This Should Be

PROJECT PROPOSAL THIS SHOULD BE By Marissa Volk University of Florida Masters of Fine Art Candidate Graduation: May 2019 Major: Graphic Design

PROPOSAL abstract

THIS SHOULD BE is an extended creative mapping project in Gainesville, Florida. It aims to make public information transparent and accessible, and to organize it in a way that aids a community purpose. It will be an interactive and collaborative online resource that communities can use to discover spaces, resources, and assistance available to them, so that they can begin to activate vacant spaces within their neighborhoods. The main question this project seeks to answer is: what are the city’s priorities, what are the communities’ priorities, and how can they come together to address a better use of vacant spaces?

THIS SHOULD BE will compile and compare community knowledge of vacant spaces with city data to ground truth in the information. The outcome will be the creation of an accurate and up-to-date online map that will also allow neighbors to communicate online about what they’d like to see in a space in order to make it easier to reach a critical number. The interactive map will be supplemented by other necessary information such as ideas for what could occur in a space, zoning, government officials to contact, and more, so that neighbors can begin the process. The hope is that development becomes more democratic and participatory, giving agency to residents to have some say in what changes occur in their neighborhoods.

introduction

What attributes would an accessible online platform need to have to enable communities to learn about spaces, resources, opportunities, and assistance available to them in order to activate vacant spaces in Gainesville? This question generated an investigation into the legal steps needed to activate local vacant spaces for productive use. While researching, I met with several city agencies and was surprised at how siloed information on how to address vacant spaces was. No entity could provide the complete information needed to begin transforming a space legally, such as last known owner, city representatives responsible for a specific parcel, and so on. The information all exists and, even better, is public, but it is so full of jargon and dispersed across so many different governmental agencies that it is impossible to piece together in a limited amount of time.

CONCEPTUAL KEY WORDS accessibility ; not only based on information being available, also relating to the reader’s ability to act on that information or follow through on next steps1 crowdsource ; when an organization has a task it needs performed, an [online] community voluntarily performs the task, and the result is mutual benefit for the organization and the [online] community2 dialogue ; between city data and neighborhood resident’s expert knowledge3 temporary ; cannot be based on the nature of use, or whether rent is paid, or whether a use is formal or informal, or even the scale, longevity or endurance of a temporary use, but rather the intention of the user, developer, or planners that the use should be temporary4

tactical urbanism ; of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose/clever planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose5 creative placemaking ; partners from public, private, nonprofit, and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, tribe, city, or region around arts and cultural activities.

Creative placemaking animates public and private spaces, rejuvenates structures and streetscapes, improves local businesses’ viability and public safety, and brings diverse people together to celebrate, inspire, and be inspired.6 A creative placemaking project does four things: (1) define a community based in geography, such as a block, neighborhood, city, or even county; (2) articulate a change the group of people living and working in that community want; (3) propose an arts-based intervention to help achieve that change; and (4) develop a way to know whether the change occurred.7 VISUAL KEY WORDS weaving ; interplay between community and city contrast ; two distinct systems of knowledge coming together negative space ; making vacancy visible layering ; of data and visuals

problem statement

What attributes would an accessible online platform need to have to enable communities to learn about spaces, resources, opportunities, and assistance available to them in order to activate vacant spaces within Gainesville, Florida?

The local government is built to work for and with city residents. However, governmental public information isn’t always easy to locate and doesn’t often translate into plain language8 for the average citizen. In Gainesville, civic leaders provide a city-owned vacancy map but it will only load on a desktop computer because the file is so heavy, and much of the information is outdated.

To give broader context to the nationwide issue of vacant spaces, here are some statistics. Vacant spaces are detrimental for neighboring properties and, when concentrated, entire communities and even cities. A study in Cleveland found that being within 500 feet of a vacant property depresses the sale price of a nondistressed home by 1.7% in low-poverty areas and 2.1% in mediumpoverty areas.9 In Nevada, Arizona, Florida, and Georgia, all states with high foreclosure rates, nonseasonal vacancies increased by more than 85% between 2000 and 2010.10 Using an accessible and transparent central resource, how can communities begin to assert their knowledge of their own neighborhoods and spaces in order to crowdsource ideas for site-specific interventions? How can communities collaborate and co-design with civic leaders to realize their visions for what vacant spaces could be? What are the city’s priorities, what are the communities’ priorities in relation to blighted properties, and how can they come together to address a better use of vacant spaces?

inspiration

KEY RESEARCH MOMENTS Investor Syndrome (article) by The Fine Print (magazine) “What we [the city] lack is some sort of central place where you can learn about all those resources and get the assistance that you need,” she said.

