Evaluating a Pop-Up Resource Village in West Oakland: Making Connections with Sense of Place and Perceptions of Safety

Abstract

A non-profit organization called Designing Justice+Designing Spaces led the implementation of a pop-up resource village (PRV) to transform an underutilized urban site into a vibrant community space. One aim of the PRV was to affect public safety through site activation while merging access to education, social services, and retail resources that 'popup' in customized mobile units. This case study employed a mixed-methods research approach to examine how community attendees at the first four stages of the PRV's operations, as well as at its formal launch, conceptualized its design in terms of sense of place (SOP), safety, and level of engagement with local businesses and the diverse cultural aspects of West Oakland. Generally, the PRV was understood positively by attendees and community members in the area. Attendees indicated strong place attachment toward the area in which the events were situated, as well as a strong agreement that the PRV enhances relationships in their community, offers residents and visitors a sense of safety, assists local entrepreneurs in growing their businesses, and increases access to social services. Participants also agreed very strongly that a PRV set up regularly in the area would benefit the community of West Oakland. A primary theme of community togetherness came forward in qualitative analyses. Results suggest that those implementing PRVs should work to create or sustain social connection within a community's established culture while supporting local entrepreneurs and artists, engendering a sense of safety, and affording opportunities for education.Keywords Pop-up village . Community-building . Place-making . Neighborhood safety A pop-up resource village (PRV) can be conceptualized as an organized effort to bring together the people, local businesses, and cultural aspects of a particular community.

Where Do We Go From Here? The Survival and Recovery of Black-Owned Businesses Post-COVID-19

“…In addition, business leaders demonstrated an enormous sense of care and concern for the community, which directly influences and drives many of the decisions and initiatives that these businesses of color undertake (Lahr et al, 2020). This community orientation, however, is often not explicitly acknowledged by the business leaders, nor is it purposefully identified as a strategic business goal; meaning this desire to uplift the community through the business is expressed almost in conflict with the traditional, learned belief that businesses must be primarily profit-focused and centered on profit maximization (Lahr et al, 2020: McCunn, Vickerie-Dearman, & Gagnon, 2020). This apparent social versus profit tug-of-war is commonly demonstrated within inner city businesses (Monti Jr et al, 2007).…”