Share ideas at the Louisville Neighborhood Summit to help improve area

By John Hawkins and Terri Hathaway

Carla Robinson’s pride in her West Louisville roots compelled her to return to her Park DuValle neighborhood in 2009. When she wanted to bedeck her street with festive holiday decorations last year, she asked a few neighbors to help decorate a row of abandoned houses. More neighbors took notice, and her small act sparked new excitement. Carla’s neighborly connections started to grow, and soon a resident-driven movement began to take root.

Today, Carla and several neighbors from Park DuValle and Parkland are investing their shared time in what they love – their neighborhood. Through the newly formed ParkVille Neighborhood Association, they are planning a holiday event and looking at how to lead some upgrades to the business area around the Parkland Community Garden.

Southend resident Jennifer Nunn purchased her “cute-as-a-button” first home just south of Churchill Downs in the Oakdale neighborhood nine years ago. The home was small, but updated and affordable. And it fit her and her young daughter like a glove.

When a drive-by shooting prompted an emergency neighborhood meeting, Jennifer was one of many rattled neighbors who showed up. And then she began to take extra steps. Her neighborhood activity became more intentional. She focused on the positives and solution-building. She posted and chatted frequently on Oakdale’s online discussion board. Conversations with passers-by on the street grew in duration.

Over two years, her small investments of time added up. By 2017, her circle of friendly neighbors had grown and she launched a monthly, doughnuts and coffee meeting at her house. The social time served as a forum to discuss the neighborhood:  their wish list for the local park, awareness of nearby alcohol license applications and self-organized cleanups. This social time has also strengthened their bond as neighbors.

This Sunday, they will celebrate their newest accomplishment – the grand opening of a neighborhood-based free pantry for food, modeled after the little library concept.

Jennifer and Carla both credit Center For Neighborhoods with connecting them to resources and, more importantly, realizing their own agency. But their pride and commitment come solely from within.

Committed neighbors like Carla and Jennifer are the greatest asset in every neighborhood. Neighbors who combine their pride and their commitment are able to transform neighborhoods from the ground up – block by block and street by street. They manifest their neighborhood pride through projects and actions, big and small.

Over time, a commitment may be passed from neighbor to neighbor, and entirely new assets like the Shawnee Unity Festival and the Morton Avenue Dog Park are not only born but sustained. These actions build pride, attract new energy, and create value. It can lead to bigger, organized efforts to spruce up a business area, increasing sales and attracting new tenants. Or equally important, a gathering spot is rejuvenated to welcome neighbors, young and old.

Over time, neighbors become more organized and use more complex tools to realize the revitalization that they want to see. Slow and steady, neighbors themselves are the driver of the most inclusive and lasting neighborhood change.

These actions are more than just feel good. They are likely some of the most strategic community investments that can be made. David Brooks of the New York Times recently argued that neighborhoods are “the unit of change.”

When we invest in the social, economic and physical health of our neighborhoods, we can elevate the economic opportunities and security of all its residents. And we begin to undo the trappings of poverty and violence that are symptomatic of long-term neighborhood disinvestment. As a city of neighborhoods, Louisville has the opportunity to use this approach to its advantage.

Join Carla, Jennifer and hundreds of Louisville neighbors at the 2018 Neighborhood Summit on Saturda. Bring your neighborhood pride and commitment, and we will share with you our know-how and inspiration. Using this year’s theme – Strong Neighbors, Connected Communities – the summit will rally neighborhood leaders, inspire newcomers, and share best practices, trends and resources with all. Interactive workshops will feed you with new ideas and knowledge while you make new connections throughout the day. Details and tickets available at centerforneighborhoods.org.

John Hawkins is the Interim Executive Director and Director of Education & Training at Center For Neighborhoods. Terri Hathaway is the Development Director at Center For Neighborhoods.