Community Engagement

Over the past year our Emerging Leaders in Architecture program has had the pleasure of participating in multiple community engagement efforts, geared at better understanding the Belmont-Fallon neighborhood through the lens of its inhabitants.

Throughout our various touch points with the Community we have listened, learned, and have seen firsthand the outpouring of love that so many Belmont-Fallon community members have for their neighborhood. The joy in this neighborhood is evident and our Emerging Leaders group were aware of this when we talked with after school students at the Belmont-Fallon Presbyterian Community Center and Belmont Branch Library in May of 2022.

In collaborative settings with the students, we provided a framework for the students to imagine their ideal neighborhood. In conversation we asked them ‘What do they love about their neighborhood, what makes their home special and unique, and where did they see opportunities for change within their own neighborhood?’ Across both May community engagements, we heard about how these students love to be outdoors. They are big fans of sports activities including but not limited to running and playing tag, are inherently artistic, and see value in quiet spaces.

In July our group returned to Belmont-Fallon for the annual “I-Heart-Southeast Festival” with the goal of hearing from more community members across different demographics and age groups to augment the data we received from the local students. In an open forum with community members at the festival, ELA engaged in dialogue to learn more about this neighborhood and the inherent potential within the target area. In looking specifically at the neighborhood target area, the community provided necessary feedback and identified areas for improvement. In addition to this holistic challenge of introspectively looking at their neighborhood we solicited feedback on colors, patterns, fonts, and icons that sparked joy to better ground the findings we were seeing throughout our engagement sessions. A makeshift photo-booth brought out the charm, character, and unique qualities of the neighborhood community, including many of its four-legged friends.

We know now more than ever that Belmont-Fallon is vibrant. As evidenced by the people who live here, and the care and time that they put into this neighborhood across many different scales and events, such as community-led litter mitigation efforts, community-led art initiatives, community festivals, and broad utilization of community amenity spaces. Belmont-Fallon should reflect the vibrancy of its inhabitants, with various gathering spaces at multiple scales to reinvigorate the neighborhood center. Driven by data and ideas from the Belmont-Fallon community, our Emerging Leaders group began the process of synthesizing these concepts into a larger framework for the neighborhood. When looking back at the data we received, the ideas the community brought forth reinforced how our group of Emerging Leaders would propose potential impacts

to the Belmont-Fallon target area.