The Placemaking Round-Up
A biweekly newsletter with public space news, resources, and opportunities.
The Biweekly Bazaar
A curated dispatch on all things public markets plus the latest announcements from the Market Cities Program.
A biweekly newsletter with public space news, resources, and opportunities.
A curated dispatch on all things public markets plus the latest announcements from the Market Cities Program.
“By centering artists in civic life, we’re fostering inclusive, community-driven environments where residents can connect, lead, and take part in organizing around the issues that matter most."—Karen Finn, Springfield Cultural Partnership’s Executive Director
In June 2025, Project for Public Spaces awarded the Springfield Cultural Partnership (SCP) with $60K through its Community Placemaking Grant: Civic Spaces initiative to work with the community to plan, design, build, and program a three-month pop-up civic space. The grant, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, aimed to help SCP in its mission to address a clear gap in the city's Metro Center: the lack of accessible space for locals to come together to practice civic engagement and dialogue. A nonprofit that connects artists, institutions, community partners, and residents, SCP set out to test the simple but ambitious idea that civic spaces could be activated through the arts to serve as a catalyst for economic and cultural revitalization. The chosen office space in Tower Square, a commercial building in Springfield, became The Intersection for the community — turning grant investment into visible community benefit, while building trust, coordination, and cultural stewardship that make long-term impact possible.
As a result of spending time at The Intersection, 83% of participants reported feeling more aware of, or more able to participate in, civic matters.
Bringing The Intersection to life followed a deliberate, community-informed path. With planning, implementation, and capacity building assistance from PPS and CultureHouse, a nonprofit that specializes in community pop-ups, SCP conducted research and community engagement from July through September 2025, which shaped the vision for the space including concept and program development through November. SCP then moved into design and build-out through January 2026. A parallel call for programming ran from December 2025 through April 2026, inviting community members to help fill a community calendar. By the time the doors opened for activation in February 2026, the space reflected months of direct community collaboration rather than a top-down design imposed on the neighborhood.
Over 90 days of activation, The Intersection quickly became a high-use civic and cultural hub, hosting more than 70 diverse, community-facilitated programs across six impact areas:
Rather than curating every event itself, SCP's small team relied on a partner-led model. Hosts booked and managed their own programming with simple guidelines and light-touch support, allowing the space to scale far beyond what SCP's small staff could run alone. The community's response affirmed the approach: visitors described the space as one that made them feel welcomed, connected, and included. Culturally rooted, multilingual events like Noche Bohemia: Poesía, Versos y Canciones (Bohemian Night: Poetry, Verses, and Songs) drew the highest turnouts of the season, over 50 attendees, underscoring how strongly culturally resonant programming pulled the neighborhood in.
“We do not run every program, but we do make it possible for others to lead. Through a partner-lab model, hosts manage their own events with simple booking, clear guidelines, and lots of support from our team. We focus on facilitation, not curation, and everything is grounded in trust and relationships.”
—Karen Finn, Executive Director, Springfield Cultural Partnership
The space’s rapid success created a demand that has outpaced capacity. The Intersection has become a trusted, welcoming space for connection, creativity, and community, with strong repeat visitation and word of mouth.
“Partnering with The Intersection has been an invaluable experience as a local visual artist. The opportunity to connect with the community and be involved civically has been a gift. Spaces like The Intersection where people and community can come together are indispensable.”
—Local Artist
The Intersection stayed open for four more weeks after the grant period as a local civic association kept the space active through drop-in community hours and programming, and interest from another regional cultural district in adapting the model pointed to the project’s influence far beyond its original community.
“[This project is] proof that when you invest in accessible, community-led space, people show up, they connect, they create, and they lead,” Karen Finn and Kali Green, SCP’s Creative Director report. “The Intersection isn't just what happened in Springfield—it's a model for what's possible in your community too.”
Learn more about Project for Public Spaces’ Community Placemaking Grants.
Follow Springfield Cultural Partnership on Instagram.
Project for Public Spaces thanks our Social Impact Partner Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, whose support helps make this work possible.
Project for Public Spaces’ Community Placemaking Grants enable US-based nonprofits and government agencies to address inequality of access to public places that serve community needs by working directly with local stakeholders to transform spaces or co-create new ones. We do this by providing direct funding, technical assistance, and capacity building facilitated by Project for Public Spaces. Learn more about how to become a Social Impact Partner today.
You can also support our work by making a donation. Every bit helps to bring public spaces to life!
