Our Projects
Open the Layers tab in the top left to see each pin's description!
We elaborate on each item in the sections below
City Engagement
One of our key efforts today was advocating for Birmingham's "Right-size Parking Initiative", which removed parking minimums for new developments in the city. Developers are now no longer mandated to build excessive numbers of parking spots per unit per the old code, an outdated measure costing both citizens and taxpayers.
Birmingham Rightsize Parking Initiative
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Birmingham passes South’s first initiative to remove parking space mandates | LINK
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New parking reform in Birmingham to help city be more walkable, bikeable | LINK
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Birmingham leaders believe ‘Right Size Parking Initiative’ will better the Magic City, lead to more development | LINK
Birmingham is now listed on the Parking Reform Network's mandates map
Road Projects
The "Woodlawn Road Diet" was conducted in July 2024 as a collaboration between Better Birmingham, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, the nonprofits REV Birmingham and Woodlawn United, and the Birmingham Department of Transportation.
The Woodlawn Road Diet
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‘The Road Diet’: Project to Reduce Traffic, Add Room for Bikers and Walkers Transforms Downtown Woodlawn | LINK
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Road project in Woodlawn creates more pedestrian friendly community | LINK
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Redefining public health: two Albert Schweitzer Fellows from the Heersink School of Medicine lead urban transformation in Woodlawn | LINK
The Woodlawn Road Diet project received Main Street Alabama's "Excellence in Public-Private Partnership" award at the annual statewide award ceremony in August 2025.
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Beautification
In January 2022, a structural inspection of the Richard Arrington Jr. Bridge (Rainbow Bridge) in downtown Birmingham rendered it unsafe for vehicle traffic. It sat unused for over a year and a half until we partnered with REV Birmingham in Oct 2023 to paint bicycle lanes, install plastic bollards, conduct a trash cleanup, and fill planters with soil and flowers.
Rainbow Bridge Pedestrianization and Beautification:
Benches
One of our in-house initiatives involves identifying bus stations, trails, or side walks across Birmingham that are in need of a bench. We believe that benches provide a more humane and people-friendly environment for those outside of a car, and we have perfected a cheap, efficient bench design that we've implemented at several spots around Birmingham.
Check out the current bench locations in our map above!
Do you need a bench in your neighborhood? Let us know in this form and we will build one!
BENCH PICTURES COMING SOON
Community Engagement
We want to know what Better Birmingham means to YOU, so we have started conducting interviews with local citizens active in their community to hear from them. So far, we have spoken to folks in the Highland Park and Woodlawn neighborhoods, and we hope to visit you soon too!
We also host a guest lecture series at UAB through our partner BECS (Birmingham Engagement and Community Service) on campus, where we invite speakers from around Birmingham to speak at the university about their role in making Birmingham a Better city.
Woodlawn Interview Segments
Better Birmingham | Woodlawn
Better Birmingham | Woodlawn
No one wants to get hit by a car
Change happens with us, and not to us Jason Avery Woodlawn Road Diet Traffic Calming
Jason Avery Woodlawn Diet Dangerous Roads and High Speeds Cause Traffic Violence
Highland Park Interview Segments
COMING SOON
BECS/UAB Interview Segments
COMING SOON
