People in a neighborhood

Designated ECO Neighborhoods

Get to know Milwaukee's ECO Neighborhoods! ECO partners with neighborhood groups made up of residents and community leaders—known as the ECO Neighborhood Team—for at least one year to facilitate climate actions that support their neighbors in creating a more climate-resilient community. See what they've accomplished.

2018: Lindsay Heights

The Lindsay Heights Neighborhood is a community on Milwaukee's north side named after community activist Bernice Lindsay. Lindsay Heights’ ongoing commitment to sustainability and environmental justice inspired the ECO Neighborhoods Initiative thanks to community partners Walnut Way Conservation Corp., Fondy Food Center, Alice's Garden, and the Social Development Commission.

Part of Lindsay Heights' efforts included creating two pocket parks. The first, award-winning Ezekiel Gillespie Park, features fruit trees, a 1,000-gallon cistern, porous pavement, and rain garden. The second, Fondy Park, offers Fondy Farmers Market and a performance stage. The park includes solar-powered lights, free public Wi-Fi, native prairie, and an underground cistern that stores up to 83,000 gallons of stormwater runoff. A variety of improvements were also made along North Ave. from 11th-22nd St., such as greenscaping, adding trash cans, and building facade improvements.

Highlight: ECO Tour

The culmination of Lindsay Heights’ activities leading up to their ECO Neighborhood designation was the creation of an ECO Tour. This walking tour guides you to different sites around the neighborhood where you can see examples of and learn about solar, local food and climate change adaption. Explore tour stops including Walnut Way Center, Alice's Garden, Fondy Park, and more using the ECO Tour Map.

Lindsay Heights Photo Gallery

Lindsay Heights Videos

In the News

Milwaukee Neighborhood Pushes Toward Climate Resilience, WUWM 89.7 Milwaukee's NPR, May 1, 2020
Lindsay Heights Honored as Milwaukee's First "ECO-Neighborhood" Tour Designation, Milwaukee Independent, April 22, 2019
Milwaukee's First Eco-Neighborhood, Urban Milwaukee, April 18, 2019
Walnut Way Grant to Fund Environmental Projects in Lindsay Heights, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, March 7, 2018

2022: Sherman Park

The Sherman Park Neighborhood is a community of over 32,000 people on Milwaukee's west side and one of the city’s largest neighborhoods. Sherman Park is home to three pocket parks, Metcalfe Park Rising, Scholars Park, and Unity Orchard Park, which offer murals, seating areas, gardens, fruit trees, and stormwater storage. Many of these features were designed and built in collaboration with Sherman Park-based organization The Middle Ground.

The Sherman Park ECO Neighborhood Team's designation activities included sharing energy-saving programs like the Milwaukee Energy Efficiency Program, hosting monthly informational webinars (recordings available online), establishing an annual Earth Day in May event, organizing Arbor Day tree plantings on neighborhood vacant lots, and conducting neighborhood cleanups.

Read the Mayoral Proclamation

Highlight: First Lake-Friendly Neighborhood

Plastic-Free MKE recently designated Sherman Park as its first Lake-Friendly Neighborhood for demonstrating its commitment reducing plastic pollution. Training, educational, and marketing resources are provided to homeowners to build awareness and understanding within the community.