“Neighborhood Project”: Silver City, Grand Finale

Listen:  During the two months of the Neighborhood Project, each neighborhood took a turn as my favorite — as we rummaged around for the ideal story, its pieces would snap together immediately, a complete, colorful narrative, nearly readymade. On other occasions, the stories were maddeningly elusive. Oftentimes, the story we wanted to tell seemed so simple, [...]

“Neighborhood Project”: Week Five, Shea Park In Silver City

Listen:  Each time I spent longer than a few minutes in Silver City, somebody would beam about Shea Park, an unexpected pocket park on National Avenue. I heard that it was an emblem of how a neighborhood could work together. I heard the community made it happen. I heard it won plenty of awards. Sounds like [...]

“Neighborhood Project”: Week Four, Investment In Silver City

Listen: Neighborhood investment can take many forms. There’s economic investment — renovating housing stock, building new homes, improving infrastructure, attracting business. Then, there’s time investment — cleanups, block club events, neighborhood association meetings. But, for some folks living in Milwaukee, there’s an even more basic venture that acts as a necessary requisite for those other types [...]

“Neighborhood Project”: Week Three, The School Sisters of Silver City

Listen: In conversations around Silver City, I’ve noticed a clear consensus — the neighborhood would look totally different without the School Sisters of St. Francis. Occupying an entire block, the SSSF not only have a massive physical presence in the area, but also serve their neighborhood with amazing devotion. They are true to their Franciscan mission. [...]

“Neighborhood Project”: Week Two, Silver City’s Silver Lining

Listen: We spent hours in Silver City, walking up and down National Avenue visiting businesses, chatting with folks at diners and on the basketball court, sitting down at dining room tables, and even knocking on a few doors. We asked, “Why do you live in Silver City?” and “Can you tell me about your neighbors?”
To [...]

“Neighborhood Project”: Silver City Audio Tour

Listen: On each neighborhood tour, I’ve been struck by something that I couldn’t believe was hiding somewhere in Milwaukee. Occupying the space between the Mitchell Park Domes and Miller Park, Silver City was full of these  surprises. The top two (for me) were Mekatos, the outrageously tasty Columbian Bakery, and a strip of Vietnamese restaurants on [...]