Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit 2016 a success

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Survey results are in, and show that the vast majority of people who attenCreative Placemaking Leadership Summit 2016 enjoyed the event, learned a lot, and found it useful.

About 150 people attended the daylong conference, which was held March 18 at Rutgers-Newark in
Newark, New Jersey. Participants included elected officials, developers, grantmakers, arts administrators, urban planners, economic development professionals, and artists from as far away as Massachusets, Ohio and South Carolina.

This year's Summit focused on the various meanings of the word 'equity'. There was a panel discussion about creative placemaking in Newark; Jamie Bennett from ArtPlace America and Sharnita C. Johnson (left) from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation explored equity from a grantmaking perspective; and participants could choose from among eight workshops.  The workshops explored a variety of topics, including an overview of creative placemaking, leadership skills, market analysis and real estate development, and social equity.

In an online survey, participants were asked in various ways about their experiences with the Summit. 55 people responded.

• 98% said that they enjoyed the summit
• 91% said they were satisfied with the quality of the speakers
• 89% said that the workshops and peer learning experiences were useful to them
• 80% said they learned a lot, and 55% said they learned more than they expected to
• 75% said that there was a good mix of learning experiences

We also asked respondents "What did or would you tell your colleagues about the Leadership Summit?"  Here are some of the responses:

• "The Summit generated a lot of energy and consisted of big, thoughtful discussions
• It was great being with like-minded people from around the country and in a location which has experienced a lot of neglect but now is rising to the surface in a positive way
• Great networking and learning opportunity
• A bit different than the usual conference, with more time for discussion, networking and creative thought
• For people involved in the arts and community development, the program focused specifically on their needs
• Useful discussions and perspectives for those interested in the intersection of arts/culture and community development
• Great, current, relevant conversations.  
• I told colleagues that the sessions were helpful to a broad range of professions.
• High quality and well thought out event; worth your while
• Small conference with good content and a great chance to network with colleagues on the East Coast.
• I told them that I found out about some interesting metrics for 'gold' for the arts
• I raved about it.
• It was really inspiring
• The sessions were inspiring and helped solidify some organizational ideas.
• I encouraged colleagues to attend... and would definitely do so again.
• That it's very informative and educational, especially if they are new to or just beginning creative placemaking."

The next Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit is being planned for spring 2017.  Keep me updated on the Summit and on NCCP. 

All images courtesy of Jeremiah Cox.