Partnered with the City of Carbondale and NeighborWorks NEPA, VIM completed the Carbondale Heart & Soul project, a community-centered decision-making process about the future of Carbondale, PA. Leading the Story Gathering and Listening teams, VIM interviewed dozens of residents about what they love about their community, drawing out a a collective record of values, concerns, and hopes for the future. Everyone could participate in this innovative city planning process, because everyone has an important story to tell.
VIM administered the Forest City Main Street Facade Program, supporting business owners as they upgraded their properties. From 2022 to 2024, 17 projects were completed on Main Street, representing $181K of coordinated private investment. These improvements not only beautified an active, intact downtown area of the Lackawanna Valley, they supported the borough’s Outdoor Town Action Team, who is working to making Forest City a fun and welcoming place for outdoor recreation.
With the Park Equity Accelerator project, VIM helped the City of Scranton create a vision for fair and sustainable park planning. Just one of six cities nationwide chosen to participate in a pilot program, Scranton turned to VIM to conduct sidewalk surveys and convene focus groups that tackled important questions about who felt welcome in the city’s park system. The resultant recommendations and publicly-accessible GIS map will not only help Scranton spend its precious resources better, but make more residents stakeholders in Scranton’s success.
Valley In Motion is leading an effort to increase Community Well-Being across our region, starting with the Connell Park area in South Scranton. By strengthening access to fresh foods, recreation, and health services, VIM is improving the health environment of residents, making healthy living easier. Over two years, VIM organized health fairs that served over 700 people; supported resident advocacy to the City of Scranton, Scranton School District, and Scranton Housing Authority; and created wellness programs, including walking clubs, mindfulness classes, and gardening activities that attracted 450 participants. This work was funded by Sanofi U.S., City of Scranton, The Moses Taylor Foundation, Scranton Area Community Foundation, PPL Foundation, and Wegman’s.
VIM helped the City of Scranton and the Trust for Public Land improve safe and equitable access to the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. VIM organized partners to facilitate data collection on physical and psychological barriers to trail access. The resultant maps help prioritize sidewalk, street crossing, streetscape and visual access improvements to benefit everyone in the community. As Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said about this project: “Safe walking, biking and trail routes allow all members of the community a chance to enjoy the outdoors and get physical and mental health benefits.” The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources funded this work.
Our Stories featured oral histories of six Lackawanna Valley residents. With stories of resilience, innovation, kindness, and community, they help us define why we’re here and what we’re working towards. We can all learn from their experiences.
The Valley Bus Shelters project helped re-imagine bus stops in Lackawanna County. VIM worked with Marywood University architecture students to design shelters that were useful, innovative, and reflective of their communities. We all benefit from attractive and growing public transportation, an essential part of equitable and sustainable communities
The Forest City Trail Town Mural supported the borough’s Outdoor Town initiative to become a fun and welcoming place for outdoor recreation. Muralist Jeff George painted the 1,800 square foot mural on Main Street, visible to hundreds of pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists per day. The mural serves as a backdrop for community events and media announcements. The project was made possible by grants from Honesdale National Bank, Endless Mountains Heritage Region, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pocono Forest & Waters Conservation Landscape, Sordoni Family Foundation, and Scranton Area Community Foundation. Many local individuals and businesses supported the project, including McAndrew Law, Genco Dental, and United Gilsonite Laboratories.
The NEPA Blue Zones Site Assessment looked at planning, analysis, and returns on investment to create a regional environment where healthy choices are easy choices. VIM led a coalition of 15 organizations that convened focus groups involving 150 stakeholders in our schools, workplaces, civic organizations, and government. Funding partners: Geisinger Health Plan, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Lackawanna County, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Moses Taylor Foundation, PPL, and Sanofi U.S.
VIM helped facilitate Community Dialogues during the COVID-19 pandemic, including: Community Amid Coronavirus, Talking About Racism, and the Scranton City Dialogue. Partners: University of Scranton and MLK Commission.
As Heritage Valley Partners, before we were called Valley In Motion:
- Multimodal Street Crossing Project (Partner: Lackawanna Heritage Valley)
- Lackawanna Connector Project, Design Phase (Partner: Lackawanna Heritage Valley)
- Bike Share Accessibility Expansion (Partners: Lackawanna Heritage Valley, NEPA Health Care Foundation, University of Scranton, Geisinger Commonwealth Medical College, Individual Abilities in Motion)
- Bike Share Carbondale (Partners: Lackawanna Heritage Valley, City of Carbondale, Hotel Anthracite, Carbondale YMCA)
- Scranton Half Marathon Pavilion (Partners: Scranton Half Marathon, Lackawanna Heritage Valley, City of Scranton, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, National Park Service, Sanofi Pasteur, Willary Foundation, Peoples Security Charitable Foundation, Lackawanna County, ESSA Bank & Trust Charitable Foundation, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Margaret Briggs Foundation)
- Carbondale Riverwalk (Partners: Lackawanna Heritage Valley, PennDOT, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)
- Scranton Trail Improvements (Partners: Scranton Half Marathon, Scranton Police Department)
- Fell Township Trail Design (Partners: Lackawanna Heritage Valley, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)
- Bike Share Scranton (Partners: Lackawanna Heritage Valley, University of Scranton, Marywood University, Hilton Scranton and Conference Center, Strive Bike Store, Radisson Hotel)
- Nay Aug Avenue Natural Play Area (Partners: Lackawanna Heritage Valley, Willary Foundation, Sanofi Pasteur)