NCCP offers several ways to learn creative placemaking

By Leonardo Vazquez

The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking is a leading source of learning about the growing field of creative placemaking.  Partnering with The Ohio State University and other organizations, we offer several ways to help you build your knowledge and skills.

Internationally-known public art guru Jane Golden speaks
at 2014 Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit

Online programs 

Webinars
If you would like to learn a little about creative placemaking, or explore its connections to equity and sustainability, try any of our upcoming webinars:

• Creative placemaking: integrating community, cultural and economic development, Tuesday, February 10, 2 pm to 3:30 pm (all times eastern)
• Creative placemaking and human needs placemaking, Tuesday, March 10, 2 pm to 3:30 pm
• History of creative placemaking in the United States, Wednesday, April 7, 2 pm to 3:30 pm
• Cultural districts and cultural institutions: suns or black holes, Tuesday, May 5, 2 pm to 3:30 pm
• Community coaching: a new way to speak truth to power, Tuesday, June 9, 2 pm to 3:30 pm
• How creative placemaking can help build more resilient communities, Tuesday, July 9, 2 pm to 3:30 pm

Each webinar is $40.  We will request 9 AICP Certification Maintenance credits for all the sessions, including 1.5 ethics credits.  Learn more or register for the webinars. 

Certification in Creative Placemaking program

Graduates of the Certification in Creative Placemaking program are among the smartest and most well-prepared creative placemakers in their area.  This is the program for those who want to build a career in this growing field.

Through this challenging and unique program, participants learn about many aspects of creative placemaking --

• Community development
• Economic development
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis
• Team and community building
• Site planning
• Cultural tourism
• Entrepreneurial leadership

Students -- who are professionals and graduate students at all levels and come from around the world -- learn in several ways:  reading scholarly work and studies, engaging in thoughtful conversations with instructors and classmates, participating in monthly leadership development sessions, and working on a project in a community of their choice.

The program runs from August 2015 to June 2016. Tuition is $3,500, and we are submitting the program for 18 AICP Certification Maintenance credits.  

To learn more, join an information session:  January 13, February 11, March 12, April 16, May 12, June 17, or July 14

Presentations

NCCP conducts a variety of presentations on creative placemaking throughout the year.  Our next presentations will be:

January 26, Atlantic City, NJ: American Society of Landscape Architects, New Jersey chapter, Annual Meeting, 

January 30, New Brunswick, NJ:  American Planning Association, New Jersey chapter annual conference

Training sessions and other events

NCCP is planning a number of training sessions and events on creative placemaking in 2015.  To get updates on these:

• Visit the NCCP website
• Like NCCP on Facebook
• Follow NCCP on Twitter
• Subscribe to the NCCP newsletter

Webinars and the Certification in Creative Placemaking are produced in partnership with the City and Regional Planning section of The Ohio State University's Knowlton School of Architecture. Webinars, as well as training sessions and other events in New Jersey, are made possible in part by the generous support of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Registration open for Certification in Creative Placemaking Program; Learn more at an information session

By Leonardo Vazquez

Creative placemaking is a fast-growing field in the arts, community and economic development, and urban planning and policy.  NCCP and Ohio State University offer one of the most distinct, comprehensive and challenging continuing education programs in this field.

The Certification in Creative Placemaking offers you much more than training. Our 10-month program helps you build a deep knowledge set for creative placemaking, develop your leadership and strategic communication skills, and share ideas with other smart professionals and students.  You will learn from top creative placemaking professionals in the United States.

This program is convenient -- entirely online and no required meetings. (Though you'll probably want to join your classmates in videoconferences and get-togethers.)  Graduate students can get three credits and, for AICP members, we will be requesting 18-28 CM credits.

The program has attracted artists, arts administrators, urban planners, government professionals, policy professionals and others from throughout the United States, Colombia, Egypt, New Zealand and The Philippines.

Want to learn more?  Please visit the program website, and sign up for a free information session:

NCCP unveils new website

By Leonardo Vazquez

The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking has a new website.  This is one of the major steps to help us promote quality creative placemaking and to build a community of creative placemakers.  You can also learn about the various ways NCCP serves the creative placemaking field and communities that want to engage in creative placemaking.

This is the first major round of improvements to the website.  Please stay tuned for more updates.

Please visit the new website.

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Keep up with creative placemaking news, funding opportunities and NCCP through Facebook and Twitter

By Leonardo Vazquez

As part of our effort to build a nationwide community of creative placemakers, The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking now has Facebook and Twitter pages.  Like us on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter.

