The City of Springfield has proudly introduced Mayor Misty Buscher's BUILD Springfield initiative. BUILD (Beautification, Unity, Innovation, Leadership, and Development) aims to foster community growth, address blight, and enhance public safety. The initiative will commence on October 7.
BUILD Springfield is a community-focused program designed to improve the quality of life in distressed areas. It leverages innovative approaches to resource allocation and collaboration with local organizations to enhance the city's neighborhoods.
Developed in collaboration with Bloomberg-Harvard Fellow Sai Joshi and the Springfield Police Department, BUILD Springfield brings together stakeholders to pool resources and offer services in targeted areas of the city. This initiative represents the City of Springfield's effort to implement an innovative public sector service model.
Mayor Buscher emphasized the program's proactive approach, stating, "BUILD Springfield encapsulates our approach to addressing the unique needs of our neighborhoods. We are dedicated to collaborating with our citizens, local agencies, and organizations to create a lasting impact toward community development and neighborhood improvement."
The program's geographical focus areas are determined by real-time data-driven insights, utilizing advanced crime analysis technology from SoundThinking Inc. and Public Works' hotspot data. For 2023, the first event will target an area spanning from N Grand Ave to E Carpenter St and N 9th St to N 19th St. This area has instances of blighted properties, crime, rental homes, low homeownership, and code violations.
BUILD Springfield focuses on five key pillars:
Beautification: Enhancing community aesthetics through tree trimming, street sweeping, alley cutbacks, signage enhancement, and engineering assessments.
Unity: Strengthening community bonds by addressing resident inquiries and concerns in real-time and facilitating communication with relevant departments.
Innovation: Implementing solutions to address challenges and drive progress in Springfield.
Leadership: Empowering local leaders to take ownership of their communities and proactively address issues.
Development: Using an interdepartmental and inter-agency approach to pool resources and offer focused services in specific city neighborhoods.
The launch event on October 7, 2023, will celebrate the commitment of the City of Springfield and its partners to improving the community. Further details, including the Staging Area location, participating departments, agencies, organizations, and Public Works crew work dates, will be provided in upcoming press releases and announcements from the City of Springfield.
City of Springfield Officials say they are actively establishing partnerships with external organizations and agencies to bring expertise to the program. And that these collaborations will ensure that BUILD Springfield incorporates strategies and data-informed service delivery to elevate residents' quality of life.