Locust Street/Mill River Open Space Plan 1995-1997 Under the direction of the City of Springfield, UPP began the design and planning process by involving the neighborhood. UPP worked with landlords and neighborhood groups, in addition to conducting a safety audit, conducting surveys in English and Spanish at an annual community Earth Day event, and presenting preliminary proposals at a public meeting in a local park. Recommendations included a set of low-cost short-term objectives, and a set of longer-term, higher-cost objectives. Included in the recommendations were the design of a small neighborhood park, community gardens, reconfigured road and parking, and a larger neighborhood greenway system that focuses on the river. Implementation to date has been led by the Concerned Citizens of Springfield, with UPP involvement in meetings and construction. Recent changes include renovating Johnny Appleseed park with crab apple trees, signage and play equipment, and planting trees and shrubs in front of apartment buildings.

Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning
University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA 01003, USA

Last Modified May 1998
upp@larp.umass.edu
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~ upp