We are sharing updates about creative placemaking activities in the United States and elsewhere, funding opportunities, and of course, the work of NCCP.

Anyone subscribed to the NCCP newsletter is welcome to send us updates that we will share as we are able.  Subscribe to the newsletter.

Hackensack gets community coaching for creative placemaking

By Leonardo Vazquez

The city of Hackensack, NJ, is engaging in creative placemaking to enhance the city through arts and culture.  The Hackensack Main Street Business Alliance, a partnership between the City and local businesses, is exploring how arts and culture can best serve the interests of residents and stakeholders, better ways to support the city’s significant investment in cultural facilities, and how Hackensack’s business district can compete for visitors in an area with a lot of competition for cultural tourism.

The Business Alliance hired The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking to provide community coaching, a unique approach that will help Creative Team members build a plan and the capacity to oversee its implementation.  We expect to be working with the City from November 2014 through June 2015. 

The work includes:

·         Developing a Creative Team, which will build a holistic vision for better integrating arts and culture into the city’s fabric and develop the capacity to help guide implementation,

·         Preparing a market analysis to help the Creative Team make more informed decisions, and

·         Conducting public outreach to give Hackensack residents, businesspeople and other stakeholders good opportunities to influence the final plan.

Hackensack is the 15^th community in the United States – and the fifth in New Jersey -- to get

The Perth Amboy, NJ, Creative Team develops a creative
placemaking plan. Image courtesy: Noelle Jimenez Zaleski

community coaching.  The program has not only led to feasible and sustainable plans, it also has proven to build new connections and social capital within communities – as well as shared and collaborative leadership for action. 

Community coaching has been supported in New Jersey by OurTown grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and in Louisiana by the state’s Office of Cultural Development.  It is available to any individual community within two hours of Newark, NJ and to groups of five or more communities elsewhere in the United States.  In New Jersey, NCCP is partnering with PlanSmart NJ to offer community coaching.

Learn more or register for the program.

NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez will be speaking on community coaching November 14 at the upcoming National Assembly of State ArtsAgencies 2014 National Assembly.

We will report progress on these and other projects through our Facebook page, Twitter feed and the NCCP newsletter.

If you have any questions about community coaching, please contact Leonardo Vazquez at leo@artsbuildcommunities.com or 973-763-6352.

New Jersey State Council on the Arts increases support for NCCP

By Leonardo Vazquez

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts awarded The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking a grant of $12,500 for the 2015 fiscal year. The Council's support will help NCCP strengthen several programs.  These include community coaching, thought leadership, and creative sector research.  All funding from the State Council will be used exclusively in New Jersey.

The grant represents a 25% increase over the fiscal year 2014 grant of $10,000.

NCCP's grant funding is administered by PlanSmart NJ, NCCP's fiscal agent.

We thank the members and staff of the Council for their ongoing support.

State arts agencies staff to explore community coaching at national conference

By Leonardo Vazquez

NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez will be speaking on community coaching -- a method for building leadership in communities at the upcoming National Assembly of State Arts Agencies conference in November.

Community coaching sessions generate
 a lot of ideas and information

Community coaching is a distinct, six to nine-month program that develops diverse teams to engage in creative placemaking.  Each community team has around 12 to 40 members, and includes at least one working artist and one elected official in the community.  A trained coach is paired with the team and helps team members explore opportunities and challenges for creative placemaking. Through the sessions, the coach not only helps team members build their plan, but also helps them build their capacity to engage in productive partnerships and deal with the challenges of implementation.

The NASAA Assembly 2014 is from November 13 to 15 in New Orleans.  It is hosted by the Lousiana Office of Cultural Development.  In 2013, the Office conducted a custom community coaching program called Lousiana Creative Communities Initiative.  In this NCCP-designed program, ten communities throughout the state participated. They were coached by Louisiana arts and public affairs professionals who were trained by NCCP.

Community coaching is immediately available for individual communities within two hours of Newark, NJ.  To learn about more about opportunities for other communities, please contact Leonardo Vazquez  by email or by phone at 973-763-6352

Vazquez will be available for one-to-one and small group consultation at the assembly on November 13.  Please feel free to contact him for a consultation of up to 30 minutes.

Learn more about community coaching

Creative placemaking certification program has record enrollment and diversity

By Leonardo Vazquez

A public official from Christchurch, New Zealand.  A planner and nonprofit executive from Manila, The Philippines.  Five planners from Los Angeles County, California.  A community artist in Brattleboro, Vermont.  A Master of Business Administration candidate at The Ohio State University.

