Creative Placemaking Project

Front and Schiller Park

Reading, Pennsylvania

In Reading, Pennsylvania, a community leader pairs fun community activities with cleanup efforts to reactive an underutilized pocket park and engage residents in reclaiming their neighborhood.

Starting in 2020, Ashely DeJesus Santiago, a young mother of three, started organizing the themed clean up at the Front and Schiller Park. DeJesus lives across from the Front and Schiller Park, a pocket park located on the northwest side of Reading. Neighbors have been concerned with the safety of the park because it is surrounded by houses and the police do not have a direct line of sight from the streets. As a mother, she was frustrated with the amount of broken glass and trash, but was aware that its location in the neighborhood was appealing to families who live around it. In a sense, the park is an extension of their homes.

DeJesus Santiago got the idea of leading clean up, that felt more mini-festival than cleanup, from an internship with a community based organization. The cleanup days featured art activities, a photo booth, health booths, food, and candy, and are centered around celebrations such as back-to-school and Halloween. After witnessing the success of her first event, and receiving positive feedback from her neighbors, she pledged to continue the initiative. DeJesus Santiago organized six events in 2020 and nine events in 2021. The projects are funded by individual contributions from the network of people DeJesus was introduced to during her internship.

In order to keep to momentum going, and reach other areas in the community, DeJesus Santiago is training neighbors to lead their own events in 2022. De Jesus feels, “I know I want to keep going. I just need to figure out how. The park and the neighborhood deserve it.”

Impacts

Neighbors have become involved. According to DeJesus Santiago, neighbors want clean parks and streets, they just don’t want to be the only ones or the first to do it, which is why creating and sustaining community activities can be successful. Neighborhood youth have expressed surprise that their own parents are picking up litter and the areas they walk and play in every day. In addition, neighbors are now telling people who litter, “Don’t throw your trash. We just cleaned it!”

Neighbors are getting connected with city resources. Neighbors thought that it would be expensive to hold cleanups because of the materials and supplies needed. However, they have built connections with the city’s public works staff who have leant materials to clean up events.

Lessons Learned

“These are my streets” Creative placekeeping initiatives can be emotional, especially if they are led by neighbors. For DeJesus, keeping her park clean is her responsibility. She remarks that these are her streets, these are her children, and she wants a place for them to be able to go and play that is safe and clean. It would be easier to take them out to a park in another borough but she wants to send the message that in her neighborhood they are ready to tackle difficult tasks!

Learn about the culture of the place. De Jesus Santiago has learned Spanish because the majority of her neighbors are Spanish speakers and cannot communicate in English. But there is so much more that is communicated beyond language. It is important for practitioners to learn the values and cultures of neighborhoods in order to be of service to people.

Consistency of use = additional clean ups. After two years of consistent cleanup programs that have been supported by the neighbors, there is still a lot to be done. According to DeJesus Santiago, “The park, and your neighborhood, is like your home; if you clean your home one time is it going to stay clean? If it is being used continuously it’s going to get dirty, and it is the same with parks. They need owners to stay clean.”

Property Type: Open Space
Project Type/ New Use: Art – Small Scale (e.g. painting; performance; visual)
Project Purpose: Community engagement
Duration: Once / Single Day

Initial Cost: Under $10,000
Funding Source: Philanthropy; In kind services Organization Type: Community Leader Implementation Partner

Organization Type: Nonprofit - Arts and Culture
Implementation Partners: Nonprofit - Arts & Culture
City: Reading
State: Pennsylvania
Community Type: Urban

Project Website: Front and Schiller Neighbors and Events >

Contributions By: Daniel Egusquiza

Project Photos

Last updated: October 2021 – Do you have additional information about this project? Please use the share your placemaking project form » to share that information.

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