![](https://cele.sog.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Litter-1280px-LITTER_LEFT_BY_VISITORS_IN_THE_TAMIAMI_CANAL_AREA_BESIDE_EVERGLADES_NATIONAL_PARK_-_NARA_-_544647-e1498753024471.jpg)
We may feel comfortable in a nice park, or a city plaza, but does this really affect our “community engagement?”
The Center for Active Design (CfAD) offers a study that says “yes.”
CfAD states that their Assembly Civic Engagement Survey is the first study to examine specific community design features that influence civic life, using large-sample survey methods and visual experiments.
![](https://cele.sog.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/CIty_Hall_Plaza-150x150.jpg)
Their innovative study of 5,000 people nationwide inquired about respondents’ civic perceptions and behaviors, as well as design elements and maintenance conditions within their communities. Here is what they found.
- People living near popular parks report greater community connection and greater satisfaction with local government. They are 14% more likely to report satisfaction with police and 13% more likely to report satisfaction with the mayor.
- Litter is associated with depleted civic trust. People who report litter to be “very common” in their neighborhood exhibit reduced civic trust across a number of measures, including 10% lower community pride and 10% lower likelihood of believing that community members care about one another.
- Vacant lots present a challenge, and an opportunity. A photo experiment indicates that even moderate clean-up of a vacant lot can significantly enhance measures of civic trust—including a 13% increase in the belief that people care about their community.
I like how we have some important blog posts which elaborate on these perceptions and actions, ranging from:
- Charlotte’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program for projects such as community gardens, neighborhood watches or playgrounds, to
- changes in a Charleston neighborhood which could displace current residents – one neighborhood leader notes: “Right now we’re looking to mold that growth and shape it in a way that’s really inclusive. That’s where creative placemaking and community engagement come in,” to
- A revitalizing neighborhood in Greensboro, which includes space in the backyard of Mustard Seed Community Health’s property for raised garden beds, planted by New Hope Community Development Group.
![](https://cele.sog.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Big_Bench_Australias_big_things-150x150.jpg)
What do you think? What are the roles of citizen volunteers, city parks employees, and designers in supporting civic trust through public space design, cleanliness and orderliness?