This will be the first of a three-part series of workshops leading the use of Creative Placemaking – aka Arts Based Placemaking – to foster economic benefits in a community. This first session introduces the overarching Placemaking process to set the table for Workshops #2 and #3, which will introduce Creative Placemaking, which is the process of using the arts and other cultural activities as the foundation for your Placemaking program. Workshops #2 and #3 will take place in the late summer to early fall.
Placemaking is both an overarching idea and a hands-on approach for improving a neighborhood, city, street corridor or region. This workshop will show how Placemaking can be used by communities to engage residents, businesses, visitors, government and other stakeholders to develop strategies for creating exciting vibrant places that promote local growth and prosperity. The ultimate success of Placemaking depends on the collaboration between all the stakeholders to develop broad-based plans and strategies, and the local support needed to implement them. The workshop will include speakers who are experts at Placemaking strategies, and local community leaders from northern New Jersey to explain how they initiated these efforts in their communities.
Finally, this session will share how to implement Lighter Quicker Cheaper solutions that don’t cost a lot of money and can begin to make small changes quickly. This overcomes planning fatigue, allows communities to test changes in experimental and reversible ways, and creates a sense of empowerment in citizens that they can actually make things happen. When done correctly, costly and time consuming delays created by having to sell the expert solutions to the public are avoided. Likewise, varying opinions of the stakeholders are managed throughout the process.
Workshop Program
8:30 to 9:00 Registration
9:00 to 9:15 Welcome – Zenobia Fields
9:15 to 9:45 Introductions and Overview – Gary Toth/Laura Torchio
9:45 to 10:45 Introduction to Placemaking – Streets as Places; Thinking Beyond the Station; Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper – Gary Toth/Laura Torchio
10:45 to 11:00 Break
11:00 to 11:30 Placemapping Exercise – Gary Toth/Laura Torchio
11:30 to 1:00 Session with Local Officials and Their Experiences – peer to peer exchange moderated by Gary Toth/Laura Torchio
- Valley Arts District, Orange/West Orange
- Middlesex County – Rahway to Woodbridge Center
- MoCo – Monmouth County Arts
- Open Discussion
Workshop Presentation