Roeland Park Public Art Master Plan
Roeland Park, Kansas
WHY
Roeland Park’s Public Art Master Plan is a guide to assist the City in expanding and implementing a thriving public art program. The City sought a sound policy framework to best steward its existing and future collection, in addition to specific project recommendations that met the unique needs of the community.
HOW
The plan was shaped by Roeland Park community members and stakeholders through individual conversations, focus groups and community workshops. Its objectives and ideas were informed by their biggest and boldest aspirations for public art, as well as Designing Local’s lens of national best practices. As Roeland Park seeks to build a collection that is as reflective of its community as possible, the planning process provided an opportunity to assess the context and condition of the current collection as it related to the goals outlined in the plan.
WHAT
The Public Art Master Plan will serve Roeland Park as a living document that aims to achieve a number of goals pertaining to placemaking, belonging, and connectivity through public art. Functioning as both a reference and a roadmap for Roeland Park’s future public art, the Public Art Master Plan provides unique recommendations for projects that will enliven the city and reveal its character. These recommendations address the foundational needs for public art in Roeland Park, and detail comprehensive policies for public art. The Plan also outlines clear workflows for the collection and its implementation, creative strategies for maximizing space and leveraging unconventional canvases for public art, as well as addressing community desires for dynamic future public art.
South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership Arts Plan
Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph counties
WHY
Our planning team developed a suite of recommendations that will take the South Bend - Elkhart region’s current arts and culture landscape forward, from great to exceptional. Any region, county, or city can provide well-designed public spaces, or purposeful facilities, but a region that is seeking uncompromising, world-class experiences must also consider how these spaces will elevate its ways of thinking, working, and engaging in order to enrich the larger community’s cultural fabric. The region has all of the right ingredients to sustain its current arts and culture landscape, but this plan will enable the region to thrive.
With so many resources and so much functioning smoothly in the region, funders might overlook the South Bend - Elkhart region and instead distribute support to regions whose arts and culture landscape is not as well-stewarded. But with the region at the precipice of greatness, after decades of rebuilding and reconnecting with its heart and soul, this place is steps away from fully realizing its journey to become a thriving destination to live, work, play and grow.
HOW
The South Bend - Elkhart region is made up of Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph counties, all of which have similar land areas, though their populations vary significantly. While much of the rural landscape is agricultural, many downtown areas provide hubs of arts and culture for residents in and around those areas. This plan was shaped by many communities and reveals a collective vision for regional growth through arts and culture experiences and economic activity. In order to fully execute the vision and goals of this plan, many organizations will need to work together across the region in various capacities. This plan provides a comprehensive guide to how regional, county, and local agencies and organizations will support the full potential of the South Bend - Elkhart regional arts and culture plan.
WHAT
The South Bend - Elkhart Regional Arts and Culture Plan goes beyond the surface to showcase the region’s capacity to be a national leader in the arts and culture landscape. This plan provides ample information about the region’s prime geographic location, its world-class arts and culture organizations, and its remarkable physical assets and facilities; beyond that, many individual organizations can provide ample data about its respective economic impact, outreach, visitor ship, engagement, and beyond.
While this plan primarily reflects a unique set of technical recommendations and strategies for the region to act upon, it does so with a tailored understanding of the region’s tenacious character, commitment to excellence every day, and attitude that nothing is impossible when the community comes together.
Wabash River Region Arts & Culture Plan
Clay, Parks, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo Counties, Indiana
WHY
The Wabash River region is made up of five counties in western Indiana on its Illinois border: Clay, Parks, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo. The Wabash River cuts through the region from north to the south, providing dynamic and thriving waterfronts across both rural and urban areas, with many opportunities for investment and expansion. While much of the rural landscape is agricultural and forested, many downtown areas provide hubs of arts and culture for residents in and around those areas. The region is home to an exciting and deeply collaborative arts community. Together, they will cultivate compelling destinations for public art and diverse cultural experiences, making the region a vibrant and engaging hub for arts and culture. The main goals of this plan are beautification and placemaking, community pride, health and wellness, and local investment. Targeted goals of the Regional Arts & Culture Plan include beautification and placemaking, boosting community pride, encouraging health and wellness, and investing in the community by preserving historic assets and supporting local organizations, facilities and programs.
