Edition 49

We are now officially headlong into the holidays, and with Thanksgiving next week, most likely your team is now busy with holiday plans, preparations, community events and activities galore. But fear not, oh faithful placemakers! We’re sharing a succinct round-up of current events, evidence-based best practices and inspiring insights from around the globe. In this edition you’ll find a delicious dollop of holiday cheer from Modesto, CA, a gym concept for the neurodiverse, a new intercity program launch from Bloomberg Philanthropies, authorized Parking Benefit Districts generating funds for local neighborhoods, and the world’s largest trash dump turned park space. Scroll down for five quick hits to amp your placemaking acumen!

Happy Turkey Day,

– Your Bright Brothers Team
David Romako / Josh Yeager /  Brandi Walsh

File under Best Practices. The holidays are an incredible, once-a-year opportunity for us to drive exponential foot traffic to our footprints, engage with local communities and most of all — direct business to our ratepayers and members. And we’re BIG fans of experiential campaigns that touch on as many of the five senses as possible, so it’s no surprise we’re calling out the inventive efforts of one tourism bureau in California. Tiny but mighty Modesto, CA is known for its agricultural underpinnings including almonds, grapes, peaches, walnuts and wine — and the Modesto Tourism Marketing District (TMD) at Visit Modesto did a bang-up job this year of rounding up all the local holiday activations, events and offerings on a landing page, under an umbrella campaign called “MoCheer”. What we love most about this campaign is the companion playlist the org curated to get you in the holiday spirit. Available on Spotify the MoCheer playlist contains a festive mix of 80 holiday standards and party jams with some seasonal country faves mixed in. So even if you’re not in the district — perhaps at home, baking cookies or wrapping presents — the sparklingly festive town is top of mind. We’ve seen other districts create playlists, but this shining example inspires us to get in the holiday mood — from all the way across the country! Well done, Visit Modesto and keep up the good work.

Photo by  Tima Miroshnichenko, Unsplash

If you missed our session in Chicago on “Neurodiversity and Your District”, fret not. We’re happy to share the deck along with other resources, like this piece from NextCity that highlights a movement in creating spaces where neurodivergent kids can be themselves. We Rock the Spectrum is a pioneering concept in “gyms” born out of necessity back in 2010 in Tarzana, CA — where founder Dina Kimmel stated the first gym to meet the needs of her son who had been diagnosed with moderate-to-severe autism, as well as her daughter who isn’t on the spectrum. While the gym itself specializes in autism-friendly experiences, the thing we like about it — and that was the point of our preso at IDA  — is that by augmenting spaces and experiences for the neurodivergent, you’re not taking away from everyone else. You’re being inclusive to more of the community. Additionally, there’s a workforce building component with We Rock that offers jobs and skills training for neurodivergent folks and that’s a win all the way around. Check it out and let us know if your district is undertaking any initiatives aimed at neurodiversity inclusion locally.

Photo by Hiki App on Unsplash
 

… that last week Bloomberg Philanthropies launched a new program called the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange designed to drive innovation in cities? With a $50 million investment, the program is built to leverage over a decade of cumulative, evidence-based knowledge-sharing among its partners, including grants to 40 cities, ongoing technical assistance and support. The overall aim of the program is to offer viable models for challenges facing cities on topics ranging from climate change to affordable housing to mental health and more. The website will eventually include tools and trainings for cities, as well as information about upcoming grants and opportunities for up to 3,000 cities. Sign up here.

Photo by Alejandro Luengo on Unsplash

In 2016 the Massachusetts state legislature authorized the use of new Parking Benefit Districts that funnel parking fees from meters directly back to the neighborhoods and districts that generated the income. And while the City of Boston has yet to test the model, several metro municipalities have run trials that prove hopeful for districts looking to fund localized initiatives. Now, a Boston City Councilor has requested a hearing to run a pilot in a popular shopping and dining district within the city limits. Of the three locales that have already taken advantage of the legislation, they’ve noted additional benefits beyond the bottom line, including freeing up limited, in-demand curb space and keeping traffic moving. But the most attractive aspect of the PBDs would be reinvesting the parking profits to their own communities — rather than going into a city’s general fund where the dollars may be divested elsewhere. And to us — that’s a good thing!

Photo by Josh Newton on Unsplash

Imagine kayaking through a landfill, or taking a pleasure hike through the city dump. Sounds gross, right? But that’s exactly what the City of New York has pulled off with the renovation and revitalization of Staten Island’s “Freshkills” — formerly the world’s largest dump. Initially intended to support a housing initiative after three years of life as municipal waste repository, the growing city needed a place to dispose of its groady byproducts and the housing plan went the way of rising methane gas. Today the area has been repurposed as a public park, complete with a system of pipes and pumps to remove, process and sell the smelly resource, which is then re-sold for cooking and heating. This former “Mount Trashmore” has been re-sculpted into a serene space including walking trails, and even a tidal creek suitable for kayaking. This is but one of myriad evidence-based solutions that can be adopted and adapted by other cities as we re-envision the future of urban life in-and-around our population centers.

Photo by zibik on Unsplash