Downtown Madison, NJ, in full swing during the Bottle Hill Day festival / Photo: Borough of Madison

PPS heartily congratulates the Borough of Madison, New Jersey, whose downtown was recently named one of the 2012 Great Places in New Jersey by the state chapter of the American Planning Association. It is an affirmation of the Borough’s unwavering dedication over the past 30 years and demonstrates the power of a community to transform a place through persistent efforts over time.

Here at PPS, it has been exciting to witness the “before and after” of Downtown Madison, beginning with a plan we created in 1980. “It was one of my first projects at PPS,” recalls Senior Vice President Steve Davies. “Since I had grown up in a similarly sized town, I immediately felt an affinity for the community. It’s been wonderful to have worked periodically with Madison over such a long period.”

In 1980, Downtown Madison, located on hour by train west of New York City, was in better shape than other small town centers across the U.S., though it was sliding downward. The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, located in nearby Morristown, had a special interest in Madison, given that it had been the original home of the Dodge family. It was their support, and other support which followed, that helped reverse the downward momentum and get the wheels going in a positive direction. But it was the citizens and leadership of Madison that really drove the transformation over time.

The revitalization of downtown Madison has focused on key public spaces and thoroughfares: Main Street (a state highway, which made it more challenging), Lincoln Place, Waverly Place, and the train station. Madison’s downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places, so amidst all of the physical changes and improvements, the question was always about how to build on downtown’s distinctive historic character and make it even better.

While much of the effort has been on improving the design of streets, sidewalks, and public spaces, the effort has been multi-dimensional. Based on PPS’s recommendation, Mayor Elizabeth Baumgartner created the Downtown Development Commission (DDC) in 1981, which took the opportunity to involve all stakeholders, from landlords and merchants to residents and the arts and non-profit communities – tapping into the inherent passion of the 16,000 people who call the place home. Playfully underlining the later feat, Davies adds, “No one agreed with anybody in 1981. Merchants thought that the problem was with parking.”

The commission, in turn, hired the first downtown manager in New Jersey, and one of the first in the country. “You know, we didn’t say it this way in 1980, but 80% of the success of public spaces is in the management,” says Davies. “In recommending they hire a downtown manager, the outcome in Madison was trendsetting.”

The manager began with programming, marketing, filling retail, and getting everyone on the same page. Programming was launched to highlight what is local and seasonal, and has also been an important kernel for spurring Madison’s renewed vibrancy. Today, the downtown is marketed under the banner of the Love Madison Shop Madison campaign.

Madison went beyond great programming and well-designed spaces to earn its distinction as one of the state’s Great Places. In another move, the Police Department created a “town man” post with an officer stationed at the intersection of Main Street and Waverly Place. The town man acts as a local ambassador, giving directions, making suggestions, and helping shoppers cross the street. Good management practices like this have been indispensable to the revitalization of downtown and the experience of Madison as a safe and welcoming place.

The road to establishing successful programs is not always a straight one and usually requires experimentation. One of PPS’s recommendations back in 1980 identified Waverly Place as an ideal spot to get a farmers market going in downtown. A market was created, but it started as a smaller affair sited in a parking lot outside of the center. When the lot needed to be repaired, the market was relocated to Waverly Place and became an even bigger hit. Mary Anna Holden, Mayor from 2008 to 2011 and long time community advocate, sent an email to PPS at the time saying “It took 25 years to follow the recommendation, but it worked!”

In addition to the now hugely popular farmers market, the DDC and community partners organize other programs throughout the year. These include Bottle Hill Day, a community festival celebrating local culture and downtown businesses, and May Day, a town-wide streetscape beautification day to improve Madison’s parks, business districts, and public spaces. The DDC also links with local colleges to provide shuttles and welcoming tours of downtown for students.

Easterly view on Lincoln Place from Madison’s train station showing roadway, sidewalk, accessible crosswalks, curb, drainage, lighting, shade tree and landscaping improvements / Photo: Robert Vogel

More recently, the Borough came to PPS because they had to replace utilities under Lincoln Place, where the train station, post office, and movie theater are all located. Davies notes, “It felt like a back alley, not a major entrance into downtown.” Following ideas generated at a public Placemaking workshop, PPS prepared a plan to remake the street – which had to be completely torn up in any case – to make it more walkable, including a planted center islands to calm traffic in front of the train station, new sidewalks, and simple interventions at problem intersections with stop signs. Construction was completed in 2011.

“I always knew this was one of New Jersey’s great places, so it’s nice to have it recognized” said current Mayor Bob Conley about the recent APA designation. “The process we went through with Lincoln and Waverly Places was well thought-out; using PPS resources to help, we brought in residents and merchants to all have an input, and it’s obvious that it came out beautifully!”

The work of creating great places is never over and done, but step-by-step communities like Madison are making huge progress. Congratulations, Madison, on this exciting milestone. We look forward to more stories about the life of your public spaces yet to come!

