The Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk
2024 Outstanding Community Engagement Award
The Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk, launched in 2023 through the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s Vibrant Places Program (VPP), is a testament to successful community engagement and cultural preservation. Developed with support from NJTPA and Rutgers University’s Public Outreach and Engagement Team (POET), the Heritage Walk highlights the rich legacy of Springwood Avenue, once a vibrant center of Black-owned businesses, music, and community in West Asbury Park. Proposed by Diane Shelton of Interfaith Neighbors, the Walk seeks to honor this historic neighborhood, promoting its stories while inspiring future revitalization.
This interactive website divides Springwood Avenue into thematic blocks, showcasing its heritage through oral histories, audio clips, historic photos, and a StoryMap. Tailored to diverse learning styles, it invites auditory, tactile, and visual engagement, allowing community members to explore at their own pace. Local residents are also encouraged to add their memories, enriching the narrative with personal histories.
The Heritage Walk provides a crucial virtual space where historic businesses, jazz clubs, and community spaces come to life—bridging past vibrancy with current revitalization efforts. The NJTPA and POET team conducted extensive research, including oral histories and archives, to create a virtual “place” that documents over 250 businesses and cultural sites that once thrived along the avenue. To build on this foundation, POET provided guidelines for future physical enhancements along Springwood Avenue, such as banners, signage, and potential historic designation.
This project has set the stage for a revival rooted in community pride and historical continuity.
Explore the Walk: https://tinyurl.com/SpringwoodAveHeritageWalk