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DIY Placemaking -- AARP VT 2020 Placemaking Workshop
- 1. DIY how to create LIVABLE, LOVABLE PLACES for $100 or LESS PLACE MAKING
- 4. I WISH my place WAS How to MAKE a place: PLACE = MAKING DOING IT YOURSELF DIY
- 5. STEP 1: IMAGINE. PARK BIKE LANE PLAY FOOD ART DIY PLACEMAKING APPROACH
- 6. STEP 2: THINK. BE SAFE. BE INCLUSIVE. BE CHEAP. BE QUICK. BE ACCESSIBLE. BE LEGAL. BE CREATIVE. BELIEVE.
- 7. STEP 3: DO. NOW BACK TO STEP 1
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- 12. FRIENDLY FRIDGE NYC lITTLE FREE PANTRY FREE FOOD FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS IT
- 13. FRIENDLY FRIDGE NYC HAIR SALON WEST LEBANON, NH lITTLE FREE PANTRY FREE FOOD FOR ANYONE WHO NEEDS IT RANDOLPH, VT
- 14. FAIRLEE COMMUNITY MAKEOVER VT OUTDOOR SEATING MAIN STREET SOCIAL & WORK STATIONS
- 15. CONNECT HYDE PARK VT ACTIVITY TRAIL STORY WALK KEENE, NH FREE OUTDOOR TRAIL GAMES & ACTIVITIES
- 16. WINTER GARDENING BETHEL, VT GUERRILLA ART UNSANCTIONED ART & BEAUTIFICATION
- 17. CW ELECTION REPAIR KIT STREET STENCILS PUBLIC SERVICE STENCILING SMOKE FREE ZONE BURLINGTON VT
- 18. KEENE POP- UP ARTS CORRIDOR KEENE, NH POP-UP PLAZA STREET ART, FIRE PIT, S’MORES & MORE
- 19. HUMAN LIBRARY .ORG HUMAN LIBRARY CHECK OUT A HUMAN & LISTEN
- 20. STORYTRENDER NEIGHBOR HOOD SPEED PATROL TRAFFIC CALMING THE WORLD’S CHEAPEST RADAR GUN
- 21. CONNECT HYDE PARK, VT SAFER STREETS POP-UP CROSSWALK & INTERSECTION REPAIR
- 22. CONNECT HYDE PARK, VT SAFER STREETS POP-UP CROSSWALK & INTERSECTION REPAIR
- 23. READY TO TRY?
- 24. GREAT VERMONT DIY PLACEMAKING CHALLENGE STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 IMAGINE 1 GREAT, SMALL THING TO IMPROVE A PLACE YOU LOVE WIN $25 FROM AARP GO DO IT. TODAY! TAKE A PIC OR TWO. SHARE YOUR PIC & A CAPTION EMAIL: REBECCA@COMMUNITYWORKSHOPLLC.COM OR POST: #aarpplaceswelove
- 25. HAVE FUN. BE SAFE. BE INCLUSIVE. BE CHEAP. BE QUICK. BE ACCESSIBLE. BE LEGAL. BE CREATIVE. BELIEVE.
Editor's Notes
- At CW, we love helping people imagine great places or great improvements to their places, and then helping them make it happen. There are so many examples of great urban placemaking that have inspired me over the years, but we all know it’s not so easy to make things happen in rural places with fewer resources.
- Here’s an example. I was in Cambridge in January, a few years ago, and stumbled across this scene outside Harvard Yard. What would have been a huge, vacant concrete plaza in winter had been turned into a vibrant, bustling social scene. People were lounging around fire pits, in ADK chairs, food trucks were lined up.
- There was even a full-size curling rink. I’d LOVE to bring this to my community. But in Bethel, and most VT communities, we’re just short about $100,000 and a full-time staff.
- That’s why we love to work on DIY placemaking. Placemaking is all about creating great places. DIY placemaking is about doing it yourself. That doesn’t mean going it alone – this work is a lot more fun with friends. But it does mean just going out and doing it – not waiting around for a grant, or a master plan, or resources you don’t have. Here’s Fairlee, VT last winter – creating all the fun and vibrancy of that scene in Cambridge with just a borrowed fire pit, some stump seats, and free hot chocolate. Here’s how to get started.
- Step 1: imagine. Think of a place you love. What do you want to see there? What do people need? What would make it really great?
- Now think. How can you make those great things happen, in a really light, quick, easy and cheap way? And how can you be sure you’re doing it safely, cheaply, quickly? Do make sure it’s legal and accessible and inclusive. Be creative. And believe that whatever small thing you are doing can lead to something bigger.
- You can probably guess step 3 – just go out and do the thing. Get started, make something happen. And then repeat. Imagine again – how can you improve? What does your community need next? What did you learn?
- Even small, quick projects can feel daunting, which is why we teamed up with AARP Vermont last year to create the DIY Community Cookbook, which you can read or download for free.