HOW
Engagement for this process was conducted to help identify and assess existing resources and gaps and provide a foundation for transformative projects. Engagement was promoted through RDA social media and through stakeholder networks. Engagement took the form of community surveys, stakeholder conversations, and public engagement such as a focus group held at Arts Illiana with members of the 41|40 Arts & Cultural District Advisory Group, as well as two public meetings. The primary concerns gleaned from public engagement included lack of funding for arts organizations, limited performance space and opportunities to experience local cultures in community settings.
WHAT
The Wabash River Regional Arts & Culture Plan provides a flexible, proactive framework that creates opportunities for decision-makers to pursue diverse funding sources and pivot implementation priorities to take advantage of changes and growth in the local cultural ecosystem. It also allows the community to continue to dream big, yet places emphasis on actionable, momentum-building steps for growing local arts and culture assets and tackle them as additional funding and capacity becomes available. The plan details the three priority regional objectives as well as actionable steps to reach them. These objectives include strengthening the Wabash River Region arts and culture community, promote regional arts development and tourism with a focus on the 41|40 Arts & Cultural District, and increasing the visibility of arts and culture in community spaces and downtowns.
NCIRPC Strategic Arts Plan
Cass, Clinton, Fulton, Howard, Miami, and Tipton Counties, Indiana
WHY
The North Central Indiana Regional Planning Council (NCIRPC), together with its partners, has developed a comprehensive, collaborative, and strategic plan to support and expand arts and cultural initiatives across the six-county region. With a strong focus on building community and fostering a thriving creative economy, the plan seeks to improve accessibility to the arts, retain and attract artists and creatives, and strengthen cultural amenities. With more than 226,000 people living across 2,100 square miles and significant development along regional corridors including Route 31, US 24, and 165, there are many opportunities for increased investment in arts and culture to enhance quality of life for residents and expand recreational tourism. The NCIRPC region is a vibrant destination for arts and culture that encourages community building and inclusivity, with a diverse artistic landscape that attracts creatives and cultural consumers to visit and invest in local communities. The goals of this plan include increasing accessibility and visibility of the arts, fostering and leveraging existing resources and amenities, invigorating local economies, and creating a stronger sense of pride in local experiences. Its objectives include developing state-of-the-art arts and culture facilities that engage residents and create new tourism opportunities, expanding engaging public art throughout the region, and encouraging programming in North Central Indiana communities that improves quality of life through increased access to arts experiences.
HOW
Engagement with local professionals and stakeholders was vital to the success of this process, with participation facilitated through a digital community survey and virtual conversations with the planning team. Business owners, arts organizations, elected officials, and community members contributed through a series of focus groups and one-on-one discussions, helping to identify priorities that shaped a shared vision, established project goals, and guided the prioritization of future efforts. Regional priorities played a significant role, and the flexibility of the long-term cultural planning framework allows decision-makers to pursue diverse funding sources while adapting implementation strategies to reflect changes and growth within the local cultural ecosystem. This nimble approach encourages the community to continue thinking ambitiously while emphasizing practical, momentum-building steps to strengthen local arts and cultural assets as funding and capacity evolve.
WHAT
Key priorities outlined in the plan include increasing the visibility of arts in downtown areas, improving accessibility to the arts, providing meaningful local experiences, fostering a sense of community pride, capitalizing on tourism opportunities, and attracting artists and creatives. NCI identified a variety of arts and culture projects through county- and regional-level public input meetings, one-on-one interviews, and an online survey. These projects were reviewed and selected for inclusion in the plan based on their level of readiness, regional impact, and alignment with overall objectives. Together, they support and expand arts and culture initiatives across the six-county North Central Region. Planned efforts encompass implementing public art—such as Arts and Heritage public pedestrian and bike paths, enhancing downtown placemaking, expanding arts education programs, and developing community spaces for artists and arts programming.
