Area: Southeast corner of Kingfield Neighborhood This is the area that I have grown up in and I am very familiar with the successes and difficulties that exist here. Despite being only a few blocks, it encompasses a great number of people and situations that are both cut off and very connected. Assets: • Martin Luther King Jr. Park: The park that gives this neighborhood its name. It has sports fields, a community center, public garden beds, walk paths, playground, and wading pool. • Restaurants: Two restaurants on Nicollet: The Lowbrow, and Revival • Sebastian Joes: an ice cream parlor • Up Yoga: Yoga and workout parlor • Crews Market: coffee shop/ general store • Bus Routes: Nicollet receives frequent busses • Driftwood: Music/Bar • (New Baptist Beginnings: Church) Needs: • Walkability and Bike ability: In recent years there has been crosswalks implemented across the larger roads, there are no signs to indicate them, slow traffic, or stoplights. • Parking: In the pandemic an additional apartment complex was added, however most of the parking remains street, which is eaten up by park visitors during games, as well as Sunday church gatherings. • Isolated: The reason I chose just this section of the neighborhood, as do to the freeway on one side, and large streets on the others (Nicollet and 46th), this section is largely cut off without any good connection outside. Analysis and Reflection: This area has a great many assets that support the community and encourage community involvement, the largest being the park, which has a sports facility and different sports fields, a building which holds classes, events, etc., public art, walk paths thro ughout the park, as well as a perimeter path, and community garden beds. But there are also a number of facilities and assets that preform more general support such as the restaurants and bus routes. However, the community also has needs. One of the larges t is the lack of walkability to these assets. In the last few years crosswalks have been added to the pavement, crossing the major roads in the area, however these have only partially helped the problem, as there are no accompanying signage or effort to slow traffic on these busy streets to make it actually safe to cross on these paths. This walkability issue is what makes this section of the neighborhood largely cut off from the larger area and makes the bus line the largest transit option with out available parking. Fixing this issue would increase the effectiveness of the available assets, bringing the advantages of the park to the greater community, and increasing connections across Nicollet instead of allowing the divide to grow. 20240930_155938684_iOS.jpg