DNI & DSNI Community Playway Event
DNI & DSNI Launch Campaign on Abandoned Lot
The abandoned lot located on Dudley Street between Ideal Sub Shop and La Borinqueña has been a blight on the Dudley community for years. According to the City of Boston’s assessing website, the land is a composed of three separate parcels that are owned by the estate of Elias M. Loew. The 3 parcels combined total 10,623 square ft. and are assessed to be worth $184,700.
In the mid-1900’s, it was the site of a movie theater owned by the Loew’s family that burned down. Since then, it has been a burden for Dudley residents, who over the years have taken upon themselves to clean it up. This past April, residents who participated in Boston Shines collected over 10 bags of garbage and pulled out 9 car tires. Over the summer, DSNI summer youth employees cleared the majority of the overgrowth during a community clean up event.
This past summer DSNI launched a campaign to pressure the city to force the Loew’s estate to develop the land or lose it. DSNI summer youth staged two interventions utilizing a geodesic dome (dubbed “The Big Zipper”) to engage residents in what they would like to see developed on the land via texting technology and the more traditional pencil and paper option. The youth received 179 responses this summer. The top three preferred uses of the land to date are a picnic area, an art gallery and a youth center.
In the mid-1900’s, it was the site of a movie theater owned by the Loew’s family that burned down. Since then, it has been a burden for Dudley residents, who over the years have taken upon themselves to clean it up. This past April, residents who participated in Boston Shines collected over 10 bags of garbage and pulled out 9 car tires. Over the summer, DSNI summer youth employees cleared the majority of the overgrowth during a community clean up event.
This past summer DSNI launched a campaign to pressure the city to force the Loew’s estate to develop the land or lose it. DSNI summer youth staged two interventions utilizing a geodesic dome (dubbed “The Big Zipper”) to engage residents in what they would like to see developed on the land via texting technology and the more traditional pencil and paper option. The youth received 179 responses this summer. The top three preferred uses of the land to date are a picnic area, an art gallery and a youth center.
DNI & DSNI Youth Design Murals for Trina/Persad Park
On Thursday, August 15th, 2014 DSNI youth organizers held a Reopening Ceremony at the Trina Persad Park. This summer, DSNI youth worked with local artist, Roberto Chao, to create an art installation for the Trina Persad Park located on the DNI Community Land Trust—on the corner of Julian & Judson Street. The park was built on a vacant parcel in summer 2004 in memory of Trina Ann Persad. In the summer of 2002, Trina, at the age of 11, was heading out of her house to walk to a park when she was caught in gang cross fire and killed.
At the event, youth leaders unveiled their art pieces to the community and the Persad family. Local children and families gathered to see what was happening and to be part of the ceremony. The program included words from Trina’s family, District Attorney Dan Conley and State Representative Carlos Henriquez. Fox News and The Boston Globe covered the event.
Because of the lack of signage, many of the residents who use the park had no idea that it was the “Trina Persad Park,” or the story behind the dedication. DSNI decided to use this summer as a time to beautify the park in a way that represented Trina and would honor her memory, by adding art and flowers along the fence facing Judson Street. The DSNI youth workers that were part of the Parks team met with Trina’s mother and her sister in July to learn more about Trina. They asked questions like “What did she love?” and “What was her favorite subject in school?”
“It was kind of like we were giving a gift to someone,” said Nathian Hernandez, one of the youth involved in the project. “We spoke with her mother and family to find out things she liked and how we could incorporate them into the art.” The youth wanted to learn about Trina’s life in order to create artwork that reflected who she was. They learned that above all she loved to entertain her friends and family and that the park should not only be a space in her remembrance, but also a place that local children could enjoy.
“This park will forever hopefully be a safe place for the neighborhood’s children to play,” Rep. Henriquez said at the event. “You should come and you should remember that you are a part of this neighborhood and there are adults here that care about you and love you.” A resident at the event, whose children frequently visit the park, mentioned that she thought it was a beautiful ceremony.
DNI will continue the work the youth started and plans on installing an archway to the park’s entrance and planting more along the fences.
