2012 Placemaking Seminar Archive / back to Placemaking Network Committee page ยป
Crowdsourced Placemaking: How to Build an Enthusiastic Community to Attract Investment for Developing Extraordinary Places
January 23, 2012
Speaker: Neil Takemoto, Founder and CEO of CoolTown Beta Communities
Neil Takemoto has a mission that he hopes other people and places will adopt. Here’s how he says it: “You know your city deserves better. You know others do too, a lot of them. You all wonder to yourselves... ‘if only it had a downtown that looked this beautiful and elegant, with these kinds of cool local businesses, with this kind of housing that people could actually afford’... it's time to gather those forward-thinking individuals together as a campaign community and partner with a development and investment team. Only this time, that development and investment team is willing to implement your group's vision once you prove there's a feasible market for it. Welcome to crowdsourced placemaking, and it's already happening in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York.” As for the planning, urban design and architecture professions, it's a return to pedestrian-oriented, human-scaled downtowns centered around activity-filled plazas, but with a contemporary vibe. Why? Because that's what the crowd wants, the 99% that didn't have a say in placemaking in the recent past. This session was hosted via video conferencing.
See the article on Neil's work at Bristol CT, and
View the presentation recording online:
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Placemaking Policy for Gateway Cities
February 27, 2012
Speaker: Benjamin Forman, Research Director, MassINC
Reinventing small, older industrial cities for the 21st century requires sizeable public intervention. But these so-called 'gateway' cities lack the political capital to draw sufficient public investment. Ben Forman described new placemaking policy opportunities around which effective political alliances can be built. The coalition-building strategies, which span a range of policy areas, provide design leaders with new openings to envision a radically different future for these vital urban centers.
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Peaceful Places: Boston
March 26, 2012
Seminar and book signing with Lynn K. Schweikart, author of Peaceful Places Boston
Author Lynn K. Schweikart spoke about her new book, Peaceful Places Boston: 120 Tranquil Sites in the City and Beyond, newly published by Menasha Ridge Press. The fifth in a new series, with each book set in a U.S. metropolis, the Boston edition leads the reader on an unexpected path to secret delights and is a guidebook for everyone who yearns for special and contemplative places amidst the urban hubbub. Lynn has researched over 120 tranquil oases in and around Boston and her book entices us with enchanting walks, historic sites, museums and galleries, outdoor habitats, parks and gardens, quiet tables, spiritual enclaves, inspiring vistas, and urban surprises. In addition to showing some of those places she has identified, Lynn offered her thoughts about the nature of peaceful places and the characteristics that make places contemplative, tranquil, and special. Copies of the book were available for purchase and signing after the seminar, and more than half the audience bought one! Get yours here:
https://www.menasharidge.com/product.php?productid=17031
http://www.amazon.com/Peaceful-Places-Boston-Tranquil-Beyond/dp/0897325427
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Esplanade 2020 - Project Update
April 23, 2012
Speakers: John Shields FAIA, Shields Design
and Sylvia Salas, The Esplanade Association
The Charles River Esplanade ranks among the Commonwealth’s greatest assets. It lies at the center of a network of parks planned by landscape architect Charles Eliot in the 1890s—indeed, he called the Esplanade the system’s “crown jewel.” More than a century later, however, the jewel has lost its sparkle. A lack of resources, deferred maintenance, and extraordinary popularity have degraded the park’s paths, landscape, and beautiful original structures. The Esplanade has been “loved to death.” Although several studies have identified some of the park’s biggest problems, a broad vision for its future has never emerged. Until now.
The Esplanade Association has recently published their Esplanade 2020 Final Report outlining that vision. John and Sylvia Salas offered an update on their efforts to restore and revitalize this jewel, and reviewed the report’s guiding principles and clearly defined objectives for the park's future. They showed a narrated slideshow and distributed a copy of the 99 page 11 x 17 document. Both are wonderful and very well thought out. They show how the integration of Placemaking concerns and principles into the Espalnade Association's approach will transform Boston's waterside park into one of the world's greatest outdoor urban places. The Esplanade Association is to be congratulated for skillfully setting a clear vision. Please view the slideshow and the document by following these links:
Esplande 2020 Presentation:
April 23, 2012
Speakers: John Shields FAIA, Shields Design
and Sylvia Salas, The Esplanade Association
The Charles River Esplanade ranks among the Commonwealth’s greatest assets. It lies at the center of a network of parks planned by landscape architect Charles Eliot in the 1890s—indeed, he called the Esplanade the system’s “crown jewel.” More than a century later, however, the jewel has lost its sparkle. A lack of resources, deferred maintenance, and extraordinary popularity have degraded the park’s paths, landscape, and beautiful original structures. The Esplanade has been “loved to death.” Although several studies have identified some of the park’s biggest problems, a broad vision for its future has never emerged. Until now.
The Esplanade Association has recently published their Esplanade 2020 Final Report outlining that vision. John and Sylvia Salas offered an update on their efforts to restore and revitalize this jewel, and reviewed the report’s guiding principles and clearly defined objectives for the park's future. They showed a narrated slideshow and distributed a copy of the 99 page 11 x 17 document. Both are wonderful and very well thought out. They show how the integration of Placemaking concerns and principles into the Espalnade Association's approach will transform Boston's waterside park into one of the world's greatest outdoor urban places. The Esplanade Association is to be congratulated for skillfully setting a clear vision. Please view the slideshow and the document by following these links:
Esplande 2020 Presentation:
http://esplanadeassociation.org/projects/TheEsplanadeAssociationProjects-Esplanade2020VisionStudy.html#Presentation
Esplanade 2020 Report (PDF):
Esplanade 2020 Report (PDF):
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Briston CT Article-Better! Cities and Towns.pdf | 687.79 KB |
