On an early Saturday morning in Covington, more than a hundred residents gathered to discuss how to make the city a more livable place.
The event was hosted by the Covington Neighborhood Collaborative, a nonprofit assembly of representatives from Covington’s neighborhood associations. Covington has 19 neighborhoods with different histories.
JT Spence, chair of the summit and the collaborative, said this was the “third summit this century,” though the last one was a decade ago.
Throughout the day, panelists discussed affordability, transportation and mobility, urban gardening and public art in the city. Affordability and safety were top concerns for residents.
Resident Kelly Robinson was particularly concerned of the lack of walkability in her neighborhood and affordable housing.
“I think that's like the basis for where you live,” Robinson said. “Your home, and then feeling like you can afford it, feeling like it's safe. Then your access to the amenities in your city and in your neighborhood.”
Robinson lives on the edge of Covington, near Fort Wright. She doesn’t walk in her neighborhood because there’s no sidewalks, so she doesn’t feel safe.
Pamela Mullins lives on the opposite side of Covington, the Eastside, which has been heavily impacted by ongoing bridge constructions. While they have sidewalks, safety is still a concern.
“Because of the level of the traffic, to me the safety has gone down and it's not as walkable as it used to be,” Mullins said.
Wilson Mejia also has transportation concerns. He lives on the western side of Covington and recognizes how the city benefits greatly from Transportation Authority of Northern Kentucky buses routes in the region. But with funding issues threatening bus lane closers or changes, he is concerned.
“I'm trying to see or learn how that's going to affect the residents here in Covington, especially those that cannot afford having a car and rely on public transportation,” Mejia said.
What makes a livable city?
According to Mike Squire, it takes a general feeling of belonging and civic engagement to build a livable city. Squire is the community engagement division manager for the city of Dayton, Ohio, and was the summit’s keynote speaker. He said in Covington, the architecture, roads and aesthetics are good; but relationships, shared ownership and general trust in leadership distinguishes a truly livable city.
“You need to make people feel like they matter where they are,” Squire said.
Dayton has 65 neighborhoods. The city has one of the few dedicated divisions of community engagement in the country, with eight total full time staff.
“There’s a difference between input and engagement,” Squire said. “Engagement implies a deeper connection.”
Panelists from different cities outside of Covington shared ideas they have implemented in their cities. Residents took note of specific strategies that work in other regions they could ask city leaders to implement.
Melissa McVay works in pedestrian safety in Cincinnati. She spoke about different types of speed bumps and elevated sidewalks they’ve tested in Cincinnati — with cost and traffic data.
“We’re finding a lot of new tools that are working and we are starting to see results,” McVay said.
And housing affordability was a frequent topic, too. About one-third of Covington households are using more than one-third of their paycheck to pay for housing, said Jeremy Wallace, the city’s Manager of Community Development. Around 15% use more than half their paycheck for housing.
“We’re aggressively trying to sell city-owned property,” Wallace said, sharing different strategies to make housing more affordable.
Beyond the summit
The summit is meant to be the first step for those who are not already involved in their neighborhood associations. Organizers received a $5,000 grant to launch a “Community Conversations” program to keep outreach going beyond this weekend.
The program will host conversations and future meetings, while maintaining a constant “front door” approach for community members to reach out to officials.
Those in attendance were encouraged to keep participating in their local associations throughout the day. Robinson and Mejia had both not attended any neighborhood meetings, but heard a lot about this summit beforehand. They keep showing up to meetings in the future.
“The city sends out a lot of great information, so it was just figuring out how to access that information,” Robinson said.
Mullins said she felt confident the city would keep communication open. As a member of her neighborhood association, she is hoping to push the tools shared by regional experts.
“A livable city is one where the residents can come together,” Mullins said. “And agree on the parts that are necessary.”
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