Christian believes in involving residents in shaping public spaces and leveraging public investment to get projects completed. She launched West Side Grows in [insert year]--building a coalition of residents and not-for-profits and leading an inclusive strategic planning process where that coalition identified park revitalization as a key priority.

Christian and her team engaged the City, residents and partners to look at examples around the region and launched a resident-led model that invited families and kids to help redesign their local parks. She also worked to leverage funds from [insert info here] sources to make those designs a reality.  The model saw the completion of Connell St., Fourth St, Tilton, and Cool Spring parks during her tenure at WSGT, and the model was carried forward to bring a and b parks to completion.

In 2022, her neighborhood faced loss of the Rodney Reservoir, a a cherished greenspace and home to Wilmington's largest community garden. She organized with her neighbors as Green for the Greater Good to keep the site public safe and green, and to follow a resident-driven vision for the future of the site.

This approach ended up getting a better result for everyone. Involving more folks allowed for a broader discussion about how parks can contribute to climate resilience and the health and wellness of our communities, and environmental justice issues.

The community came up with a vision for a nature- and community-focused park accessible to all. And the park that the community helped design is slated to open in the Spring of 2025. Now the community is working on a vision for programming that will connect residents to the site and promote healthy lifestyles and environmental stewardship, including by providing access to nature and new educational opportunities for children, youth and adults.

As a Council Member, Christian would like to continue to work and expand this model of community engagement plus leveraging state and federal resources to identify, plan, and implement projects that benefit the neighborhoods of the 5th District, particularly in the Hilltop and West Center City neighborhoods.