Building the creative placemaking field: NCCP 2016 accomplishments and 2017 initiatives

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking accomplished a lot in 2016 to help build the field of creative placemaking. We are planning to do even more in 2017

2016 accomplishments:

Yarn It project in Glassboro. Courtesy of Mary Salvante

• Promoted and taught creative placemaking to arts organization leaders and public officials in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.
• Helped nearly 300 people learn how creative placemaking can enhance social equity and public health through the Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit and Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchange.
• Also through the Knowledge Exchange, provided opportunities for innovative thinkers and researchers to share new ideas and success stories.
• Boosted creative placemaking in Perth Amboy, NJ by helping the city win a statewide award for its creative placemaking plan.
• Helped Glassboro, NJ and Hackensack, NJ adopt creative placemaking strategies to enhance their downtowns and build stronger connections among stakeholders.
• Helped PlanSmart NJ win a two-year National Endowment of the Arts grant to build a creative placemaker community in New Jersey.
• Provided Hackensack, NJ and Englewood, NJ free landscape architecture design services by teaching a studio class at Rutgers University.
• Through our leadership in and partnerships with Sustainable Jersey, created incentives for more New Jersey communities to adopt policies that support the arts.
• Started new partnerships for creative placemaking with more influential organizations, such as:  Atlantic Health System, Creative Start Ups, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Montclair State University, New Hampshire Institute of Art, New Jersey Community Capital, South Arts, Support Center of New York and New Jersey, University of Denver, Shelterforce, Next City and more than 10 state arts agencies.
• Provided eight free webinars to help introduce creative placemakers to more useful issues and ideas.
• Through the American Planning Association's PAS Memo series, published a creative placemaking guide for urban planners.
• Helped several clients and potential clients make stronger arguments and pursue funding for creative placemaking.
• Completed a fourth year of the Certificate in Creative Placemaking program.

For 2017:

Sharing ideas at the 2016 Creative Placemaking Leadership
Summit. Image: Leonardo Vazquez

• Creative Placemaking Leadership Summits in the southeastern United States, Denver and West Virginia.
• A Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit in Newark, NJ on May 5 that focuses on lasting creative placemaking, social equity and partnerships.
• Creative Placemaking Knowledge Exchanges in the Southeast and Southwest.
• A series of workshops in New Jersey and New York to help you develop your leadership skills, beginning in January with Building Teams and Public Support for Creative Placemaking.  The first one: Building Teams for Creative Placemaking, March 21 in New York City.
• A new and improved Certificate in Creative Placemaking program.
• A new NCCP membership program that will provide special benefits and additional resources for creative placemaking.
• More, to be announced soon.