“It’s a gap. Unfortunately one that we can’t take on….To me, it’s more: What are our city’s priorities, and our community’s priorities, and how do we all come together…to help address a problem, or a perceived problem.”11 Quote by Sarah Vidal-Finn, Community Redevelopment Agency, Gainesville.

Making Democracy Fun (book) by Josh Lerner What if public meetings featured competition and collaboration (such as team challenges), clear rules (presented and modeled in multiple ways), measurable progress (such as scores and levels), and engaging visuals?

He finds that when governments and organizations use games and design their programs to be more like games, public participation becomes more attractive, effective, and transparent.12 Center for Plain Language (organization) Every fall, they grade US federal agencies on their plain language writing skills. The agencies are judged against seven criteria: (1) overall effectiveness, (2) understanding the audience, (3) manner or voice, (4) writing style, (5) structure and navigation, (6) information design and presentation, (7) pictures, graphics, and charts (if applicable).13 This year the categories were: Writing and Information Design of FAQ page and Data Infographic.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development scored a D+ and a C, respectively. These grades show a great need for improvement in accessibility.

VISUAL INSPIRATIONS

SIMILAR EXISTING PROJECTS Candy Chang: I Wish This Was...

I Wish This Was is a participatory public art project that explores the process of civic engagement. Inspired by the limited dynamics of community meetings where the loudest people ruled, as well as the volume of abandoned buildings, Chang posted thousands of “I wish this was ___� stickers on vacant buildings across New Orleans to invite residents to easily share their hopes for these spaces. She also provided boxes of free stickers in businesses around the city. Infusing street art, urban planning, and ethnographic research, the project reveals the hopes, dreams and colorful imaginations across different neighborhoods, challenges barriers to participation, and provokes new insights for what New Orleans might yet become. The project allows residents to provide civic input on-site and enables introverts like Chang to share just as much with their community.14 Center for Urban Pedagogy The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) is a nonprofit organization that uses

the power of design and art to increase meaningful civic engagement. CUP projects demystify the urban policy and planning issues that impact our communities, so that more individuals can better participate in shaping them. They believe that increasing understanding of how these systems work is the first step to better and more diverse community participation. CUP projects are collaborations of art and design professionals, community-based advocates and policymakers, and their staff. Together they take on complex issues—from the juvenile justice system to zoning law to food access—and break them down into simple, accessible, visual explanations. The tools they create are used by organizers and educators all over New York City and beyond to help their constituents better advocate for their own community needs.15 596 Acres 596 Acres builds tools to help neighbors see vacant lots as opportunities and create needed green spaces that become focal points for community organizing and civic engagement. A sophisticated interactive organizing tool, Living Lots NYC, provides information about vacant land across NYC and is supported by signs and other print materials. While policy makers work toward prioritizing urban agriculture and public space, 596 Acres connects people with new and emerging opportunities to make local change now.

Through collaborative organizing residents become active stewards of urban land. By changing the way people see the land in their neighborhoods, they transform their relationships to power. They spur bottom-up development that compensates for uneven growth when we help people create their own lasting vibrant institutions in our shared land.16 PAN Studio: Hello Lamp Post and A Fork in the Road Hello Lamp Post is a playful SMS platform, inviting people to strike up conversations with familiar street furniture using the text message function of their mobile phones. All street furniture have unique codes for maintenance purposes; Hello Lamp Post utilizes this existing infrastructure, making it core to the experience of encouraging people to leave located messages and stories for each other.17 A Fork in the Road is a narrative adventure platform where the story advances depending on the route you take in the real world. It is a located story writing platform that people and communities everywhere can use to co-author adventures that take place in the environment around them.18 ArtPlace America: Exploring Our Town Creative placemaking projects strategically link communities and local governments with artists, designers, and arts organizations to improve quality of life, create a sense of place, and revitalize local economies.19 Project showcase and insights give examples of creative placemaking and its impacts.

process

METHODOLOGY 1. Research and meet with Gainesville city officials about Gainesville’s blighted properties (see Appendix A for meeting notes):

Andres Lazo ; Director of Citizen-Centered Design, City of Gainesville Jessica Leonard ; Project Manager, Community Redevelopment Agency Tracy Bayles ; Director of GIS, Alachua County Property Appraiser’s Office 2. Refine key words to reflect research and goals.

