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Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopThe <a href="http://www.bcworkshop.org/bcW/congo-street-initiative/" target="_blank">Congo Street Initiative</a> is an inspiring community restoration project in the Jubilee Park neighborhood of East Dallas. Led by <a href="http://www.bcworkshop.org/" target="_blank">bcWorkshop</a> with the help of hundreds of volunteers and architecture students from the <a href="http://www.uta.edu/architecture/" target="_blank">University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture</a>, the project restored new homes for five families using materials from their old homes. Each family was closely involved with the design and reconstruction of their sanctuaries, and the project has helped to stabilize the neighborhood. The homes were completed in 2010, and in the fall of 2012 the project made the overall street more sustainable and added solar panels to each roof.1
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopBefore work began, <a href="http://www.aiadallas.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=192" target="_blank">Congo Street</a> was a collection of small houses in a state of disrepair.2
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopMany residents had lived there for years in houses that had been handed down from parents or grandparents, but the area was slated for redevelopment.3
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopRather than evict the residents, the project began as one to sustainability reconstruct the street and give residents secure, low maintenance and reliable housing.4
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopbcWorkshop held many community workshops and meetings to come up with a workable plan, which involved building a whole new house for families to live in while their own home was being rebuilt.5
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopWorking with architecture students from UT Arlington as well as AmeriCorps, Volunteers in Service to America, and several local service groups, <a href="http://www.bcworkshop.org/bcW/" target="_blank">bcWorkshop</a> carefully deconstructed each home and then rebuilt new ones to accommodate the families.6
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopBuilding large homes would have been out of the budget and inappropriate for the scale of the street, so new homes were kept to small footprints.7
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopThe original homes were around 625 sq ft and the largest of the new homes was increased to 975 sq ft. Wood and siding from the homes was reclaimed and reused as siding, stairs, railings and decorative finishes.8
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopAfter the homes were completed, the next phase of work began to make Congo Street Dallas’s first “Green Street”.9
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopThis involved incorporating stormwater management, retention, and bio-filtration into the street to make it a safer place to live.10
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopSolar power and thermal systems were also installed on all the rooftops to reduce utility costs.11
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopThese projects were all funded with support from the city, various community foundations and many volunteers.12
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopThe Holding House, where families stayed while theirs was being rebuilt.13
Congo Street Initiative-BC WorkshopDiagram of the Congo Street Initiative.14
