One of the best ways to strengthen neighborhoods and improve community health is by investing in public green spaces. While it might be hard to see a cemetery as being that, they were actually first used very similarly to our current idea of parks - for walking, picnicking, and general respite from the urban environment. The city cemetery in South Bend is special because it was never segregated and thus symbolizes exactly what you want in communities - unity. The City Cemetery Master Plan Project has the opportunity to redefine the cultural perception of cemeteries while through a focused effort to make it an asset to the neighborhood and ultimately showcasing one of the most important historic resources in South Bend.