These are some of the 25 students in this year’s Certification in Creative Placemaking program.  They represent the largest and most diverse class since the program started at Ohio State University’s Knowlton School in Fall 2013.

This unique and challenging 10-month program helps students think broadly and deeply about creative placemaking, build their leadership skills, and practice creative placemaking planning and analysis.  

To get their certification, students:

·         Complete 6 ‘deep learning’ courses in topics such as community development, economic development, capacity building, site planning and destination marketing;

·         Participate in 8 to 10 entrepreneurial leadership sessions, where they explore cost-effective and ethical ways to influence individuals and groups, build alliances, and work in diverse environments.

·         Develop a creative placemaking plan or evaluate existing creative placemaking efforts in a community of their choice.

“The group is amazing,” said Audrey Stefenson, an AmeriCorps Member with the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area who joined the program this year, “(Instructor) Tom (Borrup) has been incredibly engaging and helpful, and the progression of topics has been very helpful, yet challenging. I'm learning a ton! I particularly enjoy learning from such a diverse group of people.”

Graduate students and continuing education students work alongside one another (virtually, since the

program is entirely online.)  They read the same scholarly materials and engage each other in instructor-led conversations.  Students also learn from one another.

Instructors are experts in the growing field of creative placemaking. They include Borrup, a nationally-known consultant and author of The Creative Community Builder’s Handbook and Juana Guzman, who is known for development cultural tourism in non-traditional communities.

The Certification program is a joint production of the Knowlton School’s City and Regional Planning program and The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  Registration is closed for this year’s program, but it will be offered again next year.

Learn more about the program, 

Sign up for updates about the program

Survey shows Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit a success

By Leonardo Vazquez

Everyone enjoyed the Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit, held in June in Newark, NJ.  Most learned a lot at the summit, learned more than they expected, and found the information useful.

This is according to a survey conducted of summit attendees. Of the 79 respondents:

• 100% of respondents said they enjoyed the summit

  

  Morning panel with creative placemakers

• 99% said they were satisfied with the quality of the speakers
• 95% said they learned a lot at this summit
• 94% said what they learned was useful to them
• 87% were satisfied with the diversity of speakers
• 75% said that listening to their peers was useful to them
• 71% said they learned more than they expected to

Many attendees also enhanced their networks at the summit.  

• 76% said they expanded their networks at the summit
• 75% said there was enough time for networking

About 97% said the summit seemed well-organized.

The best parts of the conference, respondents said, were Jane Golden's presentation (83% said that was their favorite part), the morning panel with creative placemakers, and the afternoon panel with funders.

There was a good amount of networking 

More than 92% said they would definitely recommend this program to their colleagues or members, and 8% said they might.

The survey asked respondents: What would, or did, you tell their friends and colleagues about the summit? 

• "Great ideas, innovative thinking"
• "Important to keep things moving forward in the direction of cross sector partnerships where creative placemaking and the arts are concerned -- this summit recognized that and provided opportunities for making connections, learning and having your voice heard."
• "It was very well organized and professional; it encompassed a true diversity of stakeholders from creatives to policymakers, conceptualizers to number crunchers."
• "There were a tremendous number of great ideas shared during the conference that would be of great benefit to learn more about and try to implement in your neighborhood development plans."
• "Great way to collaborate with colleagues and learn from what other towns did successfully.  Also opened up new ideas and I learned about other places in the state that I never knew existed."

The 25 respondents who stayed for the peer-to-peer exchanges also enjoyed themselves and found the sessions

Susan Schear (standing)  facilitates a peer-to-peer session 

valuable:

• 96% said their facilitator listened to all participants
• 96% said their facilitator provided fair opportunities for everyone to participate
• 96% said they felt comfortable being part of their session.
• 96% said they were able to participate as much as they wanted to
• 84% said it was good to let participants choose the questions to be asked
• 77% said the comments from their peers were interesting
• 73% said the comments from their peers were useful

Asked what they liked best about the peer-to-peer sessions, respondents said:  "Hearing where artists were struggling with moving projects along... learning models of best practice... listening to peers about their success stories and approaches... there were ideas presented by other participants that I hadn't thought of... problem solving strategies to common roadblocks."

The estimated margin of error is about 9 points.

The Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit was a joint production of The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, ArtPride NJ, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, PlanSmart NJ, and Together North Jersey.  It was made possible with support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

If you would like to get updates about future events organized by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, please subscribe to our newsletter.

