By Carol Badaracco Padgett, Folio: Eddie Award-winning writer and editor who covers the professional film and television industry.
Throughout history, architectural styles and movements have come onto the scene and fallen away as society changes. A common example most people can relate to today is retail shopping centers—at one time they loomed as huge indoor expanses people disappeared inside for hours to congregate and shop.
But then developers turned them inside out, like outdoor malls, and they became little shopping communities within larger communities, essentially. Then came an emphasis on placemaking—actual urban design and infrastructure created for people on a large scale.
Placemaking is for now. For the future. For generations. For perpetuity.
To be certain, placemaking is not a fad or a surface architectural design maneuver; it is a critical long-term infrastructural shift that makes communities more vibrant, livable, walkable, sustainable and healthy. Placemaking provides one of the most important reasons why anyone would want to live somewhere, invest in that place and set up business there.
And there’s more: It brings professionals and entire communities together. Business leaders. Entrepreneurs. Legislators. Policymakers. Consumers. People. Each of them mingling, communing and enjoying life.
Springtime revival
Georgia’s creative economy—in the form of its architectural designers, civic leaders, business owners and others—received an injection of insight on the topic of placemaking in a potent three-day dose at Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown Atlanta on March 5-8, 2024.
The occasion was “The Creative Placemaking Summit: South and Appalachia,” a gathering of active and influential placemaking professionals focused on strengthening community connection, environmental sustainability and economic viability in 21st Century cities and towns. Co-producers of the March summit included the organizations Creative Placemaking Communities and South Arts. The former is focused on helping develop creative, sustainable, healthy, just, inclusive and profitable communities in five regions across the country, while the latter is a regional arts nonprofit devoted to empowering artists and increasing access to arts and culture within communities.
Among a sea of regional supporters, Georgia Entertainment served as the event’s 2024 strategic promotional partner.
Fresh off the Creative Placemaking Summit this spring, some 495 attendees went back to their jobs, working to create a more community-sustainable sense of place in the Southern region. The audience breakdown by job title included 25% executive directors, 20% creative entrepreneurs, 10% cultural affairs directors, and others.
The concept of creative placemaking has true tentacles—touching music, public art, theatre and other statements of artistic community expression—within an area’s unique contemporary urban landscape. Jessyca Holland, Director of Organization and Community Initiatives for South Arts, says creative placemaking connects people to the built and natural environment. “The outcomes may be economic or social. In 2024, we [are exploring]creative placemaking through the lens of sustainability, or the intersections of people, planet and prosperity.”
The Georgia Tech alumnus and founder of Atlanta-based urban design consultancy Sixpitch grew up in metro Atlanta among the sprawl, where people had to drive to get everywhere. “But not my kids. They ride their bikes to school, and I walk the Beltline to work. Now I pass my son on his bike on the way to school.”
In his address, Gravel elaborated on the importance of placemaking in the transformation of cities and communities from dormant and predominantly drivable into thriving, creative spaces where people commune outdoors. “We’re transforming communities, but it’s a challenging process. The public and private sector have merged to rethink infrastructure (the Beltline, for example) for greenspace and business development.”
Following Gravel’s keynote, attendees chose between conference sessions on topics such as “The Power of Free, Live Music to Build Inclusive, Thriving Public Spaces” and “Amplifying Reach and Deepening Community Engagement Through Partnerships and Marketing.” Other sessions included “Creating a Welcoming Atmosphere and Win-Win Fundraising Strategies,” “Adaptive Reuse for Arts and Entertainment,” and “Atlanta’s Transformation Through Trails: Placemaking, Engagement, Health and Equity.”
Concept in action
The Creative Placemaking Summit took attendees on a field trip to see prime examples of Atlanta’s city-reframing efforts in action. Day 1 offsite tours included the Atlanta Beltline, with a focus on creative placemaking and economic development for Beltline businesses. Another Day 1 offsite opportunity included “MARTA Train Station Public Art and Station Soccer Tour.” Day 2 tours included visits to art studios and the Sweet Auburn neighborhood.
A highlight of the summit’s offerings was an unprecedented immersive musical performance at Krog Street Tunnel on the Atlanta Beltline the afternoon of March 7. Called “Resurgens Requiem: History, Heritage, Harmony,” the event featured the Spelman College Glee Club, a renowned 44-voice choir conducted by Dr. Kevin Johnson, performing a cappella inside the tunnel.
Inside Krog Street Tunnel during the performance, attendees were visibly moved—smiles, expressions of awe and grateful tears seen on their faces.
