Leslie County is part of the Kentucky River Area Development District (KRADD) and is associated with the Daniel Boone Tourism Region. The county’s economy has traditionally been dependent on coal mining and timber harvesting due to its geological characteristics and geographic location in the Cumberland Plateau. The US Forest Service’s Daniel Boone National Forest Redbird District and several wildlife management areas (WMA) cover the western half of the county. The Middle Fork of the Kentucky River flows through Hyden, the county seat, which is located in close proximity to other recreational resources such as Kentucky State Parks’ Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park, among others. Leslie County is the birthplace of the Frontier Nursing Service established in 1925 by Mary Breckinridge. Leslie County’s population from the 2010 Census was near its historical low with around 11,310 people. 

In Fall 2019, the University of Kentucky, Department of Landscape Architecture (UKLA) students enrolled in LA 324 Landscape Architecture Design Studio IV: Community Engagement and Design, partnered with members from the Leslie County Community Foundation, Chamber of Commerce, and Trail Committee among others who envision revitalizing Hyden, particularly the downtown public spaces, to be the heart of their community. The community group is a partner in the Promise Zone Downtown Revitalization program which was awarded an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) initiative grant (2017-2019) to address economic development needs in distressed communities in the Appalachian Region of southeast Kentucky. 

During a 15-week period, UKLA students researched, analyzed, planned, designed, and presented placemaking design proposals focused on public space enhancements throughout the county and particularly in downtown Hyden. The students also formally assessed engagement techniques and organized and facilitated a design workshop with community stakeholders during the information gathering process and later also conducted an online survey. Based on research and community voices, UKLA supported and complemented the community’s revitalization efforts to enhance Hyden’s public spaces and quality of life. Students developed and presented four sets of proposals to community members and professionals. The proposals were comprised of county-wide, city-wide, and downtown conceptual plans, including focus area designs. The planning and design proposals addressed small to large-scale and short to long-term goals and objectives such as ways to enhance streetscapes, improve public access to the river, develop trail systems and provide for a farmers market, as well as increase recreational opportunities and social gathering opportunities near the downtown as part of a strong network of corridors in and around Hyden. This year, students prepared their visuals and presented them through virtual reality (VR) technology with the goal to help the public better grasp the designs in a 3-dimension layout. 

In the short-term, the outcomes from this service-learning project have already been utilized with volunteers implementing community gardens in the city park. The community is also utilizing its mini-grant from the Promise Zone Downtown Revitalization program to obtain and place public art sculptures in town. In the long-term, the UKLA design proposals are providing a foundation to support downtown revitalization and further community engagement endeavors to enhance placemaking efforts for not only Hyden but also throughout Leslie County.