Residents of North City Park map and survey the community with UCD Students
by Pamela Wridt, PhD, Associate Chair, Department of Planning and Design
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9Y9Ye1yDeRUxKL3TFzNITA_3d_3d
I’ve been attending NCPCA general meetings since last May with prompting from one of my previous students, Kathleen Casteel, who by fate or circumstance unknown to me, was a board member interested in my research with children from the community over the last three years. I remember one meeting very distinctly because it prompted me to extend my research with children in the community to working with all residents of Skyland. In this meeting, the newly elected Carla Madison asked residents what their needs were. Resident after resident stood up and shared their viewpoints, often about infrastructure improvements to alleys, sidewalks and streets. Carla responded by stating, “give me a map of all these areas that need to be improved and I’ll see what I can do.”
With this prompting, I worked with the NCPCA Board to envision a practical experience for my students that would result in something beneficial for the community. As a result, graduate students enrolled in a “Community Development Processes” course in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado Denver recently embarked on an ambitious community survey and mapping project with Skyland/North City Park residents. As future urban and regional professional planners, students are learning how neighborhood civic associations are organized, structured and meaningful to residents as a mechanism to lobby public and private organizations to obtain services and plan for the future of their neighborhood.
Working closely with several board members, NCPCA representatives, and myself, students have developed a survey to learn about North City Park residents’ opinions regarding the community services available to youth and seniors. This survey also seeks to learn how we can better support existing businesses and attract new business to our neighborhood. Beginning in March, students will pair up with Skyland residents to conduct this short survey by going door-to-door. In addition, students are creating maps of existing community resources, such as churches, schools and businesses to be included in the neighborhood guidebook being developed by Jason Kallas and others in the community. Students are also creating a map of sidewalks and alleys needing repair from the 2002 Needs Assessment to identify progress towards infrastructure improvement since then.
In addition to door-to-door surveying, residents can complete the survey via mail, or by dropping off the survey that will accompany the NCPCA monthly newsletter to Ben’s Super Market at 2301 E. 28th Avenue or Frank’s Food Mart at 2800 Madison Street. Residents can also complete the survey online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9Y9Ye1yDeRUxKL3TFzNITA_3d_3d or by participating in a NCPCA general meeting or community event.
The findings of the survey will be reported to you via newsletter and community meetings. Information will be used to lobby city officials and other organizations for neighborhood improvements and community development. And to be sure…Carla Madison will receive a copy of the results. I hope to continue working with residents of Skyland through the courses we offer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning well into the foreseeable future. I am truly impressed by the strengths of the community and how welcome I feel there despite living across the street on the south side of City Park.
Additional thoughts and ideas on this matter are appreciated and valued. If you have additional ideas, comments, concerns contact David Goens, NCPCA at (720) 435-8825, davidterrellgoens@yahoo.com; Pamela Wridt, UCD at (303) 556-3472, Pamela.wridt@cudenver.edu; or email our survey team directly at northcityparksurvey@gmail.com.
Filed under: Business, Community Assistance, Connecting Neighbors, Neighborhood Stability
