What is Placemaking?

Placemaking is people coming together and actively working to turn generic public spaces into community places where people can create connections with one another. By using elements such as art, sculpture, benches and plants, and by “activating” spaces by planning human activities, a generic "space" can be turned into a "place" where community gathers, happens and thrives.

Placemaking ideas:

Gardens - turn lawns into beautiful, inviting, changing, and intriguing places.  For info on boulevard garden rules in St. Paul, see: http://www.mppeace.org/downloads
Moveable and useable structures - art work, benches, tables, and signboards.
Changing the scenery - movable and interactive structures, winter snow folk, etc.
Neighborhood events - picnic in the front yard, chalk games on the sidewalk, breakfast on the blvd., etc.
Interactive activities - bucket of chalk, leaf pile for jumping, reading rack, etc.
Informative material - community bulletin board, message board, plant labels, etc. 

Paint the Pavement and Parking

Traffic-calming - Often the worst culprits speeding along residential streets are the same people who live there (or very close by) who forget that they are driving in a neighborhood full of people -- small children, playing children, pets, dog-walkers, bicyclists, individuals, you name it. Street paintings serve to remind drivers that there are people in the area -- people who care enough about one another to paint their street with a beautiful design.  Other unusual visuals and activities -- whether painting on the street, fantastic boulevard gardens, or children chalking sidewalks -- also create cues that tell drivers to slow down and drive more attentively.

Local neighborhood identity - the street painting can create a unique identity for its nearby neighbors, as in “I live two doors south of the Doodlebug intersection” or “Oh, you are one of the people who lives by Prairie Flower intersection!”

Public squares - Public squares used to be very common throughout the world, and function as a community living room (or kitchen, depending on what your family is like)! In these common areas, people may exchange information and goods, meet and make friends, and hold community events.

Crime prevention - Visual elements such as street paintings, well-tended gardens, children’s toys, and benches are cues to “outsiders” that they are in an area where people know and care for one another -- and are likely to keep an eye out on the street and each others’ property. The more people know their neighbors, the more likely they are to look out for one another -- watching houses when someone is on vacation, recognizing unusual activity, etc. 

Examples & More Info

Saint Paul Smart Trips 
Saint Paul, Minnesota
www.smart-trips.org

David Engwicht
David Engwicht is an international expert in traffic calming and community building who has visited St. Paul several times over the years. When he came in 2005, he helped inspire many PtPers and other neighbors with his vision and energy. Learn more about David and his work: www.lesstraffic.com/EmpoyUs/DEstory.htm

City Repair, the original city street mural group: www.cityrepair.org
Project for Public Spaces, a great resource about public spaces: www.pps.org
Traffic Tamers, tools to tame traffic: www.traffictamers.com

Examples of neighborhood street “reclamation”: www.reclaimourstreets.org
Projects to promote less traffic: www.lesstraffic.com
Boulevard gardening in St. Paul (pdf): www.mppeace.org/downloads/boulevard.pdf

Other Paint the Pavement type projects: www.cityrepair.org/wiki.php/communities
Ottawa City Repair, good “how to” information: www.cityrepair.ca

updated on 10/2009