Dr. John Accordino helps students and the community see new possibilities in Richmond and its neighborhoods. Whether looking at Broad Street or the Carver Community, Accordino and his students examine new possibilities for revitalizing and enhancing community growth. He recently collaborated with Dr. George Galster of Wayne State University and Peter Tatian of the Urban Institute to complete a study of Richmond’s Neighborhoods in Bloom program. Supported by the Federal Reserve and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the study report can be found in PDF format on the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative Web site. This work has been presented at several U.S. conferences as well as at the Technical University of Berlin to explore whether aspects of this neighborhood development process could help inform community development efforts there.

Last year, one of Accordino’s classes completed a plan for commercial revitalization along the Brookland Park Boulevard. This plan won the Outstanding Student Plan Award from the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association in April 2006 and also received a certificate of recognition from the City of Richmond in July 2006. This fall, one of Dr. Accordino’s classes is developing an enhancement plan for the Richmond Farmers’ Market.