Community Middle Schools with Neighborhood Centers 
 While we must best utilize the school facilities we have, we must also recognize that they are important in stabilizing neighborhoods. Lawrence Williams believes neighborhoods should control their schools with elected school boards. Like council each school board representative should have an office and professional assistant trained in some disciple of education . Charter Schools at Binford Middle School , Patrick Henry as well as Fairfield Elementary would be worth the effort to secure and promote the families that live near by. Three new middle Schools: Martin Luther King, A new Chandler Middle School at Dove Street and a new Boushall Middle School, along an extended Bellemeade  Road to McGuire VA Medical Center,  all with social services intergrated within the building would create new self supporting neighborhoods. 

Promoting decentralized, diversified, self supporting villages or neighborhood squares, these local school sites and clinics should be run by local elder resident boards, doctors, educators and vested busines leaders.

A locally run National Charter Health Care System should focus on preventive care in addition to local health care cost. Competitive local health insurance and service providers should be ranked by goverment review monitoring to help the consumerand promote quality care. It's goal should be to decrease long term cost for local hospitals and the existing health care system.  Medicare should be lowered from age 65 to 45. These local clean, user friendly clinics should be open 24/7 and visit families in the community.  

Educating whole communities, Schools Again Can stabilize new development and investment in adajacent neighborhoods. Schools Again Can provide neighborhood pride, idenity and age based unity across the City.

And ultimately future environments independant, decentralized, achieving economic green harmony and autonomy.

A Multi Use Baseball Diamond in Shockoe Bottom with Community Shopping
The location of the baseball diamond should act as our Eastern gateway . This facility for  residents should be a place where local as well as regional Citizens can meet. The new facility should have shopping and pedestrian friendly spaces as well as a playing field surrounded by diversified business. The Architecture should be bold and functional design contributing to downtown as well as serving the residential communities to the East. Paid for by public ownership such as The City of Richmond Recreation and Parks or maybe VCU. Adjacent property should be privately financed fee simple, small business opportunity, parcels that are market driven and diversified. For more information visit keyword Multi Use Athletic Space.
www.styleweekly.com click: Bunting the Bottom
                         
 Multi-Use Sports Park Shockoe Green Sports Park
 Power Point Presentation ( Click Here )   

Jobs And Transportation 
Lawrence Williams is a local planning advocate that can honestly represent local small business. A professional that can understand the importance of the small business man having opportunity, meeting payroll and what it takes to maintain a business while creating jobs. The Economic Development Department should be expanded. A small business development department wih minority and woman owned business iniatives should be expanded. A  J -11 hot line for middle school student summer jobs should be on line and gradually expanded to trade skill development and job placement.

Mr. Williams will strongly promote the business environment in Richmond and would encourage all to recognize that it is the small businesses that make big business. It is the small business that employees 70% of Richmond's population. Mr Williams will represent small business. 

Transportation is critical whenever we talk about job creation.  The city wide master plan must consider transportation. Early bus lines must be extended and rerouted so they can be expanded into future mass transit rail lines. For example from the Diamond  mixed use development to downtown along existing rail lines or from the new Bellemede Road Extension, mixed use development, along existing rail lines to downtown. New Community  Centers adjacent to existing rail lines and existing interstate corridors right of ways are important.  Transportation is key to spurring new neighborhood center growth, livability and job stability.

Shockoe Valley Greenway Power Point Presentation  ( Click Here)

A Case Study for Urban Greenway Systems  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/world/asia/17daylight.html?_r1&hp
Cheonggyecheon Stream Greenway System, urban renewal, Seoul, South Korea.

We can make Richmond the Most Livable City in America.
For more information, or to see more photos visit key word New Urban America.