On Our Radar: TEDx Savannah's ideas worth sharing, next steps for Kiah House Museum
The second installment of the On Our Radar series will feature a look into "ideas worth sharing" from TEDx Savannah, an update in the local movement to restore the Kiah House and this week's developments in the city's public engagement on the future of the Civic Center site.
If you have neighborhood updates, organization events or news tips you think could be of service to Savannahians send them to elasseter@savannahnow.com. Also reach out if there are stories here you would like to know more about. Deadline for the On Our Radar series will be the end of each Friday.
Ideas worth sharing
This year's Savannah TEDx was focused on the theme convergence and featured 12 speakers consisting mostly of those currently in the Coastal Empire. Two Savannahians, Christian Shellman and Briana Paxton, gave talks with takes on Savannah's affordable housing crunch.
Paxton's presentation explored how Savannah's original redlining maps connect to Savannah's current zoning, showing how predominantly white neighborhoods deemed desirable by discriminatory assessments are the same neighborhoods with single-family zoning.
Paxton's talk concluded that Savannah can tackle its affordable housing crisis through new zoning by naming unjust policies, hearing from those impacted by them, and by empowering the next generation to make new changes.
Shellman, the community development manager for Housing Savannah Inc., focused on how affordable housing strengthens communities and explored a couple avenues to achieve it. The talk shared ideas such as gentle density and missing middle housing. Missing Middle refers to housing types that are often overlooked such as duplexes or cottage courts. Gentle density refers to incrementally increasing density in largely single-family neighborhoods.
Another topic that spanned a couple talks was the responsible use of artificial intelligence. Elizabeth Adams, a fellow at Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, emphasized the importance of engaging with AI to ensure its ethical uses.
Adams said to use the acronym ACT to put this into practice: hold AI developers accountable, build connections beyond our office walls, and in the process build trust.
The other talk on AI came from Benedictine Military School English teacher Mike Kentz. Kentz shared his experience teaching students AI literacy and said adults should learn the technology in order to prepare future generations for AI's presence in society.
Kiah House Museum hits Georgia Register of Historic Places
The Kiah House Museum, which offered free admission during segregation, was approved for the Georgia Register of Historic Places on May 3, according to a press release by the Historic Savannah Foundation.
HSF put the museum up for nomination to the GRHP and will now seek to secure its addition to the National Register of Historic Places.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that the Kiah Museum has earned a well-deserved place on the Georgia Register of Historic Places,” said Historic Savannah Foundation CEO and President Sue Adler in the press release. “In the coming months, we will pursue the property’s inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and will continue to highlight the Kiah Museum’s historical significance as one of the South’s first Black-owned museums.”
More: City roundup: Savannah council greenlights study for MLK flyover removal, Kiah House zoning
The Kiah House, 505 W. 36th St. in Cuyler-Brownville, was home to artist and Civil Rights activist Virginia Jackson Kiah. The house sat vacant after her death in 2001 and was purchased through HSF's revolving fund, the press release said. The house is now set to undergo a restoration through a partnership with the Galvan Foundation, the City of Savannah and the African Diaspora Museology Institute.
Plans for the restoration include bringing back the museum and restoring architectural features original to the Kiah period. The designs were approved in November 2023 by the Historic Preservation Commission.
More: Kiah House plans seek to restore designs from Kiah period
Continued Civic Center input
The City of Savannah held its second fully public input session on the future of the Civic Center site Thursday evening via zoom. Thursday's meeting was a virtual opportunity for those who could not attend its first open house on May 7.
This city also added during the week an extra open house, this one at 11 a.m. Saturday May 18 at the John Delaware Community Center. The first open house featured a presentation by Christian Sottile on a previous plan to restore portions of the Oglethorpe Plan, renovate the Johnny Mercer Theatre and place a municipal office building on Oglethorpe Avenue. The presentation was followed by public input at three stations placed throughout the Civic Center Ballroom.
More: First open house on Civic Center future shows high interest, high stakes of the project
Perspective: No deal: Engagement process unnecessarily limits Civic Center options
The final community-wide open house will be on Savannah's southside. It's set to take place at Georgia Southern's Armstrong Center at 6 p.m. on May 20.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah news update: TEDx Savannah's ideas worth sharing,
