The Project for Public Spaces defines Placemaking as,
"... a quiet movement that inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. As both an overarching idea and a hands-on approach for improving a neighborhood, city, or region, Placemaking has the potential to be one of the most transformative ideas of this century."
Placemaking, as I understand it, means utilizing an underused, abandoned, non-functional space and turning it into a destination, a place that you want to spend time in or visit. Things like:
Building a community garden in a vacant lot
Creating a space for gathering in an alley between two buildings by adding seating, shade, a small garden
Create parklets off of bike paths
Adding a mural to the side of a building
An outdoor museum
For other really great ideas, visit the Urban Idea creative placemaking website.
I am really excited about working with the people at the National Association of Realtors, who provide a microgrant of up to $2500 towards placemaking in our local communities. The folks at #teamspringdale posted on their Facebook page asking if any of their friends were Realtors and could help with the implementation of this grant. I jumped at the chance!
I love my job, I love helping people, and assisting them through a process that is sometimes frustrating, stressful, and scary. And I also LOVE the idea that I can help to facilitate Placemaking projects in the communities that we share. After all, when you buy a new home, you are making a committment to a community. And Placemaking will only improve our community!
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