TNJ Vibrant Places Program
Through funding from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), the Vibrant Places Program (Local Technical Assistance) leverages the power of placemaking to strengthen connections between people and places that enhance the social, physical, and economic fabric in communities across the region. Placemaking is the application of community planning that integrates arts, culture, and other community assets to attract new investment and strengthen the local economy. It is a sustainable form of economic development that links job creation to specific places by enhancing public spaces, streets, and other community amenities. TNJ supports and advances placemaking projects with a focus on disadvantaged communities and diverse stakeholders.
TNJ is working with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to bring additional expertise and resources to the Vibrant Places Program from the Local Planning Services/Main Street New Jersey team. Projects selected for technical assistance may receive this additional support in the form of subject matter expertise, staff time, and/or market analysis.
The application period for the Vibrant Places Program is currently closed. Please check back again in August 2024 for the application for FY25.
For questions, please contact Miriam Salerno at miriam.salerno@ejb.rutgers.edu
Because of the broad nature of the TNJ Plan, projects funded by this program cover a wide range of types and topic areas. Projects funded in the past include:
City of Paterson Pocket Parks
The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s (NJTPA) Vibrant Places Program, in collaboration with the Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC), will be working with the City of Paterson and the County of Passaic to connect green spaces and create a sense of place along South Paterson’s commercial district. The team will work with two underutilized parks to better support nearby businesses and enhance the natural environment for residents. Designs will draw upon community input gathered through in-person pop-up events, visioning sessions, and stakeholder engagement. The team will compile ideas into final designs which can be used by the county and city to pursue future funding for implementation.
The New Brunswick Underpass Vision Plan
North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s (NJTPA) Vibrant Places Program, in collaboration with the Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC), will be working with coLAB Arts to develop a placemaking plan to revitalize the network of underpasses that connect two communities: downtown New Brunswick and the Esperanza Neighborhood. With the support of local partners, including the Esperanza Neighborhood Project, the study will develop strategies to enhance the Amtrak rail underpasses, transforming them into welcoming gateways that create a sense of place and civic pride. These community-driven improvements aim to strengthen physical and social connections through enhanced street design, public art, and engaging programming initiatives. By fostering connectivity, the project offers opportunities for economic growth, cultural exchange, and active transportation improvements that drive progress and support the vitality of its existing communities. The vision plan will be used to inform future improvements and guide implementation funding that bridges a neighborhood gap and creates a safer and more unified environment for all its community members.
NJTPA, in collaboration with the Borough of Prospect Park, Passaic County developed a vision plan for the North 8th Street corridor into the Borough’s center of community activities. The Vision Plan outlines the strategies to transform North 8th Street into a pedestrian-friendly and economically vibrant neighborhood that meets the community’s needs. The Vision Plan will further the Borough’s goals of establishing a mixed-use, inclusive village corridor and improving quality of life and community pride. Project partners include the County of Passaic and New Hope Community Ministries.
Springwood Avenue Heritage Walk – Asbury Park
Through this project, Vibrant Places Program creating a virtual cultural heritage walk along Springwood Avenue in The West Side of the City of Asbury Park. The purpose of this project is to assist with enhancing and showcasing the West Side’s identity and cultural history, especially the local, vibrant Black History of the area. The project team will assist with curating content for the walk, planning the location of sites, and public participation and engagement. Project partners include the nonprofit Interfaith Neighbors, the City of Asbury Park, Asbury Park African-American Music Project (AP-AMP), Westside Citizens United (WSCU), Asbury Park Museum and the Asbury Park Historical Society, and the Communications Department of Monmouth University. Visit the Hertiage Walk here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/61597715713048ecae8743cbfa208476
Together North Jersey (TNJ), with support from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, worked to support the City of Lambertville in developing a walking tour and Storymap called Flowing Together. The AR walking tour includes visualizations to depict the impacts of climate change and flooding events on the City of Lambertville from a historic and future-oriented perspective. The StoryMap tells the story of the Lambertville community, their life in a flood plain, and their resiliency in the light of climate change. The content includes photographic renderings, videos, interviews, and other multimedia experiences brought to the participant via mobile phone integration or ArcGIS StoryMaps. This study aimed to raise awareness of local ecological connections and to activate community involvement in the process of resiliency planning.
TNJ’s Vibrant Places Program, with support from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, worked with the Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA) to develop a strategic vision plan for the Village of Asbury. This plan includes community outreach and engagement strategies to help inform placemaking and transportation planning recommendations to improve the quality of life for residents. The vision plan guides the Village in creating a pedestrian-oriented sense of place that attracts visitors and businesses and leverages the watershed’s many historic, cultural, and natural assets.
The TNJ LTA Program worked with the Town of Dover to create a Downtown Dover Visitor’s Guide and develop economic revitalization strategies for the downtown area. TNJ collaborated with a resident advisory committee, the town historian, a graphic designer, and a photographer to create content for the guide that reflects the town’s diversity and rich history. The completed visitor’s guide describes Downtown Dover’s history, businesses, parks, attractions, and amenities in sections like “Dining in Dover,” “Dover: Morris County’s Melting Pot,” and “Theaters of Dover.” In addition to developing the visitor’s guide, the project team interfaced with residents and local business owners via a survey and one-on-one interviews to identify economic revitalization strategies for the downtown area. TNJ identified three key steps for revitalizing Downtown Dover: (1) plan simple and low-cost public events and activities; (2) beautify the downtown area with quick and simple improvements like wayfinding signage, street plantings and environmental lighting; and (3) provide more support to local business owners by engaging with them directly via phone calls or one-on-one visits.
VTC assisted the City of Passaic in advancing the Passaic Bistro District on Market Street in the City of Passaic by assisting business and restaurant owners in understanding the benefits and essential elements of parklets, formalizing the Market Street Task Force Committee, developing customized promotional material to brand the Passaic Bistro District and designing and producing the Passaic Bistro District Restaurant Guide. The VTC team also designed and launched a Passaic Bistro District Walking Tour to promote the shopping and dining establishments and created a marketing and promotion plan for the City to continue promoting the area.
VTC assisted the Urban Essex Coalition in designing a temporary creative lighting display for installation in NJ TRANSIT rail viaduct underpasses along the Morris & Essex commuter rail line. VTC worked with Rutgers University lighting design students to design the low-cost temporary display and facilitated meetings with stakeholders from the host city, arts and culture organizations, and NJ TRANSIT. The project helped lay the groundwork for the coalition’s efforts to work with NJ TRANSIT to carry out creative placemaking efforts at rail stations throughout the corridor.
VTC and Civic Eye Collaborative provided the Edison Greenway Group and Middlesex County Department of Parks and Recreation with technical assistance in the area of graphic design and facilitation in order to develop logos for use in wayfinding signage for the Middlesex Greenway. This work included a variety of custom logo designs for the Middlesex Greenway, using the Middlesex County branding and themes; a short video highlighting the need for improved signage along the Middlesex Greenway and examples of signage used in other greenways and parks around New Jersey; and a technical memo on current standards of practice for wayfinding, trail signs and other signage.
VTC facilitated a stakeholder-driven process to reimagine the New Brunswick Ciclovia open streets program as an improved, financially sustainable initiative. VTC conducted case example research, program partner interviews, and a half-day stakeholder workshop. The effort resulted in a report with recommendations for increasing and broadening participation, securing funding, enhancing program activities, and effectively transitioning the program from non-profit to city leadership.
