How Neighborhood Organizations Create a Sense of Place

Yet another finding published in the Neighborhoods 2020 Summary of Findings that was ignored in the NCR RoadMap is the role of neighborhood organizations in "building community, establishing relationships and easing community tensions, as well as place-making."

How neighborhood organizations create a sense of place

Neighborhood organizations have put a lot of creative work into building community creating a sense of place, and bringing people together from diverse backgrounds. They do this through formal organized events such as community festivals and events to face-to-face work that they do on an everyday basis. Many neighborhood organizations have reported on events to help build better relations between communities from different racial and religious backgrounds. Others have reached out through door-knocking, "guerrilla block parties" and similar micro-events to reach out to neighbors at home or on their block.

Example: Seward Neighborhood Group and Community Iftar at Bethany Lutheran

In their 2016 Annual Report, Seward Neighborhood Group reported on their partnership with Bethany Lutheran Church, the Council on American Islamic Affairs (CAIR), Augsburg Church and the Police Department to help educate neighbors about the significance of Ramadan and help connect the diverse cultures of the neighborhood:

Last year we co-sponsored an Iftar at Bethany Lutheran Church. We had over a hundred attendees, many of whom had never been in a Christian Church before this event. Our local police served the food. This was an incredible event bringing together many aspects of the neighborhood. Not only did the Iftar education neighbors about Ramadan, connect people of different faiths and cultures it also helped make a positive connection with our local police force.

SNG noted that this event has helped increase comfort with different faiths and traditions.

Example: Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association and community incubator

Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association reported on their partnership with Water Bar + Public Studio (WB+PS) to establish the NE incubator to develop local leadership for the environment, water health and sustainability:

In 2016, HNIA began partnering with WB+PS, the brainchild of artist organizers Works Progress, to begin the development and launch of the NE Incubator. The Incubator’s work is to bring together artists, scientists, and a diverse array of community members to incubate ideas and grassroots leadership in the arena of environmental and water health and sustainability, leading us to the solutions that work for our community as we face the challenges of the 21st century.

HNIA provided startup costs for the development of a physical space (coincidentally in HNIA’s old office space), partnered on numerous grant applications (one was successful!), and brought new people into the WB+PS space for both formal and informal conversations.

Looking forward to 2017, WB+PS will be expanding its physical location, and together we will be building upon 2016’s initial work. There are plans to develop Incubator pilot programming for Jackson Square Park in addition to pursuing funding that will allow HNIA and WB+PS to bring in the capacity needed to launch longer-term Incubator work.