3. Design in-person and online platforms for exploring, ideating, and reporting vacant spaces.

4. Design online, interactive central map resource that organizes both the city’s data and citizens’ information (future step, need all data first).

TESTING/OUTPUT Informational Website: https://m0693volk0.wixsite.com/thisshouldbe Logo:

Bike Spoke Cards with attached Sticker (6”x6”):

Poster (11”x17”) with Integrated Sticker Pack (6”x6”):

Mailbox Flier (8.5”x11” trifold):

OUTCOMES To be determined (campaign set to go public in Spring 2018).

conclusion

TO CONSIDER One of the most important things to consider within the framework of the project is who will be encountering this campaign. It is critical to avoid putting up the posters in transient university student areas in Gainesville, since they are likely less aware of the history of the neighborhood they live in, and less likely to fully consider the effects of change and development on their neighborhood. The target audience for the campaign is long-term residents who have some level of commitment to their neighborhoods. In order to better ensure that the campaign is reaching the right audience and appearing in essential places, it was suggested that the campaign be passed along to key players within the Gainesville community, such as local activists, the Civic Media Center, the public library, community centers, and more.

SMALL CHANGES A question I received in critique: “Are stickers a form of vandalism if placed on an abandoned storefront?” This prompted a closer look at Candy Chang’s I Wish This Was... participatory public art project that also utilizes stickers. I found some insights that I had missed earlier in the semester. Chang states that “Stickers should be made of vinyl, not paper, so they can easily be removed without damaging property.” (My prototype stickers were made with paper.) This is essential information because one of the main goals of THIS SHOULD BE is to collaborate with the city and current owners of the property, not to vandalize their property. Chang also includes a link to Neighborland, a nationwide toolkit for civic projects co-founded by herself, Dan Parham, and Tee Parham. It was developed as a result of I Wish This Was....20 Neighborland’s goals are similar to THIS SHOULD BE in that it seeks to empower residents to shape the development of their neighborhoods. The process begins by listening to residents both online and by gathering responses through use of the stickers and public installations. Residents can upvote others’ ideas for improvements, as well as subscribe to certain neighborhoods to receive updates.

The Neighborland reports “make it easy for organizers to see trends in the data, make decisions, allocate resources, and keep participants involved in the fun part – making their neighborhoods better places.”21 The idea of upvoting seems like a more streamlined way for residents to reach critical numbers than a potentially messy and unorganized comment section, which is what I was previously visualizing.

future directions

SOCIAL MEDIA could be the main outlet for communication and exposure, with the website I created acting as supplementary and more detailed information.

Posting information about found vacant spaces could happen on the THIS SHOULD BE public Facebook newsfeed. Others who “like” or “follow” the THIS SHOULD BE campaign could happen across these updates on their own newsfeed, and be reminded of the effort to map Gainesville’s vacant spaces. Those Gainesville residents that come across photos/information posted by other residents may also have information to add to what others have reported. This organic informationbuilding network could happen much more easily on a public and engaging social

media platform rather than via private submission or posting to the website. Social media also presents the opportunity to make use of geotags, location tags, and hashtags that will make information reported more complete.

INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE AND MAP could supplement and detail the social media posts. The main function of the website will be to host the interactive map of vacant spaces that have been identified by the City of Gainesville data and/or Gainesville residents. Once a parcel on the map is clicked, necessary information about activating the space will appear. This information may include: photos/location/size of the parcel, zoning designations, steps toward changing zoning designations, ideas about what could legally happen in that space, city representatives responsible for that specific parcel, last known owner of the space, and more. Each of these topics will utilize plain language8 and illustrations to make this information accessible to an average resident and communicate complex ideas clearly. There will be a contact form for the resident interested in a specific parcel to sign up to be notified as others become interested in that same parcel. There will also be a comment section where residents can suggest an idea for what they’d like to see in that space, and other neighborhood residents can choose to upvote that idea. Once a critical number of neighborhood residents can agree, they can use the information and links provided about legally activating a space to begin the process with their local government representative.

