2,000-3,000 people each week to see acts ranging from rock to bluegrass to reggae. When the park was being created, this concert series was a strategic effort to help Wausonians create positive memories in what had been a place of many previous uses including a courthouse and large retail store before being demolished for the central park. Projects More micro-examples of creative placemaking are often found in downtown streets throughout central Wisconsin. In Stevens Point, TrashCanvas engages residents in creatively painting trash receptacles that are located throughout the downtown. This initiative capitalizes on residents’ creativity and makes the space more memorable, effectively creating a memorable place. In Wausau, a past program, Painted Pianos, worked with residents and artists to paint pianos that were located throughout downtown for any passerby to play. This project showcased the creativity of residents through visual and audible avenues and enlivened the downtown with additional sights and sounds. Both communities also employed a classic creative placemaking project of painted crosswalks. In Stevens Point, UW students and residents came together to paint a rainbow Pride crosswalk on campus to support the LGBTQ+ community. In Wausau, the downtown organization worked with the Boys and Girls Club to paint a busy intersection with the goal of slowing traffic via newly brightly-colored bricks. Heritage A key component of creative placemaking is embracing cultural assets. Redevelopment projects are prime opportunities to creatively expand upon cultural heritage.
In Wausau, the new Westside Diner is reinvigorating an area that was known as Liberty Gardens around the time of World War II. The diner was built in 1920 and has recently been restored to its former glory, including vinyl-topped diner stools set around two U-shaped bars that look into the open concept kitchen. A patio was also added to activate the street and sidewalk. The diner is the first step in revitalizing the area. A new artist studio opened next door with murals creatively depicting the history of the area are planned for the block around the diner, and the rest of the block will be redeveloped in the original storefronts to add complementary retail uses and create an atmosphere similar to that which existed when Liberty Gardens was a thriving neighborhood. In Stevens Point, Grab the Glass mural can be found on Clark Street in the downtown district. This mural was created by Nick Goettling to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the Stevens Point Brewery and to highlight the locally grown knowledge and skill that shapes Point Brewery (stevenspointarea.com). Conclusion Creative placemaking can be done in a variety of contexts and through many different avenues. In a creative placemaking project, cultural assets, community heritage, and a focus on arts are key considerations to ensure the appropriate scale, focus, and goal of the project. Resident engagement is a vital process to ensure these assets are respectfully intertwined in the final product. Especially in creative placemaking, the process is as important as the product so giving due consideration to hyper-local factors is more likely to ensure community buy-in and positive outcomes.
References • Adelaja, A, T. Borowy, M. Gibson, B. Calnin, M. Grabert, J. Warbach, M. Wyckoff, Y. Hailu, C. Hurtt, K. Rustem, and J. Dworin. (2012) Building Prosperous Places in Michigan: Understanding the values of, perceptions of, and barriers to placemaking. MSU Land Policy Institute. • Deller, Steven (2021) Are We in the 4th Wave of Economic Development?, Review of Regional Studies, 51(3): 233-245, https://doi.org/10.52324/001c.30813. • McCormick, Kathleen; Juanita Hardy; and Marilee Utter. (2020). Creative Placemaking: Sparking Development with Arts and Culture. Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute. • Michigan Economic Development Corporation/DynamoMetrics (2021). Quantifying the Placemaking Effect: Evaluating the Impact of Sustained Place-based Economic Development Incentives on Michigan’s Neighborhoods and Commercial Corridors, 2008-2019. • Shepherd, Maddie. (January 23, 2023). Local Shopping Statistics: Facts on Buying Local, Fundera: https:// www.fundera.com/resources/local-shopping-statistics • Wyckoff, Mark (2014) Definition of Placemaking: Four Different Types, MSU Land Policy Institute, Planning & Zoning News (PZN), January.
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