Placemaking: What It Is & How To Execute It

Placemaking is the process of creating quality environments that people want to work, live, and play in. Start with this article, it is definitely worth a read and will give you a lot of insight about what placemaking is and how to execute it in your community.

We'd like to also share the work of Better Block, who works to change the world block by block. Better Block makes it easy for you to experiment by providing a library of designs ready to be CNC cut and put together. Designs of furniture, games, curb bump outs, stencils, bike racks, edge barriers, market kiosks, planers, and even an entire parklet -- all for free! There are also local Duluth businesses that could cut the designs for you, including doing it yourself at the local Maker's Space.

There is also the Strong Towns approach, which is about valuing resiliency over efficiency and embracing a process of continuous adaptation. It includes emphasis on taking incremental steps and iterating based on lessons learned instead of betting on huge irreversible projects. The website has articles, podcasts, courses, and more to check out.

There is also a fantastic book to check out by Strong Towns, titled Strong Towns: A Bottom-up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity by Charles L. Marohn, Jr.

To read about some examples of Placemaking, visit this project gallery. By executing Placemaking with your business and on your block, you can work towards creating better communities that people are excited to be a part of.