Community-based learning project helps restore vacant lot
An integral part of Dr. Ken Laundra's Environmental Sociology course at Millikin University is having students participate in a collaborative, community-based restoration project. The purpose of the project is to have the students use the experience to better understand the academic material, which includes environmental and sociological concepts such as food insecurity, consumerism, sustainability, biodiversity, environmental justice, and deep ecology.
In Decatur, Ill., there are over 400 vacant lots throughout the community, five of which are located in the neighborhood of Torrence Park. The City of Decatur leased the Torrence Park lots to revitalize them. The city's revitalization efforts served as the initial inspiration for Dr. Laundra's Performance Learning project starting back in fall 2019.
"Once the lots were identified and leased, we began to imagine the space and how best to restore it, with both the neighborhood and our course goals in mind," said Laundra, an associate professor of sociology. "So, naturally, any plans for the lots had to be eco-friendly and sustainable, but also open and public, so that any renovations would be freely accessible to residents of Torrence Park as community property."
The students' first task was to inventory the lots to plan projects that would suit their course goals but also that would suit the neighborhood's actual needs. Additionally, since the lots were all full of debris, the class took inventory of any loose, unused materials that could potentially be repurposed for various projects such as old tires, pallets, bricks, and slabs.