smART Big Bang
Planning for Public Art and Creative Placemaking in Downtown Greensboro, NC
ArtsGreensboro was developing a Downtown Artscape Plan for the Elm Street Corridor in Greensboro, North Carolina to accompany the City of Greensboro’s Downtown Master Streetscape Plan. Our team collaborated in a workshop and open forum series with city officials, artists, and residents about the role of public art to support economic and urban development. We brainstormed an art informed plan to harness local businesses and organizations, and improved wayfinding to promote cultural connectivity and walkability in the historic downtown region.
Context
How can arts & cultural planning support a city’s urban planning efforts and goals for its broader health? The downtown core of Greensboro, NC faced vacancy and lack of spatial cohesion to connect different regions of the area for daily use, travel, and exploration. Rich architectural assets, short walking distances, and pockets of existing creative activities in the area could serve as a launch point to expand existing local efforts into unified and cohesive strategies, executed in phases, with the city, local organizations, and supplemental funding sources.
Old railroad tracks cut off sections of the downtown disincentivizing pedestrian exploration.
Approach
Our team worked with diverse public stakeholders to map locations with the greatest opportunity for public art interventions. We shared case studies and precedents to utilize placemaking practices and lean urbanism interventions with local artists and organizations to support coordinated decision making, while activating spaces with new art and activities. By evaluating sites and surrounding use patterns at downtown locations, we outlined effective ways to allocate funding for cohesive and engaging public art projects.
Inside Elsewhere, a living museum and creative anchor for the downtown area.
Outcome
Our team outlined specific opportunities to implement lean urbanism tactics to spark interest among other local organizations, build momentum within the City, and garner support for larger arts based public realm projects. We developed a suite of strategies to support governance structures, commissioning public art teams to streamline decision making and assist in project production. We produced asset-based placemaking maps to harness a vibrant art scene and stimulate cultural events tailored to local needs and activities. These maps where site specific to the neighborhood scale and to a diversity of approaches with local stakeholders.
Explored different strategies to active sections of downtown Greensboro with city officials, planners, artists, and residents. Explored different strategies to active sections of downtown Greensboro with city officials, planners, artists, and residents.