Pike Place Market is the center of a vibrant and historic Seattle neighborhood

A hub of activity for the whole Seattle region, Pike Place hosts over 200 year-round commercial businesses, 190 craftspeople and approximately 100 farmers who rent table space by the day.  The economic and social impact of this market extends beyond its role as a place to buy and eat fresh, local food. Pike Place also provides many cultural and community services.  The neighborhood’s streets are alive with more than 240 street performers and musicians. There’s also a daycare and more than 300 apartment units, most of which are dedicated as housing for low-income senior citizens.

Carol Binder

Pike Place began as a city-sponsored experiment to help local farmers sell their produce directly to consumers, the Market was a huge success and more stalls and permanent structures were quickly added to meet the growing needs of consumers and farmers.

Carol’s work ensures that in its modern incarnation, Pike Place continues as an authentic a place that is treasured by the community, attracting locals and tourists in equal numbers.

Carol’s long history with Pike Place began with an eight-year term on the Market’s governing Council in the 1990s, serving as Interim Executive Director in 1999. She has applied her more than 20 years of experience in finance and nonprofit development to enrich Pike Place as a sustainable community center and has overseen the construction of the neighborhood’s new, low-income senior housing and senior center.  She was also behind the building and creation of the capital planning program, funded by a voter-approved tax levy in 2008.

Treasured by the community, Pike Place Market draws tourists and locals in equal numbers.

Carol’s innovative efforts have helped sustain Pike Place as a lively market with myriad associated benefits that invigorates an entire district.

Come learn from this inspiring development model next month in Stavanger, Norway, when Carol joins many other revolutionary Placemakers, like Eric Reynolds,  to share their “out of the box” development strategies at PPS’ Conference in Stavanger, Norway.  Register now for your chance to learn first-hand from pioneering experts in building great, sustainable places.

Tupelo seeks to connect existing destinations on their Main Street.

Currently, downtown Tupelo has a number of desirable attractions but these individual elements are not integrated to create a vibrant district.  Sections of wide roadways downtown alienate pedestrians and bikers, limiting multimodal mobility in the area.  The outcomes of the project will focus on providing Tupelo residents and officials with new tools to create streets as places and link destinations throughout the downtown.  Tupelo is but one of many American towns struggling to create a sense of Place along Main Street.   Both PPS and the National Trust hope that the lessons learned from this pilot program will serve to inspire Placemaking across the country.

The heart of the project will be  a 2-day Placemaking workshop centered on a four-block section of downtown Tupelo which has seen increased truck traffic, higher traffic speed, and growing concerns about pedestrian safety.  Working collaboratively with Mississippi’s Department of Transportation, the project will demonstrate new opportunities to engage state DOT’s and local Main Street programs.

The Placemaking Demonstration Project will help balance modes of transportation downtown.

But the training doesn’t stop with Tupelo.  To enable communities around the state to benefit from the principles presented in the 2-day training, PPS and Mississippi Main Street Association will host a Placemaking training program for managers of its 49 programs across the state.  With Tupelo as a case study, the State Main Street Association as well as the local programs will be equipped to apply Placemaking principles to their own projects.

Local press is already buzzing about the announcement!

The Sidewalk Sam chalk event at Common Boston. Photo credit: photos.juliechen, Flickr

The mission of the annual Common Boston week is to “expand public awareness of the Boston area’s built environment through interactive programs, encourage collaboration between design professionals and those for whom they design, and promote good citizenship and action toward a better built environment”-  laudable goals for a city-wide Placemaking effort.

One of America’s oldest cities, Boston’s neighborhoods have been shaped (and in some cases, divided) by centuries of development. Yet Boston’s physical environment has also been formed by inspired efforts to connect the diversity of its residents, a topic which was the focus of this year’s public forum.  The forum addressed ways that physical barriers can become points of connection, ultimately considering how to turn corridors and boundaries into places at which people can share their neighborhood and city.

An interactive piece from Common Build, a design/build competition part of the larger event. Photo credit: fullercrane, Flickr

The forum was just one of 40 events open to the public at this year’s festival, which included a Chinatown tour on how landscape architecture has created successful public spaces, an architect-led exploration on the intersection of security and public space at Boston’s Logan Airport, youth-led neighborhood showcases, a water-taxi tour of placemaking and development on the waterfront,  garden walks, and much more. Learn more about the event at CommonBoston.org.

A panoramic photo of the town.

In spite of these challenges, Romano Canavese has great potential to become a more lively place that people want to live in and a destination in its own right. A luxury hotel and a nearby golf course already draw visitors to the area, and the town is eager to provide more activities to attract people during their trip. As part of this effort, the mayor of the town attended a two-day placemaking training conducted by PPS staff Elena Madison and Alessandra Galletti in Torino on June 21-22. The course was organized by TCM Italia, with the support of the Torino Chamber of Commerce, Ascom Torino, Confesercenti of Torino and the province. It was attended by planners, architects, downtown managers, economic development professionals and officials from a number of other municipalities, small and large.

