Placemaking

NAR Placemaking Toolkit

Placemaking is a way to make your community a better place to live and work by transforming  public spaces into vibrant community places.  As a place becomes more desirable and welcoming, properties around that place increase in value.  

Turning a parking lot into a farmer’s market. Attracting people to a little-used park to gather, play or listen to music. Brightening up an otherwise drab courtyard or vacant lot.  Envisioning how a block can be revitalized.  This is Placemaking.

Placemaking can be undertaken by anyone in a community but what is often needed is someone to take the lead or initiative.   Who better to do this than a REALTOR^® Association or REALTOR^®, as REALTORS^® are already engaged in their communities and know the neighborhoods and the properties, and are likely to know where to focus efforts to improve a place.  

NAR’s Placemaking program provides technical and financial assistance to help REALTOR^® associations, and their members, initiate placemaking activities in their community. The centerpiece is a guide on placemaking but also includes a series of webinars, a blog, and a grant.

• Placemaking for REALTOR® Associations
  A Guide to Transform a Public Space into a Community Place:  REALTORS^® and state and local association staff can learn the details of Placemaking, the kinds of projects placemaking entails, how to organize them, and where to go for assistance and resources.
  
  
• Space to Places
  Spaces to Places is our blog that details what Placemaking is and how to get started; describes the various types of Placemaking and discusses Placemaking in action across the country, including within the REALTOR^® Community. Take a look and start making changes in your community.  
  http://spacestoplaces.blogs.realtor.org/


• Webinars
  Our Placemaking Webinar Series provides more in depth information on the various types of Placemaking and how REALTORS^® are involved in Placemaking activities in their communities. See upcoming webinars and listen to past webinars which have been recorded.
  
  
• Better Block Guide for Associations
  An overview of what a  Better Block is and information, via the main steps,  to help you, along with your partners, to plan and organize a Better Block

• Funding
  Funding for Placemaking projects is available to state and local REALTOR^® associations.

• Placemaking Micro-Grant: To fund "lighter quicker cheaper" projects that improve a neighborhood with small, inexpensive, incremental placemaking projects which will help to make the neighborhood a better place to live, work and play.

• Smart Growth Action Grant:  For larger Placemaking activities, such as Better Block and Main Street®,  which support land-use related activities.

For more information on Placemaking contact Holly Moskerintz at hmoskerintz@realtors.org.