r: How do you ensure a Better Block project is sustainable and not just a weekend celebration?
Roberts: The folks who get it are the ones who really try to change the infrastructure and get the businesses started that could thrive in the area. We found it’s best to keep programming the blocks. Go back to the same area and do something else, like a bike-in movie, or follow through on the next step of getting a business off the ground. In most areas, it’s a restaurant that turns the area around. Even if you bring out guest chefs with a temporary popup restaurant, it will at least get people rethinking the area. Ninety percent of the issues I’ve found with blighted areas are perception. Once you change the perception, people will think of the block as a destination and that’s when things start happening.
r: If our readers are interested in doing a Better Block project in their community, how should they start?
Roberts: First, don’t be afraid of failure. I’ve probably had hundreds of ideas, and some of them didn’t work. The thing is people will see that you’re trying and that’s what’s going to rally the community.
Oftentimes we work in blighted parts of town because it will have a major ripple effect on the area. Just removing graffiti is powerful. Make sure you document what you’re doing, so people can see it. We use social media to show us scrubbing off graffiti with neighbors and friends. You want to inspire the community to say, “Oh, we’re all
fixing things together.” Then they will start thinking about what they can do to make the neighborhood better.
It starts with the little things. You do those enough times and you realize you can do more of these things. There’s chaos involved, but you have to embrace the chaos. We always say in our projects: Something better will happen even if you don’t know what that is.