A team of University of Central Arkansas (UCA) students created a commercial for the Park Hill neighborhood in North Little Rock aimed to attract new residents and businesses to the community. UCA’s Center for Community and Economic Development (the Center) connected Park Hill and the students after the creation of a business outreach and climate survey and report that evaluated successes and areas for improvement in the Park Hill community.
The final report outlined steps that community leaders could take to create a better business environment in Park Hill which resulted in the opportunity for students enrolled in Li Zeng’s service-learning courses to help the neighborhood with their community and economic development efforts. The UCA graphic design students identified a commercial as an opportunity for the community to support current businesses, attract new businesses and promote the area to potential residents and tourists.
Li Zeng, assistant professor in the UCA Art Department, said, “Park Hill was first introduced into the Design Think-a-thon program last year. Over the course of a year, my students worked with Jenna Rhodes, a Park Hill representative, and other residents in the community to develop the commercial.”
Zeng went on to say, “The relationships the Center establishes with communities like Park Hill allows students to gain real world experiences through their service-learning courses while also contributing to local communities.”
The Park Hill commercial premiered in February and will be utilized in a variety of ways by the city of North Little Rock and the Park Hill neighborhood to assist in the attraction of new business investments and potential citizens.
To view the commercial visit vimeo.com/202548914
Pictured above: Park Hill was first connected to UCA students through a Design Think-a-thon. Students from all over the state competed in the challenge and the winning organization/community (Park Hill) received follow up assistance from Li Zeng’s graphic design service learning class. The group with the winning presentation included (from left to right): Josh Dover, Austin Sandy and Jones McConnell.