ONGOING COLLABORATION WITH CITY GOVERNMENT would be necessary in order to legally improve vacant neighborhood spaces. Creating some kind of structure or system to ensure that the process is as smooth and beneficial for all parties is crucial. More research is needed to evaluate what this structure could be.

bibiography

1. Plain Language 101: Gobbledygook, Jargon, and Misleading Public Information. (n.d.).

Retrieved December 1, 2017, from https://siteimprove.com/blog/plain-language-101gobbledygook-jargon-and-misleading-public-information 2. Brabham, D. C. (2013). Using Crowdsourcing in Government (Rep.). Retrieved December 1, 2017, from IBM Center for the Business of Government website: https://www.cbs.dk/ files/cbs.dk/using_crowdsourcing_in_government.pdf 3. Accordino, J., & Fasulo, F. (2013). Fusing Technical and Political Rationality in Community Development: A Prescriptive Model of Efficiency-Based Strategic Geographic Targeting.

Housing Policy Debate, 23(4), 615-642. doi:10.1080/10511482.2010.528618 4. US Government. (2014, Winter). Temporary urbanism: alternative approaches to vacant land. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/ em/winter14/highlight4.html 5. Lydon, M., Garcia, A., & Duany, A. (2015). Tactical urbanism: short-term action for longterm change. Washington, DC: Island Press.

6. Markusen, A., & Nicodemus, A. G. (2014). Community Development Investment Review [Review of the website Our Town]. Creative Placemaking, 10(2), 35-42. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://www.frbsf.org/community-development/files/creativeplacemaking-how-to-do-it-well.pdf 7. Bennett, J. (2014). Community Development Investment Review [Review of the project ArtPlace America]. Creative Placemaking, 10(2), 77-84. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://www.frbsf.org/community-development/files/creative-placemaking-incommunity-planning-and-development-an-introduction-to-artplace-america.pdf 8. Center for Plain Language. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2017, from http:// centerforplainlanguage.org/about/ 9. US Government. (2014, Winter). Vacant and Abandoned Properties: Turning Liabilities Into Assets. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ periodicals/em/winter14/highlight1.html 10. US Government. (2014, Winter). Vacant and Abandoned Properties: Turning Liabilities Into Assets. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/ periodicals/em/winter14/highlight1.html 11. Schuyler, S. (2016, August 05). Investor Syndrome. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http://thefineprintmag.org/investor-syndrome/ 12. Lerner, J. (2014). Making democracy fun: how game design can empower citizens and transform politics. Cambridge, MA: Lonon.

13. Center for Plain Language. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2017, from http:// centerforplainlanguage.org/ 14. Chang, C. (2010). I Wish This Was. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http:// candychang.com/work/i-wish-this-was/ 15. About CUP. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://welcometocup.org/about 16. Mission and Story – 596 Acres. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://596acres. org/mission-and-story/ 17. Pan Studio. (n.d.). Hello Lamp Post. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://panstudio. co.uk/project/hello-lamp-post/ 18. Pan Studio. (n.d.). A Fork in the Road. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http:// panstudio.co.uk/project/fork-in-the-road/ 19. National Endowment for the Arts. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2017, from https://www. arts.gov/exploring-our-town/ 20. Chang, C. (2010). I Wish This Was. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http:// candychang.com/work/i-wish-this-was/ 21. Neighborland. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2017, from https://neighborland.com

appendix a: meeting notes

ANDRES LAZO ; Director of Citizen-Centered Design, City of Gainesville • wants to connect Bo Diddley Plaza to Depot Park, fill with activities • wants to create activity in vacant storefronts along University Avenue between Midtown and Downtown Gainesville • pop-up temporary events in spaces not being used, contact owners of these spaces (i.e. historic Firestone Building, on University Avenue) • wants to involve residents directly in development • idea to have a tent with a map at the farmers market, and allow shoppers to locate vacant spaces within their neighborhoods using pushpins • CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) is also working on a map of vacant spaces, could collaborate with them JESSICA LEONARD ; Project Manager, Community Redevelopment Agency • working on a map of vacant spaces (not yet public), includes many city-/local government-owned properties as well as known private ones • city has facade grants up to $50,000 must go to commercial entities but may be used for comprehensive developments like hardscape, landscape, lighting, facade improvement, structure improvement • city is partnering with 352 Walls by using facade grants to pay artists to paint murals around Gainesville • less development in the Fifth Avenue/Pleasant Street areas dating back to the Jim Crow laws; one result is a concentration of vacancies in those areas • Vacant spaces often coincide with higher organized crime (such as drug and sex trafficking); Gainesville Police Department’s crime data (heat map) may be overlayed with vacant spaces map to find accurate correlation • everything in Gainesville is changing so fast, city maps become easily outdated • there was a lot of demolition on University Avenue in the last year TRACY BAYLES ; Director of GIS, Alachua County Property Appraiser’s Office • compiles vacant city- and private-owned parcels • data on last known owner and zoning type for each parcel • City Planning Department has regulations for specific zoning designations, as well as a Land Use Plan (what the land COULD be used for) • Appraisal Officde doesn’t keep record of locations of community-driven projects (i.e. existing community gardens) but another governmental department might

