"There's real data that the improved park that's heavily used is safer, and the areas around it are safer," DiBerardinis said. "Then there's the harder-to-define lift that a place like this gives a neighborhood. People are working together, getting to know one another, feeling more engaged in their community and more willing to give and volunteer. There are a number of things that I think I know in my soul. . . . I know it's real, I know it happens."