How Does Placemaking Happen?

At its best, placemaking is inspired from the ground up, and driven by the unique creative resources found in a community. These conditions lead to authentic placemaking, embraced by the community, and become a building block for future accomplishments. Placemaking is also strategic. Successful interventions are deliberate and thoughtfully organized to address the challenges and embrace opportunities in a community. They engage stakeholders who are vested in the future of a place. Their success helps attract additional resources to placemaking projects and helps build a community’s capacity and resiliency. The most successful placemaking initiatives have several common characteristics:

• Strong, visionary leadership

• Creative and thoughtful

• Plays to the strengths of the community

• A sustainable framework of support

A placemaking strategy is currently in place for the Largo project under the direction of M-NCPPC. The organization will continue its role while the community develops its own leadership.

These are the key roles that M-NCPPC can play:

CONVENE, CONNECT AND CATALYZE

The first step should be to continue the process of bringing organizational and community stakeholders together in Largo to catalyze action. Using this study, M-NCPPC can continue to justify the value of placemaking in Downtown Largo. It can also identify opportunities for future projects and cultivate leadership for placemaking activities.

PROTOTYPE, PROMOTE

M-NCPPC’s second step should be to support demonstration projects, such as those outlined in the “temporary” and “prototype” section of this study, in collaboration with other county agencies and nonprofit organizations. Two possible demonstration projects have been identified – a pop-up public space in the County Government center and temporary public art projects funded by the Prince George’s County Arts and Humanities Council through its “Destination Prince George’s” initiative

M-NCPPC can work with the sponsors of demonstration projects to help expand partnerships (community, business, government and creative); to identify solutions to common challenges, such as funding, permissions and promotion; to obtain support from public agencies and officials; and promote public engagement and participation. M-NCPPC’s endorsement of projects as part of its placemaking initiative should help address these challenges.

Evaluate

M-NCPPC can lead the evaluation of demonstration projects to inform future projects, public realm policies, and plans. It can also lead in the collection and analysis of evaluation data. Evaluation considerations could include:

• Factors that helped or hindered implementation (funding, permissions, promotion, project leadership, access to volunteers.)

• Level of community involvement

• Measure impact on future placemaking, planning or project development.

Advocate

As demonstration projects are completed and evaluated, it will become clearer which policy actions could support further placemaking projects in Downtown Largo. These could include:

• County funding for future placemaking projects or programs

• Strengthened development guidelines or conditions that would encourage developers to include placemaking features in their projects (architectural elements, public art, or creative spaces)

• Strengthened design standards for the public realm in Largo, especially streets, boulevards, multi-use trails, and parks

• Support for non-governmental organizations to coordinate placemaking in Largo in the future

• Demonstrate how the community was involved with the project

• What impact might the project have on future placemaking, planning or project development

NOW: Temporary

» Temporary art installations to provide early markers for long-term placemaking goals, such as gateway and landmark locations

» Banners and visual art along key corridors

» Pop-up public space activities such as food events, grass-roots art projects, pack-and-play games, bike rides, etc.

» Light Touch Landscaping

» Construction Art Projects

NEXT: Prototype Projects

» Activate Metro Plaza

» Wi-Fi Wherever

» Artful Places

» Game-day “pop-up” promenade

» Wellness Programming

» Pop-Up Playtime

» Road Diets

» Construction Projects

» Biophilic Landscapes

» Garage Facade Enhancements

Credit: M-NCPPC

WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT: Private Development WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT: Civic Infrastructure

» Gateway Features

» Streetscape and Open Space Features

» Transit infrastructure

» Multi-Use Trail Infrastructure

» Wayfinding Features

» Bridge Enhancements

» Architectural Features

» Public Art Landmarks

» Pedestrian Streetscapes