National Consortium for Creative Placemaking gets continued support from the Dodge Foundation

By Leonardo Vazquez

The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking is excited to report that it has received $11,000 from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation in June.  The grant will help support our work building capacity and connections for better creative placemaking in New Jersey.

Specifically, we will use this funding to support creative sector research in New Jersey, the Sustainable Jersey Arts and Culture Task Force, develop a creative placemaking leadership summit in 2015, community coaching in New Jersey, and other activities.

We appreciate the continued support and guidance of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit draws large crowd

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

In what may be the largest gathering related to creative placemaking in New Jersey, around 250 people participated in the Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit.

Jane Golden speaking at the Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit

They heard from a wide range of professionals at the intersection of community, cultural and economic development, including keynote speaker Jane Golden, founder of the internationally-known Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia.

The morning panel featured a former mayor (James Kennedy, Rahway), an artist and community planner (Anker West), an arts program administrator (Sheila McKoy of NJ Transit), a developer of an arts-oriented space (David Garsia of the Art Factory) and a community organization leader (Anthony Smith of the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District).

An afternoon panel featured leaders of three arts-related funding organizations -- Chris Daggett of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Lyz Crane of ArtPlace America, and Nicholas Paleologos of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Ann Brady and Richard Bryant (standing)
 of NCCP facilitating a breakout session

There was also a lot of cross-sector conversation beyond the panel discussions.  Participants, who included public and elected officials, organizational leaders, economic development professionals, civic-minded artists and urban planners, also engaged in peer-to-peer workshops and a great deal of networking.

"A lot of interesting and thought provoking points and ideas were bouncing around," said Meredith Lippman, Program Development Specialist at the Hudson County (NJ) Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development. "Jane Golden was tremendously inspiring and the breakout sessions not only allowed for more discussion but also provided a chance to meet some of the other attendees."

Participants in peer-to-peer sessions discussed the connection
of arts and artists to placemaking. Susan Schear (standing)
 of NCCP facilitates.

Several partners came together to organize and support this event -- the National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, ArtPride NJ, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, PlanSmart NJ and Together North Jersey.  The State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation both made it possible through their support and advice.

NCCP is planning another large creative placemaking conference for 2015.  If you would like to get updates on future convenings, please subscribe to the NCCP mailing list.

The panel discussions and Jane Golden's presentation will be made available on YouTube by North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority.

Community coaching returns to New Jersey

By Leonardo Vazquez

Community coaching is a great way to build a plan for better creative placemaking in your community, as well as a team of stewards to help turn ideas into action.

It has been used in 14 communities in New Jersey and Louisiana since it was developed in 2011 by the leadership of The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking. Communities as small as hamlets and as big as regions have used community coaching to help them diversify their economy, bring artists together with other businesspeople, and address numerous social issues.

Community coaching has also been proven to build new partnerships and the ability of stakeholders to take

on more leadership roles in their communities.

In this program, a trained community coach is paired with a team of 12 to 30 community members who agree to work for 6 to 9 months on a set of creative placemaking strategies.  Teams meet every 3 to 4 weeks, and are guided by their coach to develop ideas and priorities, including implementation strategies.  Each team has a diverse mixture of artists, public officials, community representatives and businesspeople.

The next round of community coaching starts in October 2014.

Thanks to a partnership with PlanSmart NJ, community coaching is now being made available to communities throughout New Jersey.   Learn more about or register for the program in New Jersey.

To learn more about community coaching in general, please join us for our upcoming free webinar:  Community coaching -- a new way to speak truth to power.   It is June 3, from 2 to 3 pm eastern.  1 AICP CM credit is available.  Learn more or register

Due to overwhelming demand, Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit to be webcast

By Leonardo Vazquez

Most of the Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit, scheduled for June 19 in downtown Newark, will be webcast.  This will allow people who were not able to register for the program because it is sold out to watch the panel discussions and speakers on the Internet.  It also means that anyone who can't make it to Newark can also participate.

We are working to get a bigger room to accommodate as many people as possible.  So, if you want to attend, please feel free to put yourself on the waiting list, register for a half-day option, or register for the webcast.  If we are able to get a bigger space, we will contact you to see if you would like to join us in person.

Learn more or register for the event

Seats are filling up for the upcoming Certification in Creative Placemaking program

By Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director, The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking

The Certification in Creative Placemaking program, beginning in August is over half full. Please register soon to guarantee your enrollment in this year's program.  You can join other professionals in the arts, public affairs or urban planning in a community of practice in a fast-growing field.

