recreation amenities, and public buildings in the area. The park ways are lined with houses; neighborhood streets connect to them forming a network of streets and public open space.
- Create a Mixed-Income Pattern
Rental and homeownership units are mixed throughout the community on a street-by-street basis. No distinction is made between subsidized and market-rate rental unites.
- Build Good Blocks
The streets and park ways are lined with closely spaced houses with front doors, porches, and large windows facing the street, thus creating a neighborhood space. The backyards are served by alleys for parking and service. A clear distinction is made between public and private areas.
- Build Houses, Not Buildings
To accommodate the mixed-income program, a number of different house types have been developed: single-family houses, duplexes, triplexes, row houses, and small apartment houses. They are all designed as “houses,” not as “buildings.” This mix creates the look and feel of a traditional neighborhood in which there are a variety of house sizes. In Park DuValle, however, the small houses are single-family and the large houses contain two or three housing units. Small apartment buildings are broken down in scale to emulate two houses.
- Louisville Architecture
The architectural character of the houses, codified in a pattern book, follows Louisville traditions. Four Louisville architectural styles were distilled to their essential elements and patterns. A number of architects, commissioned by either the rental developer or home builders, designed houses with correct roof pitches, window proportions, and details. The styles have then been mixed on the sites to create a variety of addresses of different character within the community.
- Mixed Use
The plan called for many of the functions of daily life to be available within walking distance. A closed school in the center of the neighborhood will be renovated and re-opened; new recreation facilities and buildings are being built in the parks; and a public safety building is being renovated. A town center is the key element of Phase III and will include a 40,000-square-foot medical center, 25,000 square feet of convenience retail, and an assisted living facility with community-oriented facilities.
Impact
The program has far exceeded the community’s and the city’s expectations. The apartments are renting faster than they can be built. The first 50 lots designed for homeownership units sold a year ahead of schedule, and there is waiting list of 250 for the next phase.