At the event, youth leaders unveiled their art pieces to the community and the Persad family. Local children and families gathered to see what was happening and to be part of the ceremony. The program included words from Trina’s family, District Attorney Dan Conley and State Representative Carlos Henriquez. Fox News and The Boston Globe covered the event.
Because of the lack of signage, many of the residents who use the park had no idea that it was the “Trina Persad Park,” or the story behind the dedication. DSNI decided to use this summer as a time to beautify the park in a way that represented Trina and would honor her memory, by adding art and flowers along the fence facing Judson Street. The DSNI youth workers that were part of the Parks team met with Trina’s mother and her sister in July to learn more about Trina. They asked questions like “What did she love?” and “What was her favorite subject in school?”
“It was kind of like we were giving a gift to someone,” said Nathian Hernandez, one of the youth involved in the project. “We spoke with her mother and family to find out things she liked and how we could incorporate them into the art.” The youth wanted to learn about Trina’s life in order to create artwork that reflected who she was. They learned that above all she loved to entertain her friends and family and that the park should not only be a space in her remembrance, but also a place that local children could enjoy.
“This park will forever hopefully be a safe place for the neighborhood’s children to play,” Rep. Henriquez said at the event. “You should come and you should remember that you are a part of this neighborhood and there are adults here that care about you and love you.” A resident at the event, whose children frequently visit the park, mentioned that she thought it was a beautiful ceremony.
DNI will continue the work the youth started and plans on installing an archway to the park’s entrance and planting more along the fences.
Community Sourced Mapping
Did you attend our Annual Meeting last June 25th? If you did, you might’ve seen maps of the Dudley area taped on the wall of the school or on a plexiglas board, an interactive mapping display where people could write in their favorite--and least favorite--places and things. Now you can see the results of that community-sourced map of what’s good (and not so good) in the neighborhood!
Residents know the community best, and can identify things that aren’t necessarily on a Google Map of neighborhood--like the blocks that feel unsafe, the parks your kids love, or the best restaurants. Together, we can map out the assets and important issues of the community.
This past summer Lee Dwyer, a Master’s in City Planning student from MIT, is working as an intern at DSNI, creating GIS maps for us about the land trust and the Dudley neighborhood. He’s also interested in getting community members involved in the process of mapping, as a creative means of community engagement. At the Annual Meeting, Lee encouraged participants to add their favorite--or least favorite--spots to the map, sometimes helping write those landmarks on the Plexiglas board.
When the board was full, he took photos and erased it to start all over again. Thirty to forty people contributed 47 unique data points to the map; 30 of them were positive things or locations, while 17 were negative. After the meeting, Lee digitized this data and made a new GIS map with it. Below, you can see an example of the final map.
Data from the maps also shows the strength of local institutions, and the importance of businesses and green space to residents:
Residents know the community best, and can identify things that aren’t necessarily on a Google Map of neighborhood--like the blocks that feel unsafe, the parks your kids love, or the best restaurants. Together, we can map out the assets and important issues of the community.
This past summer Lee Dwyer, a Master’s in City Planning student from MIT, is working as an intern at DSNI, creating GIS maps for us about the land trust and the Dudley neighborhood. He’s also interested in getting community members involved in the process of mapping, as a creative means of community engagement. At the Annual Meeting, Lee encouraged participants to add their favorite--or least favorite--spots to the map, sometimes helping write those landmarks on the Plexiglas board.
When the board was full, he took photos and erased it to start all over again. Thirty to forty people contributed 47 unique data points to the map; 30 of them were positive things or locations, while 17 were negative. After the meeting, Lee digitized this data and made a new GIS map with it. Below, you can see an example of the final map.
Data from the maps also shows the strength of local institutions, and the importance of businesses and green space to residents:
- 20 landmarks were inside the Dudley Triangle formed by the DNI land trust (roughly between Blue Hill Ave, Dudley St, and Brookford St)
- 10 landmarks involved businesses
- 9 were parks or playgrounds (or called for more park space!)
- 9 were organizations or public institutions, including The Food Project (link), Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School, and Haley House (link)
- 6 were urban farms or community gardens
