Better Block Through The Years
What started out as an idea shared in front of a bunch of neighbors in late 2016 has blossomed into a full, deep, intentional dive into Louisville neighborhoods that will have ripple effects for years to come
With each neighborhood, the Better Block Louisville program has shifted and adapted, creatively and intentionally working through neighbor’s concerns and visions for their community. Center for Neighborhoods uses a unique blend of approaches: Tactical urbanism, which uses temporary materials to test out ideas in a space and receive real-time feedback; Creative placemaking, which activates spaces using art and cultural activities; and Asset-Based Community Development, which finds a way for all residents, institutions, and many others to offer their skills, talents, or resources to a community initiative. The result is a truly unique, engaging, collective experience that builds community up throughout the visioning process, and adds a lot of fun while we’re at it.
In Shelby Park, connectivity, lack of green space, and the importance of supporting local vendors translated into a pop-up park, bike lanes, and an open air market. Even though these interventions were temporary, it sparked an energy that is still being seen today along Logan Street and significant investment from new local businesses.
On Woodlawn Avenue, neighbors wanted to embrace their diversity, address vacancy, and encourage more people to use the block. Almost a hundred hours of cleaning and painting storefronts, building street furniture, and setting up pop-ups inside vacant storefronts made for an awesome 3 day activation of the corridor that featured a Business Hop, temporary shops, and a packed beer garden featuring an entire day of multicultural music and dance. Three years later, Woodlawn has seen a substantial decrease in vacancy (from 6 to 1), grant funds to enhance their lighting and pedestrian safety, and it hosts the only permanent parklet in Louisville.
In Parkland, residents prioritized the history, culture, and communal effort of loving their neighborhood. The initial resident effort organically created the Parkland Love History Project, which guided a future vision rooted in the past: a renewed corridor where Parkland could celebrate its culture, connect with each other, and support local businesses. The Better Block Louisville project produced a farmers market, a playground, traffic safety improvements, and a public plaza for musical performances and community events. 2 years later, over 11 partners have come together to permanently build the Parkland Plaza and playground, a collaborative investment that is reaching $200,000.
Each neighborhood is unique, and that is its strength. People-centered practices should utilize various tools to support each neighborhood in its own way, to support neighbors in charting their own path. Center for Neighborhoods has had the privilege of being that catalyst and Better Block Louisville “box of tools”. The critical piece of the puzzle is the neighbors: their vision, passion, time, patience and commitment. We can’t wait to see what neighbors want to do next!