{"id":30904,"date":"2024-03-27T14:30:14","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T18:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=30904"},"modified":"2024-06-11T09:37:40","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T13:37:40","slug":"a-more-accessible-greenville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/a-more-accessible-greenville\/","title":{"rendered":"A More Accessible Greenville"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lindsay

Lindsay Cribbs \u201924 \/ Courtesy Photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Crossing the street without fear of injury or death. Comfortably walking to a bus stop. And ultimately? Simply getting to the grocery store or your job.<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, Furman students have worked to help make these seemingly simple but essential acts possible for thousands of people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Greenlink, Greenville\u2019s public transit system, has hosted student fellows from Furman to assist with collecting and mapping field data that its staff did not have the capacity to gather.<\/span><\/p>\n

The students\u2019 work has made a difference. This data has informed decision-making processes, prioritization analyses and grant applications. And Furman students, in turn, have developed critical thinking, new skills and processes, and empathy for those who do not own personal vehicles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGreenlink also prides itself on the fellowship program experience it provides <\/span>to students,\u201d said Kayleigh Cleek, transit planning manager. \u201cGreenlink staff cultivates a personalized experience for each individual \u2013 connecting them with community leaders, facility tours and relevant public engagement opportunities while ensuring access to pertinent training and workshops throughout their fellowship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The relationship ensures that fellows walk away with connections, resources and final work products to assist with their future professional endeavors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Loise

Loise Aleria \u201922 \/ Courtesy Photo<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe are continually impressed with the students\u2019 dedication and work ethic and look forward to future partnership opportunities,\u201d Cleek added.<\/span><\/p>\n

A New Lens<\/b><\/p>\n

Zane Newell \u201924, a sustainability science and Spanish double major, was The Shi Institute <\/span>for Sustainable Communities\u2019 Public Transit and Pedestrian Connectivity Fellow interning for Greenlink.<\/span><\/p>\n

The internship hit closer to home when Newell realized that without Greenlink, many Furman staff members wouldn\u2019t have a way to get to work. His inventory of sidewalk conditions and connectivity revealed large swaths of roadways where sidewalks <\/span>don\u2019t exist at all, such as along Poinsett Highway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the main way staff are coming into Furman,\u201d he said. Newell, who plans to enroll in a master\u2019s program to study urban planning, said the study allowed him to view Greenville through an entirely new lens while sharpening his data collection and manipulation skills using mapping software. From start to finish, he designed what data would be collected, how it would be collected, and the way it would be synthesized and presented.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 10 weeks, Newell:<\/span><\/p>\n