Barnhart, Shaunna

McMullen, Matt

English

Bucknell University

Bucknell University Bucknell Digital Commons Student Project Reports BCSE Student Research 7-2023 Converting Vacant Lots to Parks: Shamokin Survey Results Matt McMullen Shaunna Barnhart Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/student-project-reports  Part of the Environmental Studies Commons, Geography Commons, and the Urban Studies and Planning Commons CONVERTING VACANT LOTS TO PARKS:SHAMOKIN SURVEY RESULTSFor Shamokin CommunityGardens and Pocket Parks July 2023Prepared by:  Matt McMullen Place Studies Research Internmsm045@bucknell.edu       Shaunna Barnhart, PhD Director, Place Studies Program sb060@bucknell.edu          Bucknell Center for Sustainability & EnvironmentIntroductionThe City of Shamokin and Shamokin-based organizations are actively engaged in arange of projects and initiatives that both spur community engagement and furtherrevitalization efforts. Two such examples are the continued improvements toClaude Kehler Community Park and the newly opened Illumination Station onIndependence Street.  The Shamokin Community Gardens and Pocket Parks group,formed in 2020, is one group that captures the growing community interest inincreasing green space and parks within the City. The need for green space is important, as such assets provide an outlet forresidents to rest, increase social interactions among community members, andreduce stress. Not only do parks improve the well-being of the general community,but they also aid the landscape by incorporating plants and other types ofbiodiversity that enhances the environment. One way to include these spaces isthrough the reclamation of vacant lots. Shamokin has numerous abandoned lots and buildings, but a notable one lies onSunbury Street. The current property stands as a small garden with picnic tablesand a few raised beds for planting. Shamokin Community Gardens is working toimprove the space as well as other vacant lots and convert them into neighborhoodassets, with community input. These spaces are underutilized and offer potentialfor revitalization. By reclaiming these lots, the City can turn them into beneficialspaces for the entire community to enjoy. Through community outreach and engagement, it is possible to designneighborhood parks that can become a neighborhood asset for all to enjoy. Buildingon this momentum, a survey was conducted to begin the process of understandingcommunity preferences with amenities and design for a number of potentialneighborhood park locations in the City, as well as conducting an interactivecommunity feedback approach.  The results show that there is community interestin developing lots as neighborhood assets, and that families with young childrenand households without children do have different preferences as to design andamenities. PAGE 1What do you think is the most important issue that needs to be addressed inShamokin? "Cleaning up the city. Adding the parks just makes those vacant spots look so muchbetter."  Community SurveyA survey was conducted in order to understand howresidents view Shamokin generally, and whatamenities specifically they’d like to see in aneighborhood park. The survey results in this reportrepresent responses from February 1st, 2023 to May5th, 2023. It was distributed through social media andcommunity fliers yielding a total of 91 respondents. Ofthe respondents, ~20 did not ascribe a particularresidential neighborhood. However, according totheir length of residency, it's assumed that they dolive in the City and were marked as such. The majorityof respondents have lived in Shamokin and CoalTownship more than 15 years, with a fairly evendistribution between households with and withoutchildren living at home (see Table 1).  The majority ofrespondents were women (65%), and the majoritywere also 45 years or older  (53%).  Table 1: HouseholdDemographicsPAGE 2Interactive Community  FeedbackAt the Rebuilding Our Community Picnic, held on July 16, 2023, additional communityinput was gathered. This event was a follow up to the February 2023 Rebuilding OurCommunity Reconvening, a workshop where over 125 residents set priorities forneighborhood revitalization, and where the survey was originally launched. Asummary of the survey data was shared and attendees were invited to providefeedback on amenity and plant options, as well as preferences on two potentialdesigns for the Sunbury Street park. This effort yielded an additional 10respondents.  What’s the best part about living in a small city like Shamokin? "The rich history, culture and close knit community.""The overall friendliness as well as the walkability.""It’s a small community that tries hard. We take pride in our home and we help eachother."   Table 2: Perceptions of ShamokinMore than half of the Shamokin residents who responded (53%) are proud to live inShamokin.  Respondents who do not live in the city reported lower levels of pride thanactual residents.  However, across all respondents 65% are hopeful about Shamokin'sfuture. Similarly, 64% of respondents from Shamokin feel connected to their fellowresidents. With the implementation of a park, this figure could increase; this reveals adisconnect that a new park could address. Across all respondents, a majority areconcerned about environmental issues within the city (79%). See Table 2 for asummary of responses about perceptions of Shamokin. Perceptions of ShamokinPreferred Park AmenitiesAmong the responses to amenity options within a proposed park, respondents had arange of views. To start, the majority of respondents agreed that they would like to seebenches (93%) and walkways (91%) (see Figure 1). Participants of the interactivecommunity feedback strategy noted that they would like to see artwork and a mural.Figure 1: Preferred Amenity OptionsParticipants rated their preferred amenity options on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (stronglyagree). This figure shows the percent of respondents who answered 4 or 5 to the listed options.PAGE 3PAGE 4Figure 2: Differences between households with and without children.Participants rated their preferred amenity options on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (stronglyagree). This figure shows the percent of respondents with and without children at home who answered 4or 5 to the listed options.Differences in responses became apparent when asked about amenities targeted tochildren. Of the responses, 66% agreed that they would like to see a splash pad and70% are in favor of lawn games. The findings show that families with children are morelikely to value the splash pad, playground, lawn games, and a wall mural (see Figure 2).Among the participants of the interactive community outreach strategy, multiplerespondents valued having a splash pad, although one commented that it might bebetter placed elsewhere, like near the community pool.Preferred Plants and GreeneryWith regard to plant options, 92% preferred shade trees, and 92% were in favor offlowers. The participants of the interactive community feedback strategy sharedsimilar views, as shade trees and flowers were the highest rated plant option amongthem. Within the survey,  native plants (88%) and shade plants (90%) were also rankedhigh.  