Downtown Warsaw Cultural Arts District Plan
Warsaw, Indiana
WHY
The Downtown Warsaw Cultural Arts District Plan serves as a comprehensive guide for leveraging the city’s cultural assets for sustained economic growth, with the ultimate goal of creating an Indiana Arts Commission-designated Indiana Cultural District. This plan is the necessary next step in a series of strategic efforts. It is built upon a solid foundation of recent, extensive strategic work that has consistently identified arts and culture as essential to Warsaw’s future economic vitality. Key previous planning efforts, including the Downtown Warsaw 2030 Strategic Plan, the Hyatt Palma 2023 Downtown Action Agenda, and the Brookings Institute/ LISC Critical Corridor Connections Plan, all established a clear mandate for a “vibrant and growing, culturally focused downtown”. These plans specifically called for achieving an official state cultural district, designation and solidifying downtown as the city’s “corporate, civic, and cultural center.”
HOW
The strategic heart of this plan is built from the ground up, developed through a multi-phased process of research, and rooted in extensive community engagement, to ensure authenticity. This was supported by detailed driveshed analysis to define the district’s economic potential and regional audience. This input was synthesized into a powerful vision for a culturally focused downtown that serves as an economic engine for the entire community, and will transform it into a vibrant, well-recognized, and labeled mixed-use cultural center. It features unique, authentic art and a cultural identity that makes the district memorable to visitors, residents and investors alike.
To bring this vision to life, this plan posits a strategic framework based on three core principles- Activate, Beautify, and Connect-thus providing methodology for every project proposed in this plan.
WHAT
Through strategy placemaking, downtown Warsaw’s Cultural Arts District will become a premier destination where a culturally rich and diverse scene serves as an economic engine-attracting investment, retaining top talent, and enriching the quality of life for the entire community.
Implementation of this plan is the critical step to leverage previous efforts and use the arts for economic growth. It provides detailed strategies for enhancing public spaces and creating the dynamic downtown experience envisioned by the community- a vision that aligns perfectly with the state’s focus on talent attraction as championed by the Indiana READI program. This document provides the needs-based strategies and placemaking recommendations required to make Warsaw a place where creative professionals want to live and work, where businesses want to invest, and where the entire community can experience a richer quality of life.
Fairfield Town Center Placemaking Strategy
Fairfield, Ohio
WHY
The Fairfield Placemaking Strategy tackles the revitalization of the Fairfield Town Center. The Fairfield Placemaking Strategy was developed through a collaborative process involving community members, business owners, and local officials. The team conducted extensive research, including surveys, interviews, and site visits, to identify the unique assets and challenges of the Town Center.
HOW
Through the planning process Designing Local developed recommendations that focus on incorporating placemaking principles to cultivate a welcoming and lively atmosphere. This includes improvements to signage, pedestrian accessibility, and public spaces, along with considerations for infill development that aligns with the town’s brand identity.
WHAT
By implementing these suggestions, the Fairfield Town Center aspires to become a central point for commerce and a gathering place for residents of all ages and backgrounds. The plan was completed in April 2024. This project demonstrates Designing Local’s ability to provide a guide for transforming the area into the vibrant hub of the community.
Downtown Clyde Revitalization Plan
Clyde, Ohio
WHY
The City of Clyde has a historic Downtown area with numerous buildings and public spaces that contribute to the character of the city center. Recognizing the importance of a vibrant downtown to Clyde’s identity and economic well-being, this plan proposes a series of strategic initiatives aimed at boosting the area’s attractiveness and functionality.
HOW
The plan goes beyond aesthetics – it also explores strategies to attract new businesses, enhances existing public spaces, and cultivates a dynamic mix of retail, dining, and entertainment options. By ensuring a diverse and thriving downtown core, the plan aims to create a hub for community activity and economic growth.
