Making Life Better, One Vacant Lot At a Time

Penn State Students work with Harrisburg residents to jumpstart a community revitalization effort

The children of Allison Hill are hopeful. Much like many young bright-eyed children across the nation, these kids have dreams of becoming doctors, firefighters, actors and professional athletes.

Even the conditions of Allison Hill, a low-income, urban community faced with job loss, vacant and deteriorating housing, and a high crime rate that impacts so many of the country's neighborhoods, have yet to dampen these children's spirits.

            They still play kickball with their friends after school and play hide-and-go-seek on hot summer nights. But the play space in Allison Hill is not conducive to safe play. The kids play in a community garden where they easily could trip over a flowerbed while chasing after a stray ball. All of this, however, is changing, keeping the abundance of innocent hope alive.

            A service-learning landscape architecture class, developed in partnership with the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State and designed specifically to contribute to Harrisburg revitalization projects, took note of the area's infinite potential. "South Allison Hill is home to some energetic residents who are full of hope and eager to work with us to mutually identify problems, cultivate solutions, and identify causes of these problems," said Sam Dennis, class professor.

            Last spring the class, together with the Community Action Commission and neighborhood residents, focused on the community's assets to help identify the area's physical promise.

"The students have done a lot of effective research for us," said Elaine Burns, South Allison Hill plan and A.I.D. coordinator.  "In one instance, they gave area kids cameras and had them go out and photograph what they did and didn't like in the community. That was great. It's been a really great relationship."

            The students all worked on several different community projects, which were developed and implemented in partnership with the residents of South Allison Hill. One such project yielded a landlord map that displays the owner of every building in the neighborhood. Another project developed a community gardening resource book, while another used the community gardens to teach young children about the life sciences.

             Mayor Stephen Reed took special note of one particular project, and awarded one of the students, Jesse Hunting, the Distinguished Community Service Award. The award -- the city's highest recognition for public service -- stemmed from Hunting's work on a vacant lot project.

            Hunting found two lots in Allison Hill, lots where an old abandoned house once stood. Together with the help of the community, he transformed the lot into a safe place for area children to play. "Looking back, this class was hands down the best class I have ever taken. It gave me the guidance and school time I needed to help develop the premise and logistics of the project," he said.

            But his project poured out of his academic life and into his personal life. To implement the ideas he and two other students researched during the spring semester, Hunting moved to the Catholic Worker House in Allison Hill for the summer. He used his summer vacation to work alongside the community to build a safe play area on a zero dollar budget.  The city donated tons of dirt and local nurseries, including Highland Gardens, Diller Nursery and Blackie's Nursery, donated soil, trees, seeds and shrubs. But more importantly, Hunting and the local community donated their time and ideas.

Through the hard work and dedication of a number of different people, Allison Hill area children now have a safer place to play. "This community park serves as a backyard for children who might otherwise not have one," Hunting said. "Given the neighborhood, there are very few large tracks of land where kids can play. This lot provides them with a large area that they use to play soccer and kickball." It even has a bike ramp.

These projects and this landscape architecture class, however, were about more than simply beautifying an area through green space.

            "All of these projects were highly visible projects that showed the area youth that they too can make a positive contribution to society," Dennis said. "They love working along side Penn State students. It shows them that they, too, can be Penn State students. We're reaching these kids while they're still hopeful."

This revitalization project was not a one-time-only deal. Dennis has a new class of students getting to know the Allison Hill area now. And the Distinguished Community Service Award recipient? He's already making plans to return to Allison Hill for the summer and recruiting neighborhood volunteers now.

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Contact: Allison Kessler, Department of Public Information, (814) 865-7517 or akessler@psu.edu.