appendix b: research themes

TACTICAL URBANISM A) Temporary Use, Lasting Benefits Tactical is defined as “of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose.” Cities are in a constant state of flux, which may explain why planners are often preoccupied with control. Large-scale transformations, such as stadiums, museums, large waterfront parks, and convention centers are all big-ticket items with measurable curb appeal (for some). Yet, such projects require a substantial investment of time, as well as a deep reserve of political, social, and fiscal capital.

Moreover, the long-term economic or social benefit cannot be guaranteed. In the pursuit of equitable progress, citizens are typically invited to engage in a process that is fundamentally broken: rather than being asked to contribute to incremental change at the neighborhood or block level, residents are asked to react to proposals they often don’t understand, and at a scale for which they have little control.

Surmounting the challenges inherent to these “public” processes continues to prove difficult. However, improving the livability of our towns and cities commonly starts at the street, block, or building scale. While larger scale efforts do have their place, incremental, small-scale improvements are increasingly seen as a way to stage more substantial investments. This approach allows a host of local actors to test new concepts before making substantial political and financial commitments. Sometimes sanctioned, sometimes not, these actions are commonly referred to as “guerilla urbanism,” “pop-up urbanism,” “city repair,” or “D.I.Y. urbanism.” While exhibiting several overlapping characteristics, “tactical urbanism,” is a deliberate approach to city-making that features the following five characteristics: (1) a deliberate, phased approach to instigating change; (2) an offering of local ideas for local planning challenges; (3) short-term commitment and realistic expectations; (4) low-risks, with a possibly a high reward; and (5) the development of social capital between citizens, and the building of organizational capacity between public/private institutions, non-profit/NGOs, and their constituents.1 What tactical urbanism can do is loosen up the planning process and increase the flow of communication between citizens and government.2 The experimentation and reversibility afforded by temporary use practices can encourage a multilayered approach to land use and increase the likelihood that a vacant space will eventually find permanent use. The concept of temporary cannot be based on the nature of use, or whether rent is paid, or whether a use is formal or informal, or even the scale, longevity or endurance of a temporary use, but rather the intention of the user, developer, or planners that the use should be temporary. The site’s former use is often thematically incorporated into its new use and marketed as an asset.3 VACANCY/BLIGHTED PROPERTIES A) Understanding Scale of Vacancy Multiple variables can lead authorities to designate a property as vacant, including the physical condition of a structure, the amount of time the property has been in that condition, or the relationship of the owner to the property. For example, in Baltimore, the city building code defines residences as vacant only if they are uninhabitable, not if they are merely unoccupied. These city-level variances, combined with the difficulty of maintaining up-to-date information about ownership, use, and location causes inaccuracies in the data regarding the overwhelming scale of vacancy in the U.S.A. However, foreclosure rates may give insights into the true prevalence of vacancy: in Nevada, Arizona, Florida, and Georgia, non-seasonal vacancies increased by more than 85% between 2000 and 2010.4