Such results indicate that respondents are partial to both aesthetic andecological considerations.  Bushes and hedges, which could be used to create visualbarriers and privacy, were least preferred (See Figure 3).  During the interactivefeedback, one particular respondent wrote that they'd like to see an area forvegetables and fruits that the community can take.PAGE 5Figure 3: Preferred Plant OptionsParticipants rated their preferred plant options on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).This figure shows the percent of respondents who answered 4 or 5 to the listed options.Demand for Parks and Projected UseThe results of the survey show a strong demand for parks and revitalization, as 81%noted that the inclusion of these spaces would benefit Shamokin. When asked aboutvacant lots, an additional 85% of respondents noted that revitalization of these spaceswould benefit the overall community. Around 76% agreed that they would like moreplaces to gather as a community, showing that the inclusion of a park would not gounnoticed by community members. No matter whether they're residents of Shamokinor from neighboring towns, it appears there's a consistency in responses across theboard. See Table 3. Table 3: Revitalization EffortsPAGE 6Frequency of Park VisitsConcerning whether or not the incorporation of parks will spur use, the results suggestthat it will. More than half of all respondents (54%) noted that they will use the parkdaily or at least once a week with another 25% using it bi-weekly.  Even those living insurrounding towns would use it rather frequently, with 56% of respondents from CoalTownship willing to visit 1-2 times per week, and all residents from other townsreporting they would visit at least once a month or more. These results show that theproposed park would be welcomed by the greater population, and would be sufficientlyused by them as well.  See Table 4 for a summary on the frequency of park visits . Table 4: Visitor FrequencyThe Process of DesignUsing an online garden planning tool Gardena, iterative designs were collaborativelycreated with Shamokin Community Gardens and Pocket Parks members to show waysin which the inclusion of a pocket park in place of the vacant lot on Sunbury Streetcould better fit the community. See figures 4 and 5 for an (aerial) scope of the designs.The proposed design includes three tiers: the first tier will serve as the entrance and aseating area containing an arbor for the entryway, a pergola, benches, plants, and bikerack. The second tier is a community garden, fit with multiple planter boxes and tworain barrels. The third tier is for more seating, incorporating more benches, and thegardening shed that’s already placed. Through this process, the designs can be craftedto incorporate the amenities people are most interested in. Stressing this importanceof community input, participants of the interactive community feedback strategyfavored design 2 (Figure 5).PAGE 7Figure 4: Design 1Figure 5: Design 2PAGE 8Table 5: Potential Park LocalesThe Future of Parks in ShamokinShamokin's existing park network can be enhanced by converting vacant lots intoneighborhood assets.  One of the most visible is the Sunbury Street lot near theintersection of Route 61 and Market Street.  Yet, there are other locations where thiscan be done. Table 5 shows other possible places where similar actions can be taken.Not only would people like to see a park on Sunbury Street (73%), but other notablelocations are Our Lady of Hope Church (76%) and the 5th Ward (70%). In the open response section associated with this question, respondents noted otherlocations that they would like to see future pocket parks. These included 2nd Street,5th Street, Independence Street, and in the Ferndale area. During the interactivecommunity feedback strategy session, one participant noted that Sunbury Street haspotential, but is not an ideal location for a community park. They suggested effortsshould also focus on beautifying the entrances to Shamokin with plants, trees, andother forms of shrubbery.Location of the SunburyStreet lot, as highlighted bythe red circle.PAGE 9"I just want to see better positive things in the area." "I’d love to see my hometown put back to its once beautiful glory." "Happy to see residents opinions are being asked and there is an effort to startcleaning the city." In the various open response sections, respondents had a lot to say. When askedabout their thoughts on the most important issue needing to be addressed inShamokin, many brought up the need for revitalization and wanting things to do, aswell as welcoming new businesses. Multiple respondents noted that they would likemore police coverage in response to issues with crime, drugs, and blight. Whenasked to share the best thing about Shamokin, most respondents said that they lovethe sense of community and the close-knit feel. There's a sense that residentsgenerally look out for one another. In the general comments and concerns section,the responses noted above circulated, but there were a great amount ofrespondents who expressed their eagerness in seeing positive changes throughoutShamokin associated with the incorporation of pocket parks.Open ResponseSunbury Street Park in development.  Raised beds available for planting installed in2021, and picnic tables added in 2023.  Photo Credit:  Shamokin Community GardensFacebook page, April 2023.PAGE 10More than half of Shamokin residents are proud to live in Shamokin (53%), witheven more feeling connected to their neighbors (64%).  Respondents valuedhaving more places to gather as a community (76%). Neighborhood parksprovide this while also increasing connectedness.A majority of respondents (85%) would like to see vacant lots repurposedA majority of respondents (76%) would like to see more parks in Shamokin The findings show differences in the needs of amenity options for families withyoung children compared to residents who live alone and/or don't have youngerchildrenIn regard to plants, respondents would prefer to see native plants, flowers, andshade trees over other plants like fruit trees and bushesKey FindingsOverall, this summary of survey results regarding the conversion of vacant lots intopocket parks clearly shows the need for more green space within the City ofShamokin, and that the incorporation of pocket parks would be well received by itsresidents. The key findings of this summary include:

Converting Vacant Lots to Parks: Shamokin Survey Results

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Converting Vacant Lots to Parks: Shamokin Survey Results

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