- It’s packed with ”recipes” or how-to instructions for planning and implementing your own projects. Chalkboard walls, wayfinding signs, giant checkerboards, kindness rocks. View or download for free on our website. We don’t give you exact materials lists or instructions, but do give a step-by-step process to plan out and think about these projects and adapt them for your community.
- Today I want to leave you with 11 quick ideas for DIY projects you can do in your community all winter, even during a pandemic, and costing less – often much less – than $100. And in fact I’ll give you a bonus #11: this photo on the cover is a wish tree from Randolph Vermont that probably cost $5 to make. Simply put out or distribute construction paper ornaments and ask people to write their wishes. Hang them on a tree for a powerful work of public art. Let’s dive into some more, starting with a couple that are specific to Covid.
- One of the best ways to activate places is simply to get more people out and about, and right now safety is a top strategy for doing that. You can enliven places and make sure people feel comfortable coming out by putting COVID safety resources right out for free. Communities with mask makers are giving them away on “mask trees.” This simple dog cleanup station inside a NH feed store could very easily be replicated with hand sanitizer and safety supplies.
- Food access is a huge need in most of our communities right now. And the easiest way to give it away is simply to put it out on the street for free. The Friendly Fridge model in NYC involves donated refrigerators where people can take or leave food – often painted beautifully to add in some public art.
- The Vermont versions popping up are simpler. You’ve probably seen little free libraries everywhere. Now, communities are setting up little free pantries using the same little boxes. Or – if you don’t have a box – you can create a free food station anywhere you like, like this hair salon in Lebanon NH.
- We worked with Fairlee this year on a Better Connections project and they launched the Fairlee Community Makeover to try to implement quick solutions for public spaces in just a few weeks. People need safe, outdoor gather places and places to sit and connect to wifi – even in winter. You can easily put out seating and benches. If you are creating a public space, do think about signage, guidelines, and sanitizing supplies to make sure it is safe.
- People need to get out and about, and be physically active, and activity trails can encourage them to do that. The example on the left is simply a walking path drawn on the sidewalk with chalk markers in Hyde Park. On the right is a story walk -- pages from a children’s book spaced out on signs throughout a downtown, to encourage families to get out and walk.
- Public art, color and light are some of the best ways to activate places and boost spirits, especially in winter. And as long as it’s not permanent or damaging, you can safely go guerrilla. In our town, Bethel, art and yarn bombing just started appearing in our downtown last spring, adding some essential life and color. On the right are colorful ice balls, made by filling balloons with water and food coloring and freezing them. Make a lot and you can create an ice garden or sculpture, or even add light.
- Street stencils are a little more complicated, but another great way to activate spaces with art and creativity or send critical messages. Like the teens on the right, who used street stencils to mark off smoke-free zones in Burlington. You may have heard there’s an election happening, and that folks are feeling pretty divided. We created some street stencils during the last election cycle and hoped we wouldn’t still need them now. But if you want to send some messages of positivity and collaboration, you can download an updated design kit on our website.
- Winter gathering places can be essential for getting people out and activating empty spaces, and they can be as simple as putting out a fire put and seating. Add food, like free s’mores, and you’ll get people flocking to the outdoors even on a cold day.
- If you’re looking for indoor opportunities for connection, you might try the Human Library. This model involves finding people with diverse life experiences who are willing to be “an open book” – to let others’ ask them questions about their lives. You can set up a zoom version during the pandemic, welcoming anyone to come and ”check out a person” – go off for a conversation and find out more about what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes.
- And I’ll close with a couple examples around streets, because especially in winter we need to be sure it’s safe and accessible for people to get out and walk around. You can invest in speed bumps and traffic signals to slow traffic, but a DIY approach involves something most of you have under the bathroom sink. It turns out that if you stand on the street with a hairdryer, it looks an awful lot like a radar gun to cars going past, and they will inevitably slow down.
- Last, here’s an inspiring example from Hyde Park. They asked kids to imagine what they’d like the access to their school to look like, and how the parking lot and street could be safer and more inviting. Then the project Steering Committee made it happen – bright colors and rainbows mean safer pedestrian access, slower traffic, and a more welcoming school.
- And of course, if there’s one ingredient that makes any placemaking effort better, it’s unicorns.
- Ready to give it a shot? All you need to do is jump off this call and get started with step 1. We’re excited to announce a quick challenge to give you a little extra incentive.
- Kelly and AARP have generously offered two $25 Visa gift cards to the best two quick DIY placemaking projects that happen TODAY. If you want to win, just think of one great, small thing you can do to make your place more lovable or livable today. Go do it, and snap a few pics. And then share it with us by midnight either over email, or by posting on social media with the hashtag #aarpplaceswelove. We’ll share the best ideas on a slide in the morning, and you can vote on who deserves the gift cards.
- As we close, I just want to return to this guidance. Whether you’re thinking about a tiny project today, or something next week, or this winter, my best advice is the same. Have fun. Be safe. Be inclusive and accessible. Make it cheap and quick. Keep it legal. Be creative. And BELIEVE.
- Visit our website for free tools and downloadable kits, more examples, and tons of resources.