Co-Creating a Park with the Community

Services: Qualitative Research • Community Co-Creation • Multi-Generational Interviewing • Public Sector Consulting
Timeline: 6 Months
Client Type: Greater Parks of Cincinnati

The Challenge: Greater Parks of Cincinnati and local government stakeholders planned to develop a new community park on the historic Procter & Gamble estate. To ensure the investment actually served the neighborhood's needs, the architectural firm in charge of designing the park required deep insight into local desires, safety concerns, and preferred features

My Approach: I utilized a "Co-Design" methodology to gather feedback from diverse demographics, ensuring the park was built with the community, not just for them.

Adult Residents: Conducted in-depth interviews to map out fears (safety/lighting) and functional needs (event spaces/walking paths).

Youth Engagement: Analyzed the findings of a session moderated by our partners where children were asked to draw what they would like in the park in order to capture the creative needs of the park's primary users.

The Impact: Our findings directly influenced the master plan for the site. The architectural firm used our "Community Requirements" to design specific features of the park on Werk Road. The research ensured that the final build included high-value amenities requested by residents, fostering a sense of ownership within the neighborhood.