A Better Block comes to Laurel

On September 26, 2015 citizens of Laurel and their neighbors were able to experience what a revitalized Broad Creek waterfront would look and feel like.  The global Better Block movement came to The Ramble area as Laurel’s Fall Ramble. Visitors were able to dine outdoors, walk the waterfront, paddle a kayak, listen to music, play and relax, and envision the area alive with new activities, residents and businesses.

For months, a group of town leaders, citizens and others planned for the day-long event, which included a farmer’s market, popup shops, an impromptu brewpub – The Ramble Tap House – musicians throughout the day, kayaks and bikes, food and homemade ice cream.

A member of the Nanticoke tribe offers a blessing at the location of the Wading Place.

A Better Block is a movement that began in 2010 in Dallas, Texas, when a group of community organizers, neighbors, and property owners gathered together to revitalize a single commercial block in an underused neighborhood corridor. The area was filled with vacant properties, wide streets, and few amenities for people who lived within walking distance. The group brought together all of the resources from the community and converted the block into a walkable, bikeable neighborhood destination for people of all ages complete with bike lanes, cafe seating, trees, plants, pop-up businesses, and lighting.

Since then, the phenomenon has spread throughout the country and the world. Wilmington’s West Side Grows Together project has planned two of them.

Laurel Better Block planners can view the construction “recipes” that Andrew Howard shared during his visit by clicking on the button below.