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West Side Grows Together recognizes the University of Delaware's School of Public Policy and Administration and Nina David, Assistant Professor and a resident of Wilmingtons West Side, for bringing the Better Block Project to N. Union St. in Wilmington, DE.
The Better Block Project is a demonstration tool that temporarily transforms an area based to demonstrate what a walkable neighborhood center could look and feel like, to actively engage communities in the design and decision-making process, and to show the potential for revitalized economic activity.
Held over three days in August for the last two years, Better Block has attracted more than 500 people to Union St. to see the power that traffic calming, outdoor seating, and diagonal parking can have on a place. It has helped build community consensus around neighborhood improvements, including reducing N. Union St. to two lanes of traffic and building a more pedestrian-friendly and attractive business district.
Cornerstone has leveraged the broad public support we have built around infrastructure improvements to successfully advocate for the City of Wilmington to prioritize N. Union St. in its transportation infrastructure improvements process.
In 2015, the City of Wilmington submitted the N. Union St. project to Delawares Department of Transportation (DELDOT)s competitive process for allocating state dollarsthe first step in implementation.
