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.
“This grant not only recognizes the potential of our historic park but also empowers us to work together with the community on a vision of Washington Square that is vibrant, accessible, and safe for everyone. By fostering a closer connection with the residents, workers, and businesses of downtown Rochester, we aim to create a community space where more people come to engage, relax, and connect to their community.”—Jason Schwingle, President of the Washington Square Community Association
Thanks to Project for Public Spaces' Community Placemaking Grant supported by General Motors, the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation (RDDC) transformed the historic Washington Square in downtown Rochester, NY, into a go-to spot for the community with new amenities, signage, and programming.
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Established in 1817 and redesigned by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1892, Washington Square is an urban landmark that serves as a gateway to downtown. Conveniently nearby transit, bike lanes, and the Genesee Riverway Trail, it is home to a statue of Frederick Douglass in addition to several others. While the park had been often used for events and rallies, local residents had long observed that it lacked regular activation and programming on a day-to-day basis.
Guided by the Washington Square’s Community Design Exploration from 2018, Project for Public Spaces led a community engagement and visioning process to identify project goals and community design objectives that informed a vision for short-term improvements and programming at this historic square through the grant. In collaboration with local stakeholders including RDDC and the Washington Square Community Association, this project sought to "energize the public space, be sensitive to its purpose and history, and reconnect it with the community it serves," which were goals outlined in the 2018 report produced by Stantec.
The community engagement process was extensive and multifaceted, spanning from spring 2024 through early 2025 and included intercept surveys, two public workshops, a community webinar, four Community Advisory Committee meetings, and one-on-one focus groups with over a dozen local organizations and businesses. Ongoing collaboration and partnership with the City of Rochester as well as weekly check-ins between partner organizations provided additional oversight.
Community engagement revealed a clear desire for a more inviting and dynamic Washington Square, with residents and stakeholders calling for additional seating, improved wayfinding and signage to welcome visitors and pay homage to the site’s historical character, and engaging programming that would draw people back to the park time and time again. As a result, Project for Public Spaces proposed installation of flexible boa seating, secured Adirondack chairs, carousel tables with integrated seating for social gatherings, solstice umbrellas for shade, picnic tables for outdoor dining, temporary pylon signs for wayfinding, event information, and community messaging.
In 2025, to showcase the park's new amenities, RDDC hosted a community event to launch Summer in the Square, a series of free weekly community events June through August, including Wednesday evening fitness classes, Food Truck Fridays, lawn games, and live music. The new amenities and layout, along with the community programming series supported broader placemaking goals outlined in the Rochester 2034 Comprehensive Plan, building on years of community visioning for Washington Square. The equipment of new colorful outdoor furniture allows the Square to serve as a convenient third place for lingering, enjoying the outdoors, and casually meeting friends and passersby. Together, these improvements marked a meaningful step forward in realizing the community's long-held vision for the space as a vibrant, welcoming gathering place at the heart of downtown Rochester.
Washington Square Community Placemaking Grant
News 10: New food truck series kicks off Friday at Washington Square Park
Project for Public Spaces thanks our Social Impact Partner General Motors 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!
