Projects 

The Northside Alive logo was developed in 2022 by Alloy5 in collaboration with Community Action
Lehigh Valley, Community Action Development Corp. Bethlehem, the City of Bethlehem and many neighbors, business owners, parents, children, volunteers and supporters. 

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The Northside Alive brand is inspired by the community itself. Research included an examination of city maps and observational walks of the neighborhood to better understand the street grid. Red, blue, gold and navy. Northside Alive colors are inspired by the neighborhood’s two elementary schools: Thomas Jefferson and William Penn.

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Look around your local shops and neighborhood eateries for the Northside Alive logo and be sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date on news, information, meetups and updates.

In an effort to highlight the brand and bring attentions to our business corridor we invested in 30 pole banners to line the streets! These banners were installed spring 2023 and bring new life to the streetscape along Broad & Linden. 

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Look around your local shops and neighborhood eateries for the Northside Alive logo!

One major asset to the Northside is the walkable neighborhoods. 

 

The Northside Alive Safe & Vibrant committee with assistance from the City of Bethlehem reviewed the plan and choose to focus on improving safe crossing at some challenging intersections.

 

The committee identified four major intersections that would benefit from additional pedestrian safety elements. 

 

N. New & E. Fairview, Maple & E. North, Linden &  E. North 

 

The City of Bethlehem supported the installation of painted bump outs in Spring of 2023 to assist pedestrians in safe crossing. 

We continue to make difficult intersections more visible to motorist. One way we are doing this is with the addition of in-street pedestrian signs. 

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These signs are designed to remind motorists of Pennsylvania law requiring the operator of a vehicle to yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing a roadway. These devices are designed to be placed in the center of the roadway in advance of marked crosswalks.  These portable, free-standing signs are placed directly on the double yellow paint line within the driver’s line of sight and withstand quite a few bumps over time. 

 

We will continue to work with the City to monitor these signs and replace them as needed. 

One major asset to the Northside is the walkable neighborhoods. 

 

The Northside Alive Safe & Vibrant committee along with our Community Development & Neighborhood Branding committee came up with the idea of adding custom Northside Alive bike hoops to the area. The team worked together with CAT- Coalition for Appropriate Transportation to determine what locations and styles were would be most helpful to the area.

 

Community members will find 12 new bike parking spaces have been installed near local shops in the neighborhood. You can find a complete list of bike parking available here. 

 

For more information on bike parking, group rides & staying safe while riding visit https://www.lvcat.org 

We are lucky to have several public parks within the Northside Alive community. 

 

In 2023, the Northside Alive committees agreed to purchase two free little libraries for neighborhood parks. In spring 2024, the libraries were installed and quickly filled with donated books.

 

Elmwood Park and Johnston Park, situated along the Monocacy Creek, now have free little libraries where residents can take or leave books. 

Friendship Park sits at the core of the Northside Alive neighborhood.

 

Formerly known as Tank Park, it is beloved by long-time residents. But it has lost some of its community feel in recent years. In 2022 Mahan Rykiel Associates Inc. was hired to gathering public feedback to develop a master plan for this park.

 

The new Friendship Park plan was developed in concert with the community. We learned how our community currently uses the park, how it can be improved and what you'd like to see in the new design. That feedback was incorporated into this design for a reimagined Friendship Park.

 

We are currently moving into the final design and engineering phase of the project and applying for funding. 

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In the meantime, the Safe & Vibrant committee along with the City of Bethlehem Parks & Recreation department will continue to support community programs in Friendship Park while we work behind the scenes on the park improvements. Be sure to check out our events page to see what programs to expect at Friendship Park this year!

This revitalization plan was formally known as Northside 2027. In 2020, the City of Bethlehem completed a tree beautification project. The project consisted of removing dead trees, grinding existing stumps, and the replacement of trees in what is now know as the Northside Alive territory.

 

By 2021 at the end of the project, the city removed 64 dead/declining trees, ground 67 stumps and planted 87 trees. 

There is already a strong sense of community within the northside neighborhoods and a desire to create a more cohesive community. One way Northside Alive will help to maintain & strengthen this valuable asset is with regular community events.

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Northside Alive will host and promote various events where neighbors can meet up, provide feedback, learn about programs & supports or simply enjoy all the area has to offer. 

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Check out our Events page to see a complete list of upcoming activities.