Homeless awareness in Lexington

Links for more information on homelessness in Lexington (posted by Philip Blair, Nick Wilson, and Kelsey Stinson)


1) http://www.thefaceofhomelessness.info
• The Face of the Homeless is an awareness campaign in Lexington that
educates Lexington about homelessness in hopes to make the city more
concerned and aware of the problem.

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9EUCtCrWo8
• This is a video we found on YouTube featuring homelessness and mental
illness in Lexington. It’s only a few minutes long so it won’t take up much of
your time…and I guarantee it will be worth it.

3) http://www.icphusa.org/PDF/reports/ICPH_Kentucky_Brief.pdf
• Provided by the Institute for Children, Poverty, & Homelessness, this website
depicts the surprising numbers of the homeless in several of the bigger cities
in Kentucky- Lexington one of them. It is more based on raw numbers and
seems emotionless, but only because its goal it to inform, not sympathize.

4) http://www.godsnet.info/lexingtonhomelessvoice.htm
• Lexington homeless voice is a Catholic organization dedicated to voicing the
opinions and concerns of the homeless in Lexington. They host bi-weekly
meetings for people to gather and “be heard and know that their thoughts
are important.”

Lexington Herald Leader on the Thriller Parade

For a place crawling with the undead, downtown Lexington was pretty lively Sunday evening. Story here.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/10/28/2387965/jacksons-zombie-thriller-brings.html#storylink=cpy

Does Lexington need a transit riders union?

For those who heard presentations about public transit on Thursday, a timely article from the Atlantic Cities here about transit riders unions and public transportation. 

New logo for the Lexington Legends unveiled

The Washington Post discovers Lexington

A nice Washington Post article on Lexington's Cheapside Park: "Blue grass, roving minstrels, fiery potions, peanut-butter breezes, dancing zombies, symbol-encrusted loaves of bread: This is either a hallucination or a day in the park. Specifically, Cheapside Park, the public square in Lexington, Ky."

See also a June article in Urban Times that celebrates the Square as an example of urban sustainability:

"Welcome to Cheapside Park, the public square of Lexington, Kentucky, the kind of authentic “third space” that today’s urban planners cite as essential for any city that hopes to thrive. It’s certainly a good place to sense the collective character of a townspeople, and in Lexington, that character is enough to make one want to visit again, and even live here. These folks embody the state credo of Kentucky Proud and suggest a spin-off, Lexington Happy."

Fascinating plans for a car-free city in China

Another day, another proposal for a new Chinese city. The 1.3 square-kilometer Great City, designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill will be a massive new development that is completely sustainable, affordable, and, most strikingly, car-less. The masterplan, which has been planned for 80,000 people, will be built around a massive transit hub at its center, with all destinations to be within a few minutes walk, a planning innovation that would make “Great City” China’s (and the world’s?) first pedestrian-only city. More here

Repelling down Big Blue

Sarah Shepler of Tipp City, Ohio, began her descent Thursday on the side of Lexington's Fifth Third Bank Building during Brave the Blue, a Boy Scout fund-raiser. People who raised at least $1,000 got to rappel more than 400 feet and 31 floors. Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/10/25/2384521/fund-raisers-rappel-down-lexingtons.html#storylink=cpy

Thriller parade!

Lexington Legends debut new logo

WHITAKER BANK BALLPARK (Lexington, KY) - The Lexington Legends Big L will be among those descending from the 410-foot-tall Lexington Financial Center Thursday, October 25. The event, called "Brave the Blue" in reference to the blue building, is a fundraiser for the Bluegrass Council, Boy Scouts of America. Each participant, including Big L, raised at least $1,000 for the Boy Scouts. More than 11,000 young people are involved in scouting in the 55 counties served by the Bluegrass Council. Big L's attire for his rappelling adventure will help bring in a new era of Legends baseball. He'll be wearing one of the Legends new uniforms for 2013, complete with new logos and colors. The Legends recently became an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and will have an all-new roster for 2013 made up of players under contract to Kansas City. The Legends will have a display near the Fifth Third Pavilion at Cheapside Park, 251 W. Main Street, during the October 25 'Thursday Night Live' event. The Legends will officially unveil their new logos, colors and three styles of uniforms that will be worn by players during the 2013 season. Fans may pick up FREE t-shirts bearing the new home uniform style, as well as FREE Big L-style mustaches. A limited number of new Legends New Era on-field caps will be available after the announcement. The Legends open the home season April 8, 2013 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark against the Asheville Tourists, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Visit to Peace Gardens, pt. 2

More photos by Kaeto Nnajiofor, Amanda Phillips, and Colleen Fitzpatrick.

