| ONGOING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES | OUR RESPONSE | UPDATES |
| Lansburgh Park: vacant, abandoned, crime-ridden, inoperable facilities | SWNA organized a community visioning charrette, lobbied DC to build tennis courts, and sponsored groups who have worked with us to fund, build, and operate a community garden and dog park. We also organize and support events such as movie nights, tree planting, seasonal cleanups, and SW Unity Forum’s Summer in Lansburgh. | MISSION ACCOMPLISHEDSW Dog Park is open!
Congratulations PAWS of SW! |
| Emerging community groups with similar community development goals but are not incorporated as 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations | SWNA provides administrative, financial, and marketing support to the Amidon-Bowen PTA, Neighbors of the Southwest Duck Pond, SW PAWS Dog Park, SW Community Garden, and other groups. Serves as fiscal sponsor to enable these organizations to solicit tax-deductible donations. | SWNA and the DC Dept. of Parks and Recreation signed a Cooperative Agreement to enable PAWS of SW to operate the SW Dog Park. |
| DC United Soccer Stadium in Buzzard Point | SWNA formed a coalition that organized community forums, testified before the DC Council, and submitted articles and other policy pieces to ensure that the development is beneficial to the community. | SWNA organized a community forum to discuss the Administration’s draft Transportation and Environmental Mitigation Study, Special Events Study, and Buzzard Point Urban Design Framework with DC Council Chairman Mendelson as the featured speaker. |
| A significant amount of residents with limited access to education and other enrichment activities | SWNA provides college scholarships, computer training for youths and adults, and funding and volunteer support to dozens of youth programs including sports teams, Girls on the Rise, and Girl Scouts. Also works with DC to ensure recreational facilities are fully staffed, accessible, and in full working order. | SWNA provided six SW residents with college scholarships totaling $9,000 and provided laptops to two college-bound freshmen. |
| Development proposals that raise functionality and compatibility concerns among residents | SWNA holds community forums, researches sites and development proposals, and educates residential leadership and developers about opportunities and constraints in an effort to optimize opportunities for community input. | SWNA organized a meeting between the Shakespeare Theatre Company development team and the residents of townhouses adjacent to SEU to foster dialogue about ways to mitigate the effects of the Shakespeare development on the neighborhood. |
| A neighborhood in transition needs a central source of timely information on issues of importance to SW residents. | The Southwester newspaper provides current information for SW residents, workers, and visitors on hearings, forums, youth programs, waterfront development progress, and neighborhood activities not available elsewhere, and has equally important online service at www.thesouthwester.com. | We bridge the digital divide by providing hard copy newspapers delivered in multiple locations throughout SW and near SE. |
| Celebrate the unique and compelling history of our community and reinforce our progressive and inclusive identity | SWNA researches and identifies ways to promote our community heritage, whether through public forums, commemorative events such as Titanic 100, publications, oral history projects, interpretive panels, Public Information Display Systems, or adding significant sites to the National Register of Historic Places. | SWNA is co-sponsoring a walking tour of SW with DoCoMoMo_DC on Oct. 11. The tour will highlight SW’s unique collection mid-century modern buildings and landscapes. |
Our Mission: “To improve the quality of life for all residents; to open to every resident the wide cultural horizon of urban living; to help create rich and equal social, educational, and economic opportunities for residents of Southwest; to assist in providing the opportunity for gainful employment for all; and to promote development of the economic and aesthetic potential of Southwest and preserve its diverse history. This mission shall be pursued without regard to the social, economic, and racial barriers that have divided cities in the past.”