The Placemaking to the 10th Power. New insights in making spaces, businesses, and communities great places for consumers and citizens.

One of the most complex functions of Main Street programs and economic/community development groups is that of “Placemaker”. Great places that are businesses, individual public spaces, or areas (like a downtown) require multiple programming approaches to make them stand out as a great place for consumers and citizens. Placemaking is super difficult to effectively implement, and pretty easy to mess up. Experts in the field of placemaking from Main Street America with decades of experience backed up by both qualitative and quantitative data recently held a placemaking training session for Kansas Main Street communities. Utilizing some newer information, let’s break down placemaking, and why it is critical to your business, areas like downtowns, and the broader region.

In this article we will talk through five basic points of placemaking, and provide you with assessment forms that can aid in your identification and conversion of spaces in your effort to create great places. The five elements we will cover are: Sociability, Uses & Activities, Access & Linkages, Comfort & Image, and the Power of 10. A better understanding of these principles will allow you to create better places within your business and advocate for more effective community placemaking. When people/consumers feel like they are are in a quality place, traffic increases, sales are generated, and community pride swells.

Sociability- Humans are social creatures. When we look at spaces, we often judge them as a place where we are or are not supposed to be based on some pretty important clues. Does a space show hallmarks of community pride? (things are well kept and attractive) Is the space consistently welcoming? Are there people using the space? (nothing is worse than eerie silence as you are the only one in a spot) Are there people from all parts of the community that are utilizing the space during multiple points of time throughout the day and evening throughout the week? Are folks friendly in the space? Are they connected to networks that increase social opportunities?

Too often inexperienced individuals look at placemaking as “we are going to do a one-off activity in an underutilized space” and then they wonder why their efforts don’t produce sustainable results. Some businesses don’t promote a friendly atmosphere, and they wonder why customers don’t want to linger in their spot. Without a social aspect, a place will struggle to sustain itself.

You can measure the sociability of an area using metrics like visitations, stay times, and loyalty/repeat users.

Access and Linkages- Accurate data that details how and when folks are accessing a space is critical to better placemaking. If people can’t get to an area, the space isn’t visible/attractive/inviting, and information to encourage utilization isn’t clearly displayed, placemaking activities will struggle. Understanding how people potentially access your spot (pedestrian, vehicular, bike, etc.) is important when determining how to reconfigure your spot.

Access and Linkages are often discounted when people think about placemaking. How areas connect to one another from the perspective of other human beings that would potentially use the space is a really important consideration. If you think of a spot/business as a “best kept secret”, that’s an indication you may have an access problem. If a space is defended because the usage “should work” or “should be important” but the actual usage of the space is dismal, you may have a spot that is not appropriately linked to potential users.

You can measure the access and linkages of an area by measuring traffic flow of different types (vehicular, pedestrian, cycling, etc.) adjacent to the placemaking area. Using data systems to identify where people are coming from as they access a space, and where they go to after they access a space can help determine if effective linkages exist.

Comfort and Image- We have had a few heat waves this summer. Is the spot in question shaded, or does it have functioning climate control systems that make the spot comfortable? Is it clean? Do you see graffiti or other indications of crime? Are windows boarded up, or does the spot look well kept? Can you walk through the area easily on level sidewalks not full of weeds/trash? Is the spot well lit in the evenings? Do you feel safe in the area? Do the structures look solid, or do they look unmaintained?

People are told not to judge a book by its cover, but they absolutely judge places by look and feel. If you want to know why we battle chronic vacancies, advocate for historic preservation, hold 40+ clean ups per hear, push for sidewalk/curb replacement, implemented street scape, and push resources towards appropriate design choices, it’s because comfort and image often define a space in the minds of the consuming public. Elements that enhance the public’s perception of an area should prioritize sustainable components. For example: we hold large scale events at the building frontage downtown so that businesses are clearly visible and act as part of the experience for consumers. If we consistently implemented strategies that took an emphasis away from storefronts, the strategies could end up causing business harm by pulling focus away from commerce in the downtown.

Metrics for comfort and image are a little more difficult to measure. Using visual ques, you can look at curbs, sidewalks, storefronts, structures, and indications that an area is well kept (is the grass mowed, weed free, trees trimmed, graffiti removed, structures in good repair?). Are buildings selling? Are businesses opening? Are municipalities consistently investing in an area? Are crime statistics for a space in line with community expectations?

Uses and Activities- Another common misconception about placemaking is that it is about inserting a singular element in an area and calling the space “done”. Here is a statue; the place is made. We built a stage; the place is made. My business is open and it has stuff in it; the place is made. We have a sign that calls this area a park; the place is made… Programming a space means creating activities and reasons to utilize spots that generate consistent traffic. Fun events, special concerts, diverse area gatherings, and local ownership that generate options that reflect the broader region’s unique culture are all necessary in programming spaces.

Placemaking generally involves consistent events and activities that expose the broader market to a space, a business, or a more extended area. When people are consistently invited into an area, they develop a behavior pattern that can generate traffic outside of formal events/activities. Diversity in activation events ensures that multiple segments of the community/target markets are drawn to a space. Vital spaces are used by diverse entities to welcome people to a spot and build both traffic and loyalty. Over time, consistent use of a specific area can lead to consumers or citizens feeling like they have adopted a “third space” that will induce an “ownership” emotion.

Metrics for uses and activities will include things like number of events, crowd size, rent levels, property values, land use patterns, local property ownership, local business ownership, retail sales numbers, and diversity measures.

Power of 10- As previously stated, placemaking isn’t a singular action. The average user of a space may want several static items (connectivity in a well kept area, for example), but the Power of 10 refers to other elements required to establish a space with effective placemaking. Communities and businesses should strive to generate placemaking on a regional scale in 10 primary spots, minimum of 10 placemaking strategies per distinct community area, and 10 placemaking implemented elements per unique destination business or public use spot. Using the power of 10, communities, citizens and businesses can generate a dense conglomeration of placemaking elements that draw usage, improve accessibility, promote a positive brand, and enhances the value of an area.

Rural midwestern areas in particular struggle with the concept of density. When you are surrounded by flat(ish) ground, it seems easier to build new and sprawl out than to concentrate on quality in dense targeted areas. When communities find ways to incorporate placemaking into linked areas that highlight consistently usable places attractive to the consuming and visiting public, they can retain more visitors and engage regional pride. When businesses look at themselves from a placemaking perspective and concentrate on the five areas listed above in implementation strategies, they can create more consumer loyalty. When commercial districts with unique elements add effective placemaking strategies instead of disconnected “one off” elements, they can retain visitors and enhance crowd sizes.

Metrics for Power of 10 are focused on both an inventory of the embedded placemaking strategies and the usage metrics of the community, neighborhood, and/or businesses where the placemaking strategies have been implemented. If we generated a project that was supposed to act as placemaking at a facility, and the business within the facility saw a drop in traffic or closure, we could assume that the strategy didn’t work. If, over time, metrics in a given business or area showed growth, we could assume that strategies implemented may have assisted in positive metrics.

Now that you know a little more about placemaking, how do you get started? There are a couple of simple tools below, and we encourage you to work with Emporia Main Street on implementation strategies!