2.5 Open House Feedback

often”, and “meetings like this” referring to the fact that the open house can strengthen community engagement. These comments suggest adding more diversity to the community through a younger generation, development of green areas, and hosting community events to bring people together.

The residents then were asked how often they interact with their neighbors to know how active the community is with one another and the relative amount of social capital in the community. Figure 2.6 shows that out of the 48 answers collected, 36 people answered that they interact daily with their neighbors and people around the neighborhood, 10 people said that they interact with other residents multiple times a week instead of daily, and only two answered that they like to stay by themselves and preferred not to interact with anyone. This analysis shows Riverside residents generally maintain a close relationship with their neighbors and stay connected within their community in their daily lives.

We also asked the attendees what community engagement means to them. Our goal was to understand how people engage within Riverside and what makes the community unique. Multiple answers suggested helping each other and being kind to others. Kindness can bring people together in different ways. The fact that helping others was mentioned so many times shows there’s a sense of kindness already within Riverside. Many people felt that community engagement was about improving the conditions of the community and making a positive impact. One resident quote in particular highlights this point, “not just saying, but doing.” The consensus in the community is to focus on creating a better community through positive change.

Other community engagement answers included creating a sense of family, caring what goes on in the community, building trust and friendship in a community, and knowing your neighbors. This shows there is a healthy amount of social capital in the community and residents are capable of making Riverside the community they want and need.

To capture the overall sense of resident sentiment about the community, we asked attendees to rate their overall experience on a scale of one to ten. Most residents gave Riverside a 9-10 rating, ten being the best. This high rating was due to how long they had been in the community, giving it a higher scale because they had lived there their whole lives or left and came back, emphasizing their love for

Figure 2.6 Responding to the question: How often do people interact with their neighbors?

Figure 2.7 Attendee Rating of Riverside.

the community. Figure 2.7 shows that 41 attendees participated in the rating of Riverside. Most attendees rated higher than a 5, which suggests that people like the community, but it can use some improvements. One person voted a 1 for Riverside, explaining that there could be many improvements to Riverside that could enhance the community and make it a better place for all. In conclusion, many residents enjoy living in Riverside, but want more for the community and to utilize the space they have to enhance its sense of value and character.

2.6 Recommendations The following recommendations focus on the social capital and people within Riverside. They also focus on the needs of the community and what they value.

1. Create a long-term community engagement strategy to enhance communication among residents and create a sense of togetherness.

Figure 2.8 Long-term Engagement Strategies.

Figure 2.9 Community pocket park with a shared library box.