The Power of Placemaking
Learn about our new partnership with Happy Cities and register for a Sense-Making Session today!
The Power of Placemaking aims to explore the role that placemaking plays in fostering social connection and community wellbeing. Inspired by the efforts of HCI projects over the last three years, this partnership moves beyond numbers to build the case for community-driven placemaking support beyond the pandemic.
In May, the Healthy Communities Initiative co-hosted a Mobilizer session with Happy Cities entitled, Placemaking: What Is It and Why Does It Matter? In this conversation between Mitchell Reardon and three placemaking practitioners from across the country, we collectively dug-in to questions such as: What have we learned about the benefits of placemaking and public space engagement over the last three years? How might we communicate the hidden benefits of these community-driven interventions beyond just numbers? How can we build support for these projects by amplifying their potential outside of COVID-19 emergency funding?
Building on this initial conversation, The Power of Placemaking is a partnership between Happy Cities and the Healthy Communities Initiative to explore the role that placemaking and public space interventions can play in supporting social connection and community wellbeing well into the future..
Happy Cities is an urban planning and design consultancy specializing in placemaking. At Happy Cities, the team strives to learn and play across disciplines—turning evidence into action for happier, healthier, and more inclusive communities.
The Power of Placemaking involves eight sense-making sessions held over the course of the next four months. Similar to our Small Group Discussions, these sense-making sessions will include different levels of placemaking practitioners and stakeholders who have been a part of shaping a community response to the pandemic. They are an opportunity to reflect with fellow practitioners on the impacts of your efforts and initiatives, while gaining greater insight into the interwoven relationships between place, community, and wellbeing.
Sense-making sessions will take place on Zoom between the hours of 1:00 – 2:30pm ET / 10:00 – 11:30am PT on the following dates:
Read on for more detailed descriptions and to register for a session today!
Session 1: Building the case for placemaking
Tuesday, June 27 from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. PT
This foundational session will cover the impacts and value of placemaking initiatives. We will discuss the role of placemaking in communities and its importance across a variety of settings. This general placemaking session will guide conversations on the value of various types of placemaking, through storytelling and experience sharing from people who have been involved in placemaking projects. We will discuss the case for placemaking and the role it plays in social connection and wellbeing.
Session 2: Digital community building
Wednesday, June 28 from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. PT
This session will cover digital community building, digital access and inclusion, and library initiatives. We will discuss the role of digital and hybrid placemaking and some of the successes and challenges facing placemaking in the digital realm. We will discuss placemaking in the digital realm and the role it plays in social connection and wellbeing.
Session 3: Placemaking with city staff
Wednesday, July 12 from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. PT
This session will be geared towards staff of municipalities as we cover placemaking and city staff. We will invite staff to share their experiences with placemaking initiatives, and discuss some of the successes and challenges they face in supporting placemaking projects. We will discuss the importance of placemaking with city staff and the role it plays in social connection and wellbeing.
Thursday, July 20 from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. PT
This session will cover urban activation events, such as markets, festivals, open streets, and art murals. It will also include conversation around activating transportation, community hubs, and community equity. We will discuss how urban activation events are valuable to communities and how placemaking through activation events impacts communities. We will discuss placemaking activations and the role they play in social connection and wellbeing.
Session 5: Placemaking with funders
Thursday, July 27 from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. PT
This session will invite potential funders to discuss their goals and interests in supporting placemaking projects. During the session, we will explore what questions funders have around placemaking, and what they need in order to support these projects. Further, we will identify key challenges and barriers they face in funding placemaking projects. We will discuss the importance of placemaking funding in supporting social connection and wellbeing.
Session 6: Placemaking in small towns and rural communities
Wednesday, August 16 from from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. PT
This session will cover placemaking in small towns and rural communities. We will discuss the impacts of placemaking in these communities and its importance. During the session we will explore the role placemaking plays in small towns and rural communities. We will discuss placemaking within small towns and rural communities and the role it plays in social connection and wellbeing.
Session 7: La puissance du placemaking (French-language session)
Tuesday, September 19 from 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT
This foundational session will cover the impacts and value of placemaking initiatives in French. We will discuss the role of placemaking in French-speaking communities and its importance across a variety of settings. This session will include conversations on the value of various types of placemaking, through storytelling and experience sharing from people who have been involved in placemaking projects. We will discuss the importance of placemaking in supporting social connection and wellbeing. This session will take place in French with no English translation.
Session 8: Placemaking for all ages
Thursday, September 14 from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. PT
This session will focus on the impacts of placemaking for all ages—and specifically children, youth and seniors. We will discuss the challenges and opportunities of working with these age groups. Various types of placemaking initiatives may include co-created youth art projects, playgrounds, senior mobility programs, and more. We will also reflect on the role that placemaking plays in building social connection and wellbeing among different age groups.
If you have any questions about the Power of Placemaking or upcoming sense-making sessions, feel free to reach out to us at healthycommunities@canurb.org
