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An empty space in the California neighborhood is now poised to become what its neighbors want it to be.
In August 2009, Louisville experienced historically abundant precipitation. Over a thousand homes in the West End were flooded and the Maple Street area between Dr. WJ Hodge and 26th Streets was wiped out.
The Metropolitan Sewer District bought damaged homes from residents at their pre-flood value.
The houses were demolished and the area became a designated green space. Now, the Parks Alliance of Louisville is aiming to expand the space with the Maple Street Greenspace Project, and they are collecting feedback from people who lived in the neighborhood.
“If you build what the neighbors want to see, then they invest in it, they take care of it, it’s more widely used, people are happier,” said Brooke Pardue, president of the Parks Alliance of Louisville.
She called this community-based approach “common sense”.
It’s a strategy they’ve used successfully in other parks.
When building a new skate park in Irish Hill, for example, the Parks Alliance contacted skateboarders to see what they needed. So while the downtown skate park was built for green skating, the new park focuses more on the needs of street skaters.
For the Maple Street green space project, a council of community representatives played an important role in the process. In recent months, events have been organized to assess the wants and needs of the community.
One of those events took place on Saturday, with food and games to get people to stop.
The event occurred in the real space that will eventually be developed. Pardue said being in space helps people visualize what they would like there.
In previous events, people wrote on cards what they wanted to see in the green space.
“The most important things are the children’s play area, the walking trails and the exercise stations,” Pardue said.
Other frequently mentioned ideas include a space similar to the large Lawn in Waterfront Park and an amphitheater for outdoor shows and learning.
At Saturday’s event, the project was even smaller. It featured flip charts where people could place stickers on ideas they really liked.
Pardue said the plan must be able to innovate in the first months of 2022.
More information on Louisville Parks AllianceThe Maple Street Green Space Project can be found here.
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