Visit to Peace Garden

Pictures taken by Kaeto Nnajiofor, Amanda Phillips, and Colleen Fitzpatrick.

Site Visits for 10/11

Those with last names that start between A and L will be meeting Nate and Jim Embry at The Winburn Community Garden (1139 Winburn Drive). More information about Jim can be found at the garden's website as well as the website for the Sustainable Communities Network. Those with last names that start between M and Z will be meeting Rosie and Rebecca Glasscock at Peace Meal Gardens (on the BCTC-Leestown Campus). More information about the garden can be found on the website for the Peace and Justice Coalition of BCTC. Both site visits will focus on activism around food issues in Lexington.

Documentary Trailer

Trailer for a documentary on Lost and Buried Rivers: Lost Rivers. Maybe they'll include Town Branch!

PRHBTN - This Friday

Don't miss it: prhbtn

History of the Kentucky Theater

The Lexington Herald Leader has a detailed history of the Kentucky Theater, currently celebrating its 90th birthday!

We're famous! (for traffic)

10 Monster Traffic Jams from around the world. While obviously a pretty silly article, this is worth keeping in mind when we have visitors talking about public transportation and bike/pedestrian developments.

LexRevealed

For those who get up really early and like free breakfast, there is a talk on October 2 about the Rupp Arena Arts & Entertainment District and the plans to unearth Town Branch Creek. Details here. Join us for Stan Harvey’s talk about the Rupp Arena Arts & Entertainment District and the Town Branch Commons October 2nd from 7-8 a.m. at the Berea Room in the Lexington Convention Center This event is free and open to the public. Donuts and coffee will be provided. LexRevealed is a breakfast series organized by The Fayette Alliance to showcase important leaders and places in Lexington; educate the public about the value and importance of the diverse industries, business, and projects happening in our dynamic county; and provide a unique opportunity to interact with the leaders of our community. The Fayette Alliance is a coalition of citizens dedicated to achieving sustainable growth through land use advocacy, education and promotion. The LexRevealed series is an opportunity to interact with some of our key supporters and community partners, folks who help make our vision for a dynamic city balanced with vibrant and productive farmland a reality.

NYT article on downtown redevelopment and highways in Louisville

Admittedly not about Lexington, but an interesting article about the challenges of accommodating cars in cities. We'll return to some of these themes when we talk about public transportation later on in the semester. I would be interested to know how many students of this course value walkability or pedestrian access as an important part of where they eventually want to live. Article here.

Town Branch Creek

Lexington herald leader article about the possible resurfacing of Town Branch Creek. This is connected a lot of the issues we've been talking about in class, most specifically the Rupp Arena Arts & Entertainment District, but its also connected to broader questions about urban redevelopment and the natural environment. Town Branch creek is also the inspiration for the first bourbon distillery to open in Lexington in about 100 years. Article here.

NYT video on screening for drugs in horse racing

Video available here.

Time lapse video of Big Blue Madness tent city setup

A new city is born.

Capilouto says University of Kentucky will take another look at alcohol policy

Article in Lexington Herald Leader about potential changes to the university's alcohol code. More info here.

Fund drive launched for Kentucky Theater's 90th birthday

The Kentucky Theater is a historic theater located downtown, which shows movies, hosts concerts, and even shows basketball games. Its a Lexington gem. More information about the fundraising campaign here about the theater here.

Dronex art on Church Street

The Lexington Herald Leader on the new downtown mural, which it calls "a mixture of urban graffiti, shock value and high artistic skill. Link is available here. More here.

New mural being painted downtown by Herakut

Done by HERAKUT

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