B) Connecting Physical Conditions to Consequences (or Benefits) Vacant properties have direct and indirect costs. When owners abandon maintaining a property, not only does it cost the city money to maintain and “watch” the property for criminal activities, but the cost is increased by the amount of lost money that would have been brought in for the city through taxes. In many cases, the cost of tax penalties and compounded interest far exceed the property’s market value, causing the sale of the property to be impossible. Demolition of such properties is very expensive (typically between $4800-$7000 per property), thus abandoned spaces often stay liabilities for an extended amount of time. Beyond financial concerns, vacant lots have negative spillover effects that impact neighboring properties and, when concentrated, entire communities and even cities. Being within 500 feet of a vacant property depresses the sale price of a non-distressed home by 1.7% in low-poverty areas and 2.1% in medium-poverty areas. The “broken windows theory” claims that vacant properties attract crime because one sign of abandonment will encourage further disorder. Because vacancies are so closely associated with arson, vandalism, assault, and other crimes, abandoned properties are labeled as a threat to the health and welfare of a community.5 However, these compounding consequences can be turned into benefits. Positive effects within a neighborhood increase exponentially when concentrated areas of blight are engaged as a system of activation, instead of individually.6 MAPPING/OPEN DATA A) (In)accessibility of Public Data “What we [the city] lack is some sort of central place where you can learn about all [the city’s] resources and get the assistance that you need. It’s a gap .... what are our city’s priorities, and our community’s priorities, and how do we all come together .... to help address a problem, or a perceived problem.”7 Data tools and systems for local governments and communities are crucial to tracking, understanding, and addressing the effects of vacancy. New York City leads the way in many of these accessibility efforts. The Who Represents Me NYC website provides information about which government representatives (including city council member, community board member, and borough representatives) are relevant for a specific address within the city.8 Another organization that addresses research at the city level is the Center for Urban Research, which mobilizes researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center to undertake basic research addressing the issues facing New York and other large cities. A common thread in the Center for Urban Research’s activities is to understand the broad forces shaping patterns of inequality, inter-group relations, and neighborhood life in large urban areas and how these trends influence and are influenced by political participation, civic engagement, and the role of government.9 B) Community Agency and Traction The Center for Urban Pedagogy streamlines the steps necessary for community leaders to gain traction and initiate positive changes in their neighborhoods. By “making policy public,” residents are enabled to advocate for their own community needs. CUP projects demystify the urban policy and planning issues that impact our communities, so that more individuals can better participate in shaping them. CUP believes that increasing understanding of how these systems work is the first step to better and more diverse community participation. CUP projects are collaborations of art and design professionals, community-based advocates and policymakers, and their staff. Together they take on complex issues—from the juvenile justice system to zoning law to food access—and break them down into simple, accessible, visual

explanations.10 Another approach to encouraging community agency is involving game design. In Making Democracy Fun, Josh Lerner offers a novel solution for the sad state of our deliberative democracy: the power of good game design. He finds that when governments and organizations use games and design their programs to be more like games, public participation becomes more attractive, effective, and transparent. Game design can make democracy fun—and make it work.11 A similar effort to engage a community in a common activity is the application Run An Empire by PAN Studio. A strategy game for mobile devices, it is based in the real world. Players compete with their neighbors to own the most territory in their area. The owner is whoever runs/ walks/ jogs around it the most times. Players must choose with every run if they are going to reinforce their own territory or liberate an opponents.12 Candy Chang, an artist who often creates participatory public art, approaches urban issues without utilizing technology. She instead installs her physical pieces directly in the paths of those living in the area. Her projects, especially I Wish This Was... and Post-it Notes for Neighbors act as an analog information exchange, allowing communities to transcend their individual knowledge and receive important neighborhood knowledge and ideas.13 RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION A) “Rightsizing” Cities that have lost half or more of their peak populations have a far larger housing supply, transportation, utilities infrastructure, and service area than they have people to use and pay for them. Planners and politicians have a tendency to try to grow out of these problems, but increasingly they are looking toward “rightsizing” or even “smart decline” as a way to adjust services to population. Rightsized cities will be more efficient in allocating limited resources if residents are concentrated in denser areas, allowing the city to taper off services serving few people. However, this concept raises issues of equity. Either way, large amounts of vacant land require large-scale repurposing strategies such as urban agriculture, woodlands, parks, and recreation. Instead of cities focusing so much on growing, they should turn focus to making themselves attractive and having the market respond to that.14 B) Creative Placemaking as a Tool to Drive Community Development Creative placemaking has become somewhat of a buzzword over the past five years.

It refers to situations where art plays an intentional and integral role in community planning and development. The phrase simply adds creative interventions alongside the other “placemaking” strategies pioneered by Jane Jacobs. Each creative placemaking project should do four things: (1) define a community based in geography, such as a block, neighborhood, city, or even county; (2) articulate a change the group of people living and working in that community want; (3) propose an arts-based intervention to help achieve that change; and (4) develop a way to know whether the change occurred. Creative placemaking adopts the language of community planning and development as the framework and context for understanding the impact of the investments. Because arts and culture are often consumed in person, creative placemaking projects often increase foot traffic and its associated benefits such as improving public safety (think Jane Jacobs’ “eyes on the street”) and to drive a neighborhood’s economy. Furthermore, studies suggest that people who participate in arts are more likely to engage civically beyond the arts. Creative placemaking emphasizes this engagement through involving residents in the neighborhood development process. Most successful community planning and development is done by and with communities. Not every community has waterfront access, a strong public transportation system, or a major hospital/

university. However, every community has people who sing, dance, and tell stories.15 A more specific example of this creative placemaking strategy is Tidy Street Project.