WHAT
This comprehensive proposal provides a framework for Clyde residents to shape the future of their downtown. The plan encourages community participation, fostering a sense of ownership and ensuring the revitalization efforts reflect the unique character and aspirations of Clyde. By working together, this plan gives the community a vision for transforming downtown Clyde into a vibrant place that serves as a source of pride and a catalyst for further development.
Queen Creek Arts & Placemaking Plan
Queen Creek, Arizona
WHY
Queen Creek, located in the southeastern region of Arizona, has a rich and vibrant history that stretches back to its earliest inhabitants, the Hohokam people. The Downtown Queen Creek Art and Placemaking Plan aims to give the Town of Queen Creek the tools to transform the built environment of the Downtown area using public art and placemaking. Queen Creek is well known for its agricultural legacy that continues to the present day. Art and placemaking will continue to connect and celebrate that legacy, cementing the identity of the community in the eyes of residents and visitors.
HOW
Our vision is for public art and placemaking to transform Downtown Queen Creek into an interactive, unique, and vibrant community center. Art and placemaking features encourage residents and visitors to get out and explore the community on two feet or two wheels. These features create destinations and interest in the built environment. Queen Creek is well known for its agricultural legacy that continues to the present day. Art and placemaking could continue to connect and celebrate that legacy, cementing the identity of the community in the eyes of residents and visitors.
WHAT
The Arts and Placemaking Plan creates a vision for transforming Downtown Queen Creek into an interactive, unique, and vibrant community center. As many venues are outside of the Downtown Core, specific focus was on recommendations that contribute to Queen Creek's agritainment identity. Connect to and display our natural environment. As a community with a rich history but also a dynamic future, art and placemaking elements can build upon and deepen the story of Queen Creek for residents and visitors.
Belle Valley Revitalization Plan
Belle Valley, Ohio
WHY
Belle Valley is a village located directly on the alignment of I-77 and has a rich industrial history. Main Street is situated in the valley of West Fork Duck Creek and the village's housing and other buildings are built on the surrounding hillsides.
The community has an existing historic church that was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church has not been occupied for several decades and requires significant improvements. The Village desires to renovate the space for use as a community center and event space.
HOW
Building on the brand identity developed for neighboring Caldwell, Ohio, Designing Local worked with Village leadership to create a brand identity for Belle Valley that highlights the church as a community icon. This provided the starting point for various signage and placemaking features that will be implemented throughout the community.
WHAT
A key recommendation of the plan is a major streetscape improvement project that will add decorative lighting, site furnishings, and sidewalks. This project will also improve ADA Accessibility, traffic management, and stormwater drainage.
Buckeye Hills Regional Council Downtown Workshops
Buckeye Hills Region, Ohio
WHY
Following on the announcement of a historic $500 million investment in Appalachian Ohio by Governor DeWine's administration, Buckeye Hills Regional Council partnered with Designing Local to host a series of eight workshops aimed at helping communities reimagine their downtowns.
Buckeye Hills Regional Council and Designing Local are excited to help communities translate their vision into a unique, interesting, and powerful built environment through these workshop sessions.
HOW
The series was free and open to all Southeast Ohio community leaders, elected officials, nonprofits, and anyone working to make their community a better place to live, work and play. Each workshop covered the topics of Outdoor Recreation, Historic Preservation, Public Art, Streetscapes, Pedestrian Infrastructure, and more. Designing Local helped guide communities through the best practices of developing both small- and large-scale revitalization projects.
WHAT
Following the completion of the workshops Designing Local created a workbook intended to assist folks within the Buckeye Hills region to develop projects.
