January 10, 2005
the projects nearby
At some point around the middle of the 20th century, a series of public housing projects were built in Richmond, with most of them being placed in the eastern area of the city. We’re 3 blocks off of the Mosby Court projects.
Mosby is 4 or 5 blocks long and 2 and 3 blocks deep. It is the least visually intimidating of the projects that I’ve seen. I can almost understand how they could be intended to be a positive development. There is plenty of green space and great big old trees and safe, non-street places for city kids to play. The other projects that I’ve seen here are more like apartment blocks, without the yard space, with a more enclosed feel.
There do seem to be problems with related crime. In the 16 months that we’ve been here, there have been multiple fatal shootings in these projects. As much as that doesn’t really impact us, there is a problem with trash and stuff collecting in the alleys around Mosby, sometimes to ridiculous heights.
Having the projects around is something that has certainly kept the property assessments down. Despite that, prices are starting to go up around here. There has been talk on and off about tearing down the projects and rebuilding towards single family ownership. This has already happened at one of the other old projects and seems be an ongoing success.
We don’t know anyone that lives there, and I feel like we’re missing knowing something about the neighborhood.
The projects being close adds a certain something when giving people directions to and from our house. The quickest route to the rest of the city is right through Mosby.
Mosby Court, 8:30am Saturday
These look a lot like the complex I used to live in when I lived in Columbus, OH. They were former army barracks. The townhouses were quite nice, really. But behind us, about a block away, were the former enlisted men’s quarters, and they were pretty nasty. There was a block of about four buildings that they kept condemning and reopening that were just falling down and very bad for the neighborhood.
I do not miss them!
I think that is the Mosby Court South area because there seems to be only 2 or three apartments a building. Mosby Court Central and Mosby Court North has longer buildings and I think they go up to three or four floors.
From an urban design perspective the problem with housing set up like that is the ambiguity of the space… who does it belong to? Who is supposed to care for it? Who can use it?
The horrible projects in Chicago are an extreme example of this - the idea was to give shared public space for the people living in apts but the public space became a no-mans land because of the ambiguity.
The Hope development looks very promising though.
Jovan — You are correct.
Lisa — I’ve arrived at that same thought. The green spaces and the alleys and streets don’t aren’t ‘owned’ by anyone, so they get trashed. This disconnect is the largest problem in our area, I think.
Your comments certainly have me thinking. I have always valued and promoted shared public spaces, but have never considered the downside of these spaces when noone takes ownership and responsibility for the oversight, upkeep and maintenance.
Sometimes our parks become like this and neighborhoods have to step in and either patrol and oversee the site themselves– or advocate for better security and maintenance with the City.
It takes a neighborhood to take ownership of their public spaces and that may be a difficult concept to promote in a place where noone is a home owner and housing may be considered a temporary situation.
Bill -
What I keep observing is the difference in maintenance at Mosby and at the apartments/townhouses on Mosby between Cedar and Venable. I never see trash or mattresses or whatever strewn about at the apartments, but these are rental properties with a similar demographic population. Maybe the company that runs the apartments has a stronger sense ownership than the city does of the projects…
Yes. The neighborhood is like that. One block seems to be loved and the next neglected. I have noticed that one piece of trash tends to attract others. A sofa left beside the street will seemingly birth an old dresser, a coffee table, an oil drum and 3 worn out tires. In no time a small green space can become a dump. Even when it is cleaned up, it isnt long before another old sofa finds the same spot. It takes a consistent effort to change the culture of the spot, and even longer for the street and neighborhood. Peace.
I don’t think Mosby Court needs 2 be destroyed…kids can play down there and that is exactly what they do.They play down there. I’ve been round Mosby every since I was lil and I don’t wanna see those projects or any projects go down. Thats not gonna stop trash or killin’ . Thats everywhere u go no matta what u do.
I think that mosby should stay there because I was raised there. I love going back to have fun. the hood wouldn’t be the same.
the hood wouldn’t be the same
that is the point, isn’t it…