An historic building at the center of town could serve as a gathering place for more activity.

At the training course, participants discussed how a placemaking process could bring new vitality to their respective towns and neighborhoods. Romano Canavese was identified by its mayor as a potential pilot project, which would be used as an example for all training participants of how placemaking could be applied on a small town scale. The PPS team visited the town, and together with local residents and municipal representatives identified several focal points–an historic church, a small park, a clock tower–that could become placemaking destinations and nodes for greater activity. Pending funding, a pilot project using the Power of Ten, and focusing on several specific locations for improvement, will be initiated in the village this coming fall.

This small park atop a hill is one potential focal point.

Below is a recap of the event from the Italian newspaper La Repubblica (English translation appears first, followed by the original Italian.)

Bryant Park an Inspiration for San Salvario

The area around Porta Nuova will be redesigned using New York’s Bryant Park as a model.

On June 20, a team of U.S. experts undertook a preliminary study of the streets that surround the station.  The next day, the American team from Project for Public Spaces, as part of a workshop organized by Confesercenti, Ascom, and the Chamber of Commerce, unveiled a plan to re-envision the axis of via Nizza.  Porta Nuova has a variety of similarities with Bryant Park, including what some would call “high risk” urban spaces as well as a variety of socio-economic and cultural challenges.  The American team emphasized, however, that “these difficulties can be analyzed and resolved, just as Bryant Park was transformed from a dangerous, abandoned park into a beautiful part of the city.”

The American team is made up of two organizations: Project for Public Spaces (PPS), the pioneers of a technique called “Placemaking” in Europe, and TCM Italia, an organization for Town Center Management.   Using concrete examples like Bryant Park, the team has developed a “field-work” style of study to compliment theoretical approaches.  The objective? To transform public spaces based of the desires of the community which uses them, a more holistic approach than traditional urban redevelopment techniques.  The two-day workshop gathered prominent public officials, managers, designers, and other professionals concerned with the urban environment.  The area around Via Nizza will be transformed after the completion of the subway line construction.   Local shopkeepers and business owners will be invited to share their vision for the new site with the hopes that this small area at the heart of Torino becomes completely human scaled. As the organizers explained, “Torino, following New York’s example, can become a case study for the application of new techniques for urban transformation; techniques which could be exported not only to the regional level but also to a national and European scale.”

A San Salvario il replay di Bryant Park

http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2010/06/21/san-salvario-il-replay-di-bryant.html

LA ZONA di Porta Nuova si ridisegna sul modello del Bryant Park di New York. Già ieri l’ équipe di tecnici sbarcati dagli Stati Uniti ha fatto un primo sopralluogo nelle strade che circondano la stazione. Oggi il team americano, in occasione del workshop organizzato da Confesercenti, Ascom e Camera di Commercio, «Project for public spaces», illustrerà il suo piano per riqualificare  in particolare l’ asse di via Nizza. L’ esedra di Porta Nuova ha diversi aspetti in comune con il lontano Bryant Park. Entrambi sono spazi urbani a forte «rischio», con non indifferenti problemi di carattere socio-economico e culturale. «Ma – sottolinea il team americano – questi aspetti possono essere analizzati e risolti. Così com’ è avvenuto per il Bryant Park trasformato negli anni da luogo problematico, mal frequentato e pericoloso in area fortemente attrattiva». L’ équipe statunitense è formata dai newyorkesi del «Project for Public Spaces» (PPS), pioniere in Europa dell’ approccio “Placemaking”, e di “Tcm Italia”, società che si occupa di «Town Centre Management». Attraverso il caso del Bryant Park, e di altri esempi concreti, si svilupperà lo studio “sul campo”, accanto naturalmente a quello teorico e di dibattito. L’ obiettivo? Trasformare gli spazi pubblici in base alla comunità che ci vive, in un’ ottica più ampia di riqualificazione urbana. Oggi e domani il workshop radunerà in primisi funzionari pubblici, come amministratori, urbanisti e designer.  «Torino, dopo New York – concludono gli organizzatori – diventerà così un caso pilota su cui testare metodologie urbanistiche, esportabili non solo a livello regionale, ma anche nazionale ed europeo». – ERICA DI BLASI

Throughout his career, Norman has consulted on all matters of downtown revitalization providing technical assistance in areas of urban design, retail retention, organization and promotion. He works with communities and organizations of every size to strengthen their capacity to successfully execute and manage the many revitalization challenges they face. He has also worked closely for twenty years with the 34th Street Partnership and Bryant Park Corporation, two large Business Improvement Districts in midtown Manhattan.

Norman formerly worked at PPS from 1982-1989, when he assisted many communities in implementing various revitalization initiatives. You can read his full bio here.