Our definition of placemaking may be a little more community centered than author Juanita Hardy’s at the onset of her article in the Urban Land Institute: Growing Value through Creative Placemaking, but the ultimate conclusions are quite aligned with ours!
Hardy evaluates Placemaking through the lens of a 2010 paper by Anne Markusen and Gadwa Nicodemus entitled “Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local business viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to celebrate, inspire and be inspired.”
Hardy illustrates successful placemaking efforts throughout the country from Washington, DC to San Francisco, and details the lessons learned from Markusen and Nicodemus’ work. She points out that there are four essential tasks for a successful project:
- Build cross-sector partnerships
- Mine community assets and honor the uniqueness of the place
- Explore creative financing
- Seek equit and inclusiveness in project implementation
Hardy’s audience is geared more towards planners, architects and developers, (naturally given the source on the ULI site). And while making the business case for placemaking she points out some very real benefits for the more market driven actors in neighborhoods. Benefits such as; lower development costs, higher project value and enhanced branding and market recognition. All points worthy of noting when bringing banks, developers and city officials in on placemaking projects!
The article and research are worth the read if you’ll be making a case for placemaking to anyone; your neighbors, local businesses, developers, or potential funders.
Root + Branch 