Why are neighborhoods important to Garland?
Garland is a community of neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are all different, making a "one-size-fits-all" approach to addressing neighborhood issues inappropriate. The Neighborhood Strategy seeks to provide tools and programs to best address the issues of each neighborhood, while consistently providing quality service to all neighborhoods.
The main theme of the Garland Strategy for Vital Neighborhoods is partnerships. By creating and sustaining partnerships with City of Garland departments, neighborhood organizations, businesses, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and others, the effort to stabilize and improve neighborhoods will be shared among many and success multiplied.
Individuals and families have choices when it comes to deciding where to call home. Businesses have options on where to locate. The influences on these choices are numerous; however, perhaps most important among them are financial considerations. The decision of where to live or do business involves a commitment of money and resources. Communities are measured on how solid or risky an investment may be. When it comes to neighborhoods, the perception of whether a neighborhood is improving, stable, or declining guides whether or not a person or family chooses to buy or rent a home there. The Strategy for Vital Neighborhoods sets out to stabilize and improve all of Garland’s neighborhoods and the amount of investment homeowners and businesses make in the city.
Our Neighborhood Philosophy
The Neighborhood Philosophy is a brief statement about the Neighborhood Strategy. The philosophy is the foundation for all the programs and activities of the Neighborhood Strategy and lays out what it is to accomplish.
Garland’s Neighborhood Philosophy is:
Recognizing a strength of Garland is the character of its neighborhoods, we will work in partnership with neighborhood stakeholders and community resources to build a stronger community and keep Garland an excellent place to live and invest.
The philosophy identifies neighborhoods as one of the defining elements of Garland and the relationship between neighborhood quality and the overall quality of the city. Second, the philosophy embraces building partnerships to build stronger neighborhoods. Finally, it speaks to the choices individuals, families and businesses have when selecting where to reside, work, and locate. Having confidence Garland will remain a community with rising property values, increases the likelihood of continued and growing investment.
Neighborhood Resource Team (NRT)
The Neighborhood Resource Team (NRT) is an on-going working group of leaders from the core City of Garland departments routinely working in neighborhoods and providing services to residents and businesses. One of the main purposes of the Neighborhood Resource Team is to connect specific neighborhood issues and projects with City resources for better coordination and implementation. This group will meet regularly to communicate progress and set policy and direction for implementing the Strategy for Vital Neighborhoods.
Neighborhood Guides
The Neighborhood Resource Guide is a comprehensive source for information on city services, programs, grants, as well as information on private and non-profit community organizations and service providers.
The Neighborhood Organizing Guide is a resource that provides information on a variety of important issues related to organizing a neighborhood. The topics include planning and holding effective meetings, incorporating an organization, financial matters, membership recruitment, goal setting, and many others.
Publications and other neighborhood resources can be found here.
Neighborhood Program Areas
The Strategy for Vital Neighborhoods is for all of Garland’s neighborhoods. A part of the Strategy is to focus on areas of the city to address neighborhood specific issues, build neighborhood management capacity, and develop a greater sense of community.
Information on specific program areas can be found here.
Garland Neighborhood Management Academy
The Garland Neighborhood Management Academy (GNMA) is a series of educational classes on a variety of topics important to neighborhood vitality. The GNMA exists to provide community stakeholders with the tools to actively engage in the municipal government process and to manage neighborhood growth and change.
Information about the Academy can be found here.