Personality has types. Buildings have types. Does place also have its types? What will 'Placemaking' types be?

Fred Kent defined Placemaking as "a multifaceted approach to planning, designing, and managing our space." Mark A. Wyckoff, FAICP, a professor from Michigan State University, further explained those "approaches." He categorized these approaches into three types:

Strategic Placemaking
Creative Placemaking
Tactical Placemaking

They are all under one standard placemaking' umbrella.

So, what makes these types of placemaking distinguish one another?

Bear with me here. Before figuring out what makes these 'placemaking' different, we first need to understand what constitutes a "quality place." I summarize both PPS and Professor Wyckoff's points of view on "quality place" here:

“… places with a strong sense of place as Quality Places. These are places where people and businesses want to be. They are active, unique locations, interesting, visually attractive, often with public art and creative activities.” (quote from professor Wyckoff’s article)

To simply put, no matter what kind of quality place you want to create, they can all be categorized into these three influences in our built environment: the 'People' (Who ), the 'Place' (Where), and the ‘Placemaking’ (How).

Based on my understanding of Professor Wyckoff's definition, in order to achieve those "qualities," the initiators can use these types of placemaking interrelated to one another in a project. For example:

be Strategic:

this process emphasizes an economic impact of a project. For example, if initiators want to increase local employment opportunities, they propose changing the policy suitable for the industry they want to attract. And because the new industry moves in, the appearance of the street is altered to meet the newcomer's needs.

Amazon's story: initiators attracted Amazon to plant their second headquarter in northern Virginia. That initiative creates job growth and also increases the surrounding housing demand. Thus, the initiators work with experts on the policy to make the project area suitable for new markets. (This project is still in progress)

Watch a progress video here, and follow the news here.

Be Creative:

this process centers on a project's art and cultural activities. For example, when initiators see their area going through a brain drain, they want to maintain the area's economic stability. So, they find arts and cultural-related programs and activities to substitute the previous economic activities. And hence generate new opportunities and growth in the area.

Old Bethlehem Plant's story: Bethlehem Steel Corporation was the largest steel plant in the United States for most of the 20th century. In the early 2000s, it ceased its operation, and then the entire plant was abandoned. The initiators want to revitalize the area and also honor its history. Therefore, they work with policymakers and develop programs to bring visitors back to the site. The art/ cultural programs and their facilities increase the local revenue and engage more social opportunities.

Watch how Bethlehem Plant transforms the area and honors its history with arts and culture, a case study by ULI.

be Tactical:

this process focuses on the cost, means, and method of a project. For example, many businesses move out of an area during the economic recession, resulting in many vacant spaces. The initiator wants to build up the neighborhood but does not have capital. So, the initiators use ready-available materials to create events and activities to raise community awareness, resulting in policy-changing and enhancing social engagement.

Ron Finley's story: South Central Los Angeles was a neighborhood known as a "food desert." In 2010, Ron was fed up with driving 45 minutes to get tomatoes he could not get at the local store. So, he cleaned up a narrow planting strip between the sidewalk and the street and started planting various fruits and vegetables. It soon became a conversational piece for local people. Due to the planting strip being City's property, it turned out the City changed the policy for Ron's strip garden. Ron's project uses ready-available seeds, recycled furniture, and his sweat equity to beautify the sidewalk and benefit the neighborhood.

Visit Ron Finley Project here, and watch Ron's TED talks to see how he did it.

Mastering 'Types'

Of course, the projects listed here involved all transformation: from physical forms, land use, and function to social opportunities. They are specific tools but also interdependent on one another. By mastering them, perhaps, we can make our places sooner and better.

Notes and references: