Two nonprofit organizations, Enough Pie and Charleston Moves, are collaborating on a community project called Awakening Motion that will use artwork and infrastructure changes to transform the streets of the Upper Charleston Peninsula area. The Awakening Motion project will work with Bridgeview Village, a low-income community on the Charleston peninsula, where many individuals rely on bus, bike, and foot toaccess many community amenities. While there is no current route for residents to safely travel on by foot or bike, the Awakening Motion project is attempting to temporarily fix this issue by creating a safe and exciting biking and walking environment for the Bridgeview community. Along with creative crosswalks, a Bridgeview bike lane will be installed along Brigade street, crossing Morrison and Meeting street, and leading to a paved path beneath I-26. The bike path will be protected from car traffic using cones and hay bales. This installation will allow access to many amenities like shopping, restaurants, schools, churches, and grocery stores for low income families as well as promoting physical activity. The research project will evaluate whether this temporary bike lane installation project increases walking and biking levels through direct observation. It plan to assess community perceptions through brief surveys that will be conducted at community events associated with Awakening Motion.

During the month of May I will be working with Dr. Morgan Hughey at the College of Charleston. I will be collecting data and analyzing it to determine the health needs of the community and determine if providing this bike lane has a positive effect on the health and amenity access of lower income families in the area. This internship is also related to many topics that have been discussed in class with association to economical sustainability. People who have a lower income seem to fall in a large pool that is hard to get out of. Because the individuals might not have access to many grocery stores they are forced to buy from overpriced gas stations nearby or result to fast food. These habits lead to unhealthy food choices, overweightness, and possibly a number of chronic illnesses. While the bike lane is only temporary for that month, I would love to see a positive outcome with hopes that there is a permanent one.