North Main Street in Akron, Ohio. Photo by Susan Ruiz Patton.

The people in North Hill won’t have to imagine what it would be like if their Akron neighborhood was a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly place with lots of shopping, dining and family activities. They’ll get to see and experience it this month.

May 15-17, neighbors, city organizations, businesses, nonprofit groups and the city of Akron will bring both Better Block and Open Streets to North Hill with the support of Knight Foundation.  

Better Block Akron will create a pop-up version of what the North Main Street block at Cuyahoga Falls Avenue would look like if all the storefronts were filled and lots of people showed up to shop and dine there. The “better” version of the block runs 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 15, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17.

Open Streets will close a 2.8-mile section of North Main Street from Downtown Akron up to and including the Better Block area. The street will be open to pedestrians and bicyclists from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 17. Intended to inspire people to get out of their cars and enjoy the neighborhood, Open Streets will also offer lots of family- and pet-friendly activities. Knight Foundation’s support of Downtown Akron Partnership will cover the cost of police presence to close the street for five hours.

Typically, a Better Block event sprouts as a grassroots effort but this one has been embraced by all of Akron, said Tina Ughrin, one of the organizers.

Ughrin rattles off names of organizations and leaders who have come forward with ideas, resources, talent and support for the event. She and her husband, John—self-described neighborhood champions—lobbied for North Hill to be the first in Akron to experience a Better Block event.

Better Block was founded by Jason Roberts of Dallas, who rallied a bunch of friends and neighbors to show how much better their neighborhood could be.

The block selected by Better Block Akron has a number of empty storefronts. The street has four lanes, and although it is not a busily trafficked street, cars that do pass by are often traveling at twice the 25 mph speed limit, said Kyle Kutuchief, Knight Foundation’s Akron program director.

But it’s also home to the place where Alcoholics Anonymous was founded, a People’s Bank office, a popular restaurant—The Office Bistro—and the locally owned Family Groceries.

People’s Bank is sponsoring an open-air market plaza next door. A mini soccer field for 8- to 12-year-olds will be set up on a grassy lot between two other buildings.

Each of the empty storefronts has been cleaned and will be occupied by local businesses just for the event. And while they are considered pop-up stores, it’s possible that some may stay after the weekend is over, Kutuchief said. That actually happened at the first Better Block event in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Roberts explained in his TedxOU talk.

One of the storefronts will be occupied by the International Institute of Akron, which welcomes immigrants to Akron and helps them get settled. Their presence is important because the North Hill neighborhood features a large immigrant population. Those immigrants are playing an important role in North Hill’s success – people such as Naresh Subba, the owner of Family Groceries. A native of Bhutan who came to Ohio as a graduate student, Subba plans to open a little sidewalk stand for the weekend to sell dishes of Chatpatay—a mixture of spicy puffed rice, peas, nuts, onions and garlic.

Through traffic will be open during the first two days of Better Block, one of the lanes will be used for bike lanes, little sidewalk cafes and a bocce ball court, depending on the area.  Sidewalk cafe furniture will be constructed from wooden pallets. Look for a beer garden and a fashion show as well, Ughrin said.

“It shouldn’t feel like a festival,” Ughrin said. “It should feel more like a great summer weekend.”

On Sunday, Open Streets will close North Main Street from Bartges Street in Downtown Akron to Cuyahoga Falls Avenue. The event is free, parking is free, bicycle rentals will be free and even the Akron Metro buses will be free all day, said Brittany Schmoekel, the community event coordinator for the city of Akron.

Led by City Council President Garry Moneypenny, the movement to hold an Open Streets event in Akron started when several city council members experienced the event in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Guadalajara, Mexico, Schmoekel said.

Akron’s event will include a nine-hole miniature golf course, a mobile Akron Zoo, Zumba, Touch-a-Truck and “selfie” photo opportunities on the Y-Bridge. 

“There is a real sense of community when you get that access,” Schmoekel said. “It’s your own urban playground. That’s what we’re hoping to bring to Akron.”

Susan Ruiz Patton is a freelancer writer based in Northeast Ohio. She can be reached via email at [email protected].