Ohio & Erie Canal Southern Descent NRHP Nomination
Various Sites Throughout Central And Southern Ohio
WHY
The Ohio & Erie Canal was originally constructed in the 1820’s and 1830’s and conveyed goods from Portsmouth to Cleveland. The canal system played a critical role in the early development of Ohio and established the growth of Akron, Columbus, Chillicothe, Newark, and numerous other cities along the route. The canal system was the key transportation system up until the proliferation of railroads in the 1860’s.
Although parts of the canal are on the national register, much of the southern portion is not. This nomination covers many of the lock structures and other remaining infrastructure that remain on the southern descent between Columbus and Portsmouth.
HOW
The nomination team aggregated a list of potential infrastructure to be placed on the register and contacted private property owners or municipalities to seek support. The final list includes existing lock structures, watered canals, bridge abutments, and other elements that are located in 4 counties throughout Central and Southern Ohio.
Identifying the location for each of the elements included field visits and the use of high resolution aerial photography. A boundary was created for each element which will serve as the official historic site on the National Register of Historic Places.
WHAT
Given its geographic reach and broad collection of relatively small sites, this nomination was technically challenging. However, it serves as a model for other non-contiguous district nominations that preserve transportation, infrastructure, or other geographically complex historic sites.
Ohio & Erie Canal Southern Descent Heritage Trail
Various Sites Throughout Central And Southern Ohio
WHY
The Canal Partners is a coalition of communities in Southern Ohio along the alignment of the Southern Descent of the Ohio & Erie Canal. These communities have existing and lost features of the canal, as well as numerous related historical elements.
The goal of the Canal Partners is to create a heritage trail that will attract tourists throughout the corridor and to communicate the history of the canal system to a broad audience.
HOW
This grant-funded project included several team members including the project leaders, a graphic design consultant, the partner communities, and Designing Local.
The first phase process included engagement of the Canal Partners through workshops and a survey. This phase also included mapping of the resources and other sites along the trail. Once this was completed, a highly visual plan booklet of the sites was created which included descriptions of the various elements as well as a prototype trailhead design. Part of the project study will included bike and pedestrian trail connections to the canal right-of-way.
WHAT
The end product is being used by the partner communities in their planning and capital improvement projects for the next several years. The mapping will be used by tourists to experience the canal features. The project was completed in summer 2021.
Sullivant Bright Public Art & Parklet Project
Columbus, Ohio
WHY
Sullivant Avenue is a place of authentic creativity, featuring a prominent mural and numerous custom signs. The Sullivant Bright Public Art Project is part of a larger $10 million rehabilitation project (2% of which is devoted to public art) that began in May 2020. It used public art to elevate the corridor and creatively showcase where future infrastructure improvements would be installed.
HOW
As project engineers evaluated a 1.9-mile corridor along Sullivant Avenue for necessary pedestrian upgrades, Designing Local considered public art and placemaking opportunities along the corridor, particularly where public art or a placemaking intervention could support a safer pedestrian environment. Twenty-one artists were tapped to create temporary public art installations that wowed the neighborhood with their bold, colorful designs.
WHAT
This project demonstrates the firm’s abilities to provide strategic direction for placemaking and land use issues as well as the firm’s capabilities to both develop and communicate creative concepts which contribute to community safety and sense of place.
Sidewalk bump-outs and pedestrian refuge islands were constructed to shorten the distance to cross the street, make pedestrians more visible, and help to slow driver speeds. Data collected after implementation shows that crashes decreased by approximately 50%, and extreme speeding (50+ mph) was reduced by as much as 92%.
SULLIVANT BRIGHT ARTISTS
April Sunami, Bryant Anthony, Dillon Beck, Francesca Miller, Grace Grudowski, Jen Wrubles, Jeremy Hollan with CRIS artists, Katie Golonka, Mark Barkzak, Nick Stull, Liz Morrison, Robert Williams, Stephanie Rond, Amy Haggard, Sarah Hout, Barbara Fant, Nancy Kangas, Amy Turn Sharp, Geoff Anderson, Tripp Fontane, Lisa Mclymont. Photography by Abby Kamagate. Video Production by Aaron Blevins.
