Answering the question, “What is Ward 3?” is deceptively simple.
Ward 3 is a large swath of the City of New Bedford. Its boundaries stretch from the waterfront to the neighboring Town of Dartmouth.
But the real answer strikes at the core of what #NBW3: The Ward 3 Project is all about.
Ward 3 is very residential. Its commercial elements are mostly at the edges of its lines on the map.
At its heart, Ward 3 is its neighborhoods.
The area surrounding Durfee Street and Shawmut Avenue. Along Mt. Pleasant Street. And in the communities of Brickenwood and Presidential Heights. These are all places a large part of New Bedford call “home.”
The common denominator is that, while you may know your next door neighbors, you may not know that folks near Haskell Public Gardens on Shawmut Avenue as well as folks in Presidential Heights all belong to the same ward in the city. And many are pursuing the same common community goals.
Ward 3 lacks a clear identity and common center, reflected in its lack of commercial activity.
So, one big goal of #NBW3 is to give Ward 3 an identity and find ways to bring its neighborhoods together however and whenever possible.
We’ll start neighborhood by neighborhood and focus on its very urban cores – the places mentioned above. It begins with conversation about what sort of community we all envision and how to go about making it happen collectively.
You can help right now. Tell us what makes living in your corner of Ward 3 special. We’ll add it to the community-wide Asset Map we’re creating to kick off The Ward 3 Project.
Remember to “Like” and “Follow” us on Facebook here and feel free to share special moments in your neighborhood with your neighbors. Use the #NBW3 when you post a morning sunrise. Or, share a yard sale, event or news.
Feel free to email us pictures and happenings, too and we’ll share them with #NBW3 followers. Email us at NewBedfordNow@gmail.com.
Post by post, we’ll begin to construct an online center that helps give definition to Ward 3 – or as we like to call it, #NBW3!