Designing with the Community: Safer Streets and Greener Spaces

• Shakira Cruz Lopez, Civil Engineering, University of Delaware
• Phebe Anderson, Landscape Architecture, University of Delaware

• Anna Wik, Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware

This project explores community-driven design strategies aimed at improving pedestrian safety, enhancing public spaces, and promoting inclusive access in three distinct locations. On the West Side, efforts focused on increasing street safety and accessibility through an interactive, hands-on engagement tool, a template with cut-out pieces that allowed community members to visualize and suggest improvements at key intersections. In addition to this, a survey was created and distributed to gather public concerns and suggestions regarding pedestrian safety, fostering deeper community input.

In Middletown, DE, planter boxes are being introduced along a busy corridor between a school and library as a traffic-calming measure. These boxes serve multiple purposes: reducing vehicle speeds, beautifying the area, and acting as educational tools for children to learn about native plants and pollinators. In Wilmington, DE, the Caesar Rodney Reservoir project centers on transforming a neglected space into an outdoor classroom, promoting environmental education and creating a meaningful gathering space. Finally, for the W 7th Street Bridge, outreach efforts involved directly surveying residents about their vision and concerns for the bridge’s closure to vehicle traffic. This initiative aims to transform the bridge into a pedestrian-friendly mini-park, strengthening connectivity and shared ownership between neighborhoods on both sides. Together, these projects underscore the importance of public participation and multi-functional design in shaping safer, greener, and more inclusive urban environments.