Downtown Caldwell Revitalization Plan
Caldwell, Ohio
WHY
Downtown Caldwell was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is now working toward a renaissance. With numerous local businesses and an assortment of beautiful historic buildings, Caldwell is ready to be a thriving center for both local residents and tourists. This plan builds upon the village’s momentum to create a number of recommendations for community branding, historic preservation development, placemaking, wayfinding, access to recreational facilities, and other improvements.
HOW
Designing Local first worked with village leadership to develop a brand identity for Caldwell. We then made a number of recommendations for relatively low-cost, high-impact placemaking opportunities, including a courthouse square light canopy, unique signage, historically appropriate site furnishings, and locations for public art. Working with our project architect, Designing Local also created a historic preservation recommendations for one of the most visible buildings in downtown, which included a strategy for attaining a Historic Tax Credit to make the project financially viable.
WHAT
The project plan was completed in Spring 2022. The new brand identity was immediately implemented, and the various project recommendations will be submitted as appropriate for federal stimulus and infrastructure funds.
Moline Public Art & Placemaking Plan
Moline, Illinois
WHY
The City of Moline, Illinois is a Quad City bordered by the Mississippi River. As the gateway to the East, the city understands the value of first impressions, which is why it set out to develop its first-ever Public Art Master Plan. The plan focused on downtown Moline and supported numerous other planning initiatives advancing redevelopment of the city center.
HOW
Designing Local hosted a robust public engagement program despite the global pandemic. A series of stakeholder meetings and focus groups were held with various organizations and community leaders. Students from Augustana College and Black Hawk College participated in virtual public events called ‘Walkabout Talkabout Public Art’, during which they were asked to consider seven different types of sites and how public art could impact them.
WHAT
The Moline Public Art Master Plan was adopted in 2021 and continues to influence public art policy and programs in the city.
Cape May County Creative Placemaking Plan
Cape May, New Jersey
WHY
In 1989, Cape May County initiated a taxpayer-funded program to purchase or protect open space and farmland throughout the County. The program proved successful and was eventually expanded to include funding of parks, recreational amenities, and historic preservation projects. While the program has been extremely successful in meeting its mission, it has relatively low public recognition.
HOW
To build awareness of the program and to increase the quality of funded projects, the County initiated a Creative Placemaking Plan which created a brand identity, standards for park design elements and amenities, and a demonstration site design. Designing Local was selected through a competitive process to lead the creative placemaking plan. The team facilitated four total workshops to garner input from key stakeholders and to develop and test ideas.
WHAT
A key part of the process was the creation of a community character framework which defines the unique sense of place present in Cape May County. This was utilized to drive the creation of the brand identity guidelines. The community character framework was also utilized in the design of various signage, site amenity, and architectural concepts throughout the County.
Sandusky Public Art & Placemaking Plan
Sandusky, Ohio
WHY
The City of Sandusky is a hidden gem that is seeing significant new investment and cutting-edge planning. Sensing an opportunity to increase attachment to place and draw new tourists, city leaders passed a public art ordinance in January 2018 that guarantees funding for public art through a 1% allocation of their general fund. To ensure they invested the newly earmarked public art dollars responsibly, the city set out to develop a Public Art and Placemaking Plan. The plan directs spending to high-priority projects and creates the infrastructure necessary to administer a robust public art program.
HOW
Designing Local organized a public art popsicle pop-up to kick off the planning process, at which participants were asked their vision for public art in the city and to think about potential transformative projects. The team hosted several additional meetings to co-create ideas for the City’s first projects. In addition to developing placemaking strategies, the team trained Sandusky’s newly formed Public Art and Cultural Commission on procurement processes for public art, collection management and maintenance, and donations.
WHAT
The Sandusky Public Art and Placemaking Plan inspires elected officials to create public art strategies that are uniquely Sandusky. With an efficient and effective process for public art, the city now has the tools to ensure a successful program well into the future.
