Better Neighborhoods,
Block by Block
Better Block Hawaii is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, empowering communities through collaborative placemaking projects.
How We Work
Working together with local partners, we initiate and carry out “light, quick, cheap” placemaking projects to demonstrate urban improvements unique to Hawaii.
We facilitate hands-on projects that empower communities to enact change quickly and effectively.
We create opportunities for communities and individuals to learn from urban planning experts, civic innovators, and architects through workshops and symposiums.
We unite government agencies, neighborhood organizations, small businesses, and local artists to build stronger, more collaborative communities.
What We Do
COMMUNITY FORESTRY
Trees are critical to cooling neighborhoods, cleaning the air, and providing shade and habitat for all living things. These projects support neighborhood efforts to increase and preserve tree canopy.
QUICK-BUILD
Simple interventions can make big improvements to the street-level experience of a neighborhood. They also allow a community to test out an idea before committing to large-scale and permanent improvements.
PARK ACTIVATION
Our public parks are often in need of small, innovative updates to make them more accessible to the communities that surround them. We work to activate public spaces, like parks, to create greater civic engagement.
COMMUNITY GARDENS
Transforming underutilized space into aina—Hawaiian for “land” or literally “that which feeds”—is often easier said than done, but community gardens are highly sought after by many neighborhoods across Hawaii.
Ready To Help?
We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds and experience levels to help us turn ideas for neighborhood improvement into reality. Students, neighborhood residents, planners, architects, the social-media savvy—you all have a role to play in the future of your communities.