It is a part of CHANGE, an EPSRC funded research collaboration. The project aimed to change people’s everyday habits with respect to environmental concerns, such as reducing an individual, group or organization’s carbon footprint. Residents measured their electricity consumption with city data and used this data to chalk up a street art infographic on the streets outside of their houses every night. Each day the participants’ electricity usage over the previous 24 hours was marked; and each week participants could choose to add another comparison line that showed how their electricity consumption compared to another region in the UK or even a different country. The residents, in collaboration with the local graffiti artist Snub, produced an engaging street infographic that stimulated the street and passersby to reflect on their electricity use. The tenants were made aware of which appliances used the most electricity as well as a general awareness on how to lower their consumption, resulting in a 15% usage reduction.16 C) Dilution and Transparency A problem across cities regardless of scale is dilution of resources. Every function is siloed into departments with specialties and boundaries. An example; in Gainesville, FL, a comprehensive list of city-owned vacant spaces with tax information and zoning information (directly relevant for utilizing the space) is public information in theory. But a citizen wanting to obtain this data must go through the property appraising department, the city planning department, and the Community Redevelopment Agency (whose maps are contain more layers than the public ones the property appraiser office publishes online, but are not publicly published).

Because this information is scattered across departments and offices, they may not be simultaneously updated. All of these factors lead to a very tedious task for the citizen seeking “public data,” even if he or she can understand the jargon. New York City decided to address this problem by condensing data into relevant sets, all in one place online. It is searchable, organized, and categorized for ease of use. Anne Roest of the NYC Open Data initiative believes that “true engagement, equitable engagement, is not only about releasing data, it is about expanding opportunities for collaboration to all corners of the five boroughs, and providing the public – the tech-savvy and the layperson alike – tools and know-how to fully participate in a data-informed City.” 17

appendix b bibliography

1. Lydon, M., Garcia, A., & Duany, A. (2015). Tactical urbanism: short-term action for long-term change. Washington, DC: Island Press.

2. Goodyear, S. (2015, March 20). What ‘Tactical Urbanism’ Can (and Can’t) Do for Your City. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www.citylab.com/design/2015/03/ what-tactical-urbanism-can-and-cant-do-for-your-city/388342/ 3. US Government (2014). Temporary urbanism: alternative approaches to vacant land. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/ em/winter14/highlight4.html 4. US Government (2014). Vacant and abandoned properties: turning liabilities into assets. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/ em/winter14/highlight1.html#title 5. US Government (2014). Vacant and abandoned properties: turning liabilities into assets. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/ em/winter14/highlight1.html#title 6. US Government (2014). Temporary urbanism: alternative approaches to vacant land. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/ em/winter14/highlight4.html 7. Schuyler, S. (2016, August 05). Investor Syndrome. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://thefineprintmag.org/investor-syndrome/ 8. Who represents me? NYC. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://www. mygovnyc.org/ 9. Center for urban research. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www. gc.cuny.edu/CUR 10. Center for urban pedagogy. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http:// welcometocup.org/ 11. Lerner, J. (2014). Making democracy fun: how game design can empower citizens and transform politics. Cambridge, MA: Lonon.

12. Run an empire. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://panstudio.co.uk/ project/run-an-empire/ 13. Chang, C. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://candychang.com/work/ 14. US Government (2014). Vacant and abandoned properties: turning liabilities into assets. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/ em/winter14/highlight1.html#title 15. Bennett, J. (n.d.). Creative Placemaking in Community Planning and Development: An Introduction to ArtPlace America. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://www.frbsf.org/community-development/files/creative-placemaking-incommunity-planning-and-development-an-introduction-to-artplace-america.pdf 16. (2011, November 01). The Tidy Street Project. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://collabcubed.com/2011/11/01/the-tidy-street-project/ 17. City of New York, NYC Open Data. (n.d.). NYC Open Data. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from https://opendata.cityofnewyork.us/