Please note that Akron City Repair (ACR) projects are currently on hold while we focus on completing a community health assessment for our ongoing health equity project. The Big Love Network continues to work closely with the neighborhoods involved with ACR in the meantime.
Akron City Repair facilitates creative placemaking through projects that empower local residents to create spaces that honor the interconnection of human communities and the natural world. ACR provides support, resources, and opportunities to help diverse communities reclaim the culture, power, and joy that all deserve. ACR will lead facilitator and community training’s in leadership development, natural building, resource management, and participatory and neighbor-led design principles. The program culminates in a four day, city-wide placemaking festival in August. This event will consist of people implementing their designs throughout the city and then communing at night with discussion panels, food and celebration.
In partnership with The City Repair Project. We have four sites within Akron. Open each neighborhood tab to learn more about the work done in each area, along with the facilitators and partners by project.
Summit Lake: Edison & Long
This neighborhood had monthly meetings and worked with residents to prioritize the values unity, safety, and love in their project. This was facilitated by Stephanie Leonardi with site leads of Lisa Nunn and Julie Costell.
Neighbors wanted to find a creative solution for Let’s Grow Akron’s Children’s Garden to safely cross the street. This site decided to create Akron’s first street mural! The design was determined through hundreds of submissions, mainly from neighborhood children. The mural was completed in mid-September (2016) along with a mobile pizza oven in collaboration with cobb-creating expert Uncle Mud.
Check out our reel from creation, posted on ACR’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EFDcNH5B5
Middlebury: E. Market & Broad
The 2016 community input was gathered through door knocking and surveying in conjunction with The W.O.M.B. These projects were facilitated by Beth Vild (COO, Director of Programming) and site was led by Jasmin Evans. The community prioritized a safe play space for children, access to fresh food, benches, and a park space. This benefited the community as the area around East Market & Arlington has remained mostly vacant as neighbors have a great need for amenities. In alignment with Big Love’s priorities, an upcycled and hand-crafted playground was constructed.
NOHO / Cascade Valley: North & Howard
This historic district, where nature meets industry, has been torn apart and reconstructed since the Black Jazz District was pushed out to install Route 59. In honoring and revealing the historic significance of the neighborhood while increasing safety for neighborhood children, plans were created for a street mural.
West Hill: Oakdale & Crosby
Facilitated by David Swirsky and led by Zach Friedhof, the neighborhood sought to bridge a divide created by Crosby Street to embrace all of the neighborhood. The project also needed to slow traffic and engage neighborhood children. The culminating project resulted in decorated trash and recycling receptacles representing the local cultures, a book swap box, and community bulletin board.
