Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Making the Most of Physical Connections Between Attractions and Communities
Image Credit: PBS
What’s Your Role in the Neighborhood?
In the neighborhood Fred Rogers created, everyone brought unique values and perspectives. That’s true for your neighborhood too, though the exact role your attraction plays in it will vary widely based on both the nature of your attraction and the character of your neighborhood.
In defining your attraction’s roles, a good first step is to consider how the attraction physically connects with its surroundings as this will influence your relationship with the community. Some attractions, like a public park or entertainment district, are more free-flowing parts of the neighborhoods with less defined boundaries. Community connections for these attractions are a day-to-day reality, though perhaps not always top-of-mind.
Other attractions, like theme parks, stadiums, or theater venues, have defined borders and controlled entry points. For gated attractions, the evaluation of physical connections with the community starts with an acknowledgement that, at least most of the time, residents interact with your attraction from the outside looking in. That means that the exterior of your facility and its immediate surroundings play an outsized role in residents’ perceptions. Is the “border” between your attraction and the surrounding community safe and inviting? If not, what can be done to improve it, and who will need to play a part in those improvements?
Downtown Denver, there is one thing that is hurting our urban core: parking lots.
The same questions apply to outlying facilities, such as attraction-owned parking lots or even restrooms. Are these facilities safe and accessible? How are they maintained between events or during the off season? Are the trash cans periodically emptied or do they fill up and leave trash spilling out onto sidewalks? Would amenities like external lighting or native plant-friendly landscaping help improve the experience for those who live or work nearby?
Amenities in and around an attraction—and who have access to them—can make a big difference in public perception and support. For example, a new nonprofit boathouse project at Sherman Creek Park in Manhattan recently ran into controversy over the lack of publicly available restroom facilities.
Image Credit: Explore St. Louis
The Good Neighbor Award
Working with your neighborhood or community to ensure safety in and around your facilities is always a good idea, but to the extent possible, it’s worth considering other ways to use those facilities to benefit the community. For example, seasonal attractions (operated by you OR with community partners) could transform a parking lot or open area into a vibrant community asset. Are there any opportunities like farmer’s markets, job fairs, swap meets, scout go-cart races, food truck meetups, or celebratory events that could generate goodwill in the community, and keep your attraction top of mind while closed?
Attractions should also consider physical connections that are not readily visible. Does traffic to and from your attraction have an impact on the community’s infrastructure? Do your facilities create an adverse environmental impact? These issues can create significant community concerns, as was seen recently in Goshen, New York, when some residents opposed the construction of a new theme park in the area.
While it’s unlikely that an attraction will be able to accommodate every public desire or alleviate every concern, it’s worth the time to consider improvements that can enhance perceptions of the attraction and help to avoid potential roadblocks. If there are concerning physical connections that can’t be directly addressed, there are many other areas where an attraction can contribute to its community to help compensate. After all, as Fred Rogers taught us, when we each contribute in our own unique way, we can all benefit.
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