A few wooden row houses are already standing, wooden frames and prefabricated wooden walls are being erected next to them, excavators are hoisting pallets of insulation material and busy hands with grinders, drills or hammers are at work everywhere on this sunny October day: 4,000 volunteers are involved in the Carter Work Project in Saint Paul, the capital of the US state of Minnesota, for a week. They are helping to build the first 30 houses in the new district of The Heights.
The largest urban renewal project to date in the city is being built on a 45-hectare former golf course. By the summer of this year, 147 affordable and ecologically oriented residential units are to be built on almost five hectares in an initial construction phase, mainly semi-detached, three- and four-family houses as well as some detached houses.
PV and LEED Platinum certification
All buildings will be awarded LEED Platinum certification, the highest award for highly efficient buildings. To generate electricity, they will each be equipped with 8 kW photovoltaic systems or solar shingles, which are designed to generate 60% of their own electricity, with the remainder being covered by grid power (battery storage is not yet planned in the current construction phase).
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In addition, there will be air heat pumps for the heat supply - supplemented by geothermal energy, charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and other measures to reduce the burden on the environment, such as water-saving measures.
Hans-Christoph Neidlein
Community spaces and facilities, parks, public art installations and links to public transport and nearby hiking trails are also planned. Once the entire new district of The Heights has been completed, around 1,000 apartments and around 1,000 new jobs will be created there.
Focus on low- and middle-income households
In addition to the city administration, the project is backed by the internationally active US non-governmental organization (NGO) Habitat for Humanity with its regional branch in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), various sponsors and the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project 2024, an initiative of the former US President and former First Lady of the USA.
The concept for The Heights was developed in an intensive participation process in which the residents of an adjacent existing neighborhood were also closely involved. The houses will be available to first-time buyers on low and middle incomes.
Hans-Christoph Neidlein
"This project is a great opportunity to expand the supply of housing and homeownership in our city," emphasized Melvin Carter, Mayor of St. Paul. This is especially true for households of color. Their share of home ownership in Minnesota is only 42 percent, compared to 76 percent for white households.
A diverse mix of volunteers
The Carter Work Project volunteers were a diverse mix of skin color, age and gender. Many of the more than 4,000 volunteers were employees of corporate sponsors, including from the construction, energy and insurance industries, as well as several hundred volunteers from all over the world. However, the electrical installations, e.g. the photovoltaic systems, were carried out by professionals without exception.
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One of the highlights of Volunteer Week was the 100th birthday of Jimmy Carter on October 1. In his honor, country music greats Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, who have supported the Carter Work Project, which has been held annually at different locations since 1984, performed in the evening.
Hans-Christoph Neidlein
