Fostering Health & Safety in Urban Spaces

Social interaction, exercise and accessible green spaces help people and communities to thrive.

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As we inch out of the COVID era, public health and safety remain compelling concerns. Among pandemic takeaways are the essential roles that nature and social connections play in promoting health. To that end, Milwaukeeans continue to turn to public spaces to foster individual and collective well-being.

Public spaces, such as parks, libraries, schools, playgrounds, swimming pools, senior centers and community gardens, are what sociologists call “social infrastructure.” Community organizations, including churches and civic associations, also serve as social infrastructures when they have an established physical space where people can assemble. So do ongoing community events such as outdoor markets and free concerts. Milwaukee Public Schools hosts Summer Twilight Centers with free-drop-in programming and extended hours at select schools as safe places for young people to go in the evening.

Although government and community agencies generally manage such places, residents often help ensure that they meet current human needs. Activities in the public realm increase “eyes on the street” and neighborly interactions. In places that welcome everyone people can freely meet and mix with others, which decreases social isolation.

Residents throughout Milwaukee are engaging in initiatives promoting health, safety and community bonds, often collaborating with wide-ranging agencies. Here are some of the diverse opportunities.

Exercise Together

Gathering to exercise outdoors offers many benefits. It can be motivating and stimulating to walk, run or bike with one or more workout buddies. Some senior centers and community groups organize clubs for walking and other outdoor activities. Other community-promoting options abound to meet up in public to stay fit and socialize.

Alice’s Garden Urban Farm (2136 N. Garfield Ave.) hosts free yoga classes on summertime Tuesdays at 6 p.m. This is one of many programs held in the community garden during Artisan Markets, held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays through August. Vendors offer prepared food and other wares, and people mingle in the picnic shelter. Check the garden’s Facebook page for updates.

Free yoga classes are also conducted in Johnsons Park, directly across from Alice’s Garden (1919 W. Fond du Lac Ave.) on Sundays at 10 a.m. through August 28. Embody Yoga teachers welcome everyone. Class is cancelled when it is raining or below 60 degrees. Co-sponsored by Alice’s Garden and Friends of Johnsons Park.

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Lakeside at MAM offers a roster of free events for all ages on several weekends from late July through August, on the lawn south of the Milwaukee Art Museum. In addition to hands-on art-making and live music, free programs include classes in yoga, dance and sound healing.

The November Project is a free, open-to-the-public exercise group. Workouts are designed for anyone and everyone, according to their Facebook page. “At November Project we are all about growing communities through free fitness! Wednesdays at 6:03 a.m. at O’Donnell Park (AKA Museum Center Park). Fridays at 6:03 a.m. See social media for location. We'll be there rain, shine, or snow!”

Body Verve: Mindful Movement, Sweaty Style offers dance workouts in various parks, weather permitting. Barb Wesson, a certified Somatic Movement instructor with a Ph.D. in natural health, leads the workouts, which are accessible for people of any fitness level. Body Verve also offers classes by Zoom. Donations are welcomed.

Ecstatic Dancing is held year-round on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Riverwest’s Kern Park, near the tennis court. Sarah Moore of the Pink House Studio organizes the sessions, with ever-changing eclectic play lists for free dancing. Open to people of any age, with donations accepted, and held in most weather except rain.

Participate in Neighborhood Clean-ups.

BIG Clean MKE is a year-round effort to continuously maintain cleaner, healthier neighborhoods and reduce litter. To promote sustainability, Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful provides buckets to groups for litter pickups and a limited number of garbage bags. Neighborhood groups doing regular cleanups may retain buckets. KGMB also lends cleanup tools from March 1 through October 31.

Ensure Safe Routes to Public Places.

Parks and libraries, essential to healthy civic life, diminish in value when access to them by foot or bicycle is difficult. Residents in the Washington Park neighborhood have voiced concerns about the challenges presented by street layouts and reckless driving, especially on the east and north sides of the park and nearby library. As the anchor agency of the Washington Park neighborhood, United Methodist Children’s Services (3940 W. Lisbon Ave.) has made it a priority to improve access to these civic spaces, said Adrian Spencer, Director of Neighborhood Engagement at UMCS. Other projects include participating in the city’s “Active Streets” program on Galena Street, and efforts to install Bubbr Bike stations in Washington Park.

UMCS is also collaborating on other traffic-calming strategies and have placed “Slow Your Role” signs to encourage drivers to follow speed limits on Lisbon Avenue. Spencer said that future plans include exploring Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design to enhance access into Washington Park, in partnership with the Urban Ecology Center and neighborhood residents.

Form a Block Watch.

Block watches, also known as block clubs, help strengthen bonds among neighbors and promote community safety. A block captain coordinates activities, including meetings where neighbors establish goals and ways to communicate with each other. With guidance from a law enforcement agency, members are trained in home-security techniques, observation skills, and crime reporting. Residents also learn about the types of crime that affect their area.

The City of Milwaukee provides online information to assist in the creation and success of block clubs. According to the city’s website, “The Watch concept is adaptable and can be organized around any geographic unit such as Apartment Watch, Business Watch, School Watch, [and] Utility Watch.” Safe & Sound, a nonprofit organization with a mission to “unite residents, youth, law enforcement and community resources to build safe and empowered neighborhoods” works in five neighborhoods to assist with block watches and other efforts. 

Plant a Tree

Research has demonstrated that an adequate tree canopy correlates with positive individual health outcomes and environmental benefits. Shade trees help mitigate the “urban heat island effect,” and avert flooding. Plentiful trees have also been shown to correlate with lower crime.

Urban tree canopies rely on plentiful shade trees on both public and private property. This requires that trees are cared for as they get established and are well-maintained over time. Ongoing attention is essential, including education and equitable resources that support tree health--not just tree planting.

The Sherman Park Community Association is currently engaged with the Milwaukee Water Commons to address long-term urban forestry issues. A grant from Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources is supporting multi-pronged activities, including a neighborhood tree survey and assistance with tree upkeep. The association had already developed a relationship with MWC through its Branch Out Milwaukee program. Joe Fitzgerald, the program’s manager, said that it is essential that neighbors play a pivotal role in all decision-making about tree-canopy issues in their neighborhoods.

These are just a few of the many ways that people are interacting to promote community health and safety.