The key ingredient for creating a new public space? Community engagement

“Vacant” and “rubble-strewn” were all words used to describe the empty lots in the West Center City neighborhood of downtown Wilmington, Delaware. Although the neighborhood had experienced

disinvestment for decades, it is home to an engaged community of residents and business owners. “THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE PROJECT HAS BEEN THE POSITIVE COMMUNITY REACTION TO THE PARK AND GARDEN.

THE GREEN SPACE HAS BECOME A STAPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND THE NEIGHBORS HAVE EMBRACED THE OPPORTUNITIES THE GARDEN PRESENTS.” — _Laura Semmelroth_ Building on years of community input and

involvement, the Wilmington Alliance (then known as the Wilmington Renaissance Corporation) created a plan to turn the vacant lots into a vibrant public green space.   In 2015, the

organization received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to plan four public spaces and host community engagement sessions about what to put in them. Among the targeted spaces was the

corner of 7th and West streets — a 17,000-square-foot, nine-parcel brownfield location requiring soil removal, remediation, landscaping and more. The vacant lot before the community-driven

efforts to improve the space. Photo By Laura Semmelroth THE PROJECT: 7TH & WEST — A COMMUNITY GREEN SPACE “We asked residents what type of programming they were interested in to ensure

there was local buy-in,” explains Laura Semmelroth, the Wilmington Alliance’s director of creative placemaking. Residents said they wanted a community vegetable garden. One-third of the

space is now used as a garden. The rest — which features a patio, pergola and landscaping — is an open area that can be used for gatherings. An AARP Community Challenge grant financed a

storage shed, 11 raised-bed gardens and two beds for blueberry and raspberry bushes. The shed has lighting, a community bulletin board and a countertop workspace for gardeners. The garden

opened to the public in November 2019. The Wilmington Alliance recruited a “farmer-in-residence” to engage the community and support the garden. (The farmer lives in the neighborhood, so has

existing relationships with residents and local businesses.) Fun signage at the lot explained what was in the works and welcomed the community to their new space. Photo by Laura Semmelroth

THE RESULTS: NEW PROGRAMMING AND SUPPORT DURING COVID-19 “The farmer-in-residence has been crucial to the space’s success and has really made the garden work,” says Semmelroth. Once the

renovation was complete, residents signed up to garden the beds. Those new to gardening could learn from the farmer and the University of Delaware’s Cooperative Extension program. The 7th

& West park is a welcoming, green and healthful public space where the community can enjoy both planned events and spur-of-the-moment activities, giving the area, Semmelroth notes, “the

gathering spot it has long craved. The increase in livability has had a dramatic effect on residents, especially older adults who might have been socially isolated due to a fear of crime.”

Semmelroth says the AARP grant helped the garden receive grants from other sources. One such grant funded the park’s pergola and helped the alliance acquire the funding it needed to complete

the entire $1.3 million project. "The highlight of the project has been the positive community reaction to the park and garden," says Semmelroth. "The green space has become

a staple in the community, and the neighbors have embraced the opportunities the garden presents." The 7th & West park is the largest programmed green space in the neighborhood.

It's also a welcoming, green and healthful public space where the community can enjoy both planned events and spur-of-the-moment activities, giving the area, Semelroth notes, "the

gathering spot it has long craved." She adds, "The increase in livability can have a dramatic effect on residents, such as older adults, who might have been socially isolated due

to a fear of crime.” The garden and its adjacent park space saw decreased usage during stay-at-home orders stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, residents did use the garden during

the spring and summer, and the food harvested from the garden was shared with the neighborhood. Semmelroth says the AARP Community Challenge grant helped the effort qualify and receive

grants from other sources. One such grant funded the park's pergola and helped the alliance aquire additional funding to complete the entire $1.3 million project. The garden with a

summer crop. Photo by Laura Semmelroth ADVICE FOR REPLICATING THE PROJECT First and foremost, change has to come from residents, and building trust is critical, says Semmelroth. “If I hadn’t

walked and talked this neighborhood for years, we would have never gotten the input and buy-in from residents.” She notes that the garden and programming were requested by people who live

in the neighborhood. Partnerships with local organizations, as well as the city and state governments, also helped make the park possible. “The city has been a great and supportive partner,

and the state was a huge partner, because we had to redevelop a brownfield,” she says. The best part of the project for other communities to replicate, Semmelroth says, is the

farmer-in-residence. “The farmer is the cheerleader and guide for first-time gardeners. The farmer teaches people how to plant, when to harvest, what to cook — and the farmer can console the

new gardeners when things don’t quite grow as planned.” Getting from the before (top left) to the after top (right) took many years of work — and some funding from AARP. The arrows indicate

the same building location but from slightly different views. Closer views of the raised-bed planters (above). Photos by Laura Semmelroth _Written by Mike Watson, reported by Evey Owen 

Published in October 2020 based on the project’s after-action reports, media coverage and an interview conducted in July 2020. _ More from AARP.org/Livable  Use the dropdown to choose a

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