Students in the program get deep learning in various aspects of creative placemaking.  These include: community development, local economic development, team development and capacity building, site planning, and cultural tourism. Students also build their capacity to promote, influence and lead through a series of entrepreneurial leadership sessions.  The program is entirely online, but students will have opportunities to meet their classmates in person.

Please learn more about the program or register.  Or, please join us at an upcoming information session:

June 4, 12 to 1 pm eastern       Register
July 1, 12 to 1 pm eastern        Register
August 6, 6 to 7 pm eastern     Register

Questions?  Contact Leonardo Vazquez, Program Director, at 973-763-6352 or by email

For movers, shakers and doers: Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit, June 19, Newark, NJ

By Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director, NCCP

The Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit, June 19, 2014 in Newark, NJ, offers you an opportunity to learn from successful practitioners, as well as share your own insights.  It will be held from 9 am to 4 pm June 19, 2014 in downtown Newark at North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, One Newark Center.

Get new ideas for making places better through arts and culture and building more creative communities.
Learn from experts in real estate development, public administration, arts management, and urban planning.
Share your insights in peer learning sessions.

The event features panel discussions that include an artist, developer, nonprofit administrator, former elected official and funders.  Keynoting the presentation will be Jane Golden, the founder of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Project.  This is an internationally-known program that connects public art with community development.

The event is free, but seats are limited.  As of the time of this writing, there were only about 50 seats left.
Learn more or register for the event.

From ripples to waves: NCCP’s thought leadership on creative placemaking

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

To influence beliefs and actions, quiet conversations can be as powerful as megaphones.  It’s not just about the message; it’s about having the right conversations with the right people at the right opportunities.

NCCP works to build the new field of creative placemaking.  This involves professionalizing the field – developing high standards for conduct and ethics and promoting good work.  We also work to show how creative placemaking is a new and different way of connecting arts and community improvement.

We’ve been busy.

Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez was on a panel to review proposals for the upcoming US GreenBuilding Council’s Greenbuild conference in Louisiana.

In April, Leo will be talking about creative placemaking at the TransAction conference April 8 in Atlantic City and at the AmericanPlanning Association’s national conference in Atlanta on April 29. In May, he will be talking about the Certification in Creative Placemaking program at the Association of Arts Administration Educators annual conference in Montreal.

Leo also wrote about creative placemaking and community coaching for the forthcoming book Introduction to Community Develoment, second edition.  (We’ll have more on that when the book comes out.)

Last month, we started a series of complimentary webinars on creative placemaking.  The webinars explain the concept and explore issues such as human needs placemaking, social equity, and sustainability.  Learn more about the webinars.

We are partnering with Creative New Jersey to conduct special community building events using ‘open space technology,’ in several communities.

The New Jersey Consortium for Creative Placemaking, a local affiliate of NCCP, is also partnering with the Together North Jersey initiative, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and ArtPride NJ Foundation on a creative placemaking leadership conference in Rahway, New Jersey on June 19.  (Please save the date).  Rahway is easy to get to by train from New York, Philadelphia or any other city on the NJ Transit/Amtrak Northeast Corridor line.  It’s also 15 minutes by car or 40 minutes by train from Newark airport.

Ohio State, NCCP offer free webinars in creative placemaking

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Creative placemaking is a new and fast-growing set of strategies to improve communities through arts and culture.  The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, which has partnered with Ohio State University’s City and Regional Planning section to develop the Certification in Creative Placemaking,  have created a webinar series to explore key issues in creative placemaking.

The webinars will run monthly from February to July 2014.  Each is 60 to 90 minutes, free, and is entirely online.  All webinars will be submitted for AICP Certification Maintenance credits.   All times eastern

Everyone who registers for a webinar will receive a link to the webinar and a reminder at least a day before the session.

Please also join us for information sessions about the 2014 Certification in Creative Placemaking program. (see below for more information)

The lead presenter for all sessions will be Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP.  Vazquez is a national award-winning urban planner and a leader in the field of creative placemaking.  He founded and directs The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, and designed and directs the Certification in Creative Placemaking program.  He is also a Visiting Instructor at The Ohio State University, where he teaches courses in arts and entertainment planning, planning ethics and local economic development.  He is the author of Leading from the Middle: Strategic Thinking for Urban Planning and Community Development Professionals, the co-editor of Diálogos: Placemaking in Latino Communties, and the creator of The Placemaker’s Advisor blog.  He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and in 2012 was awarded the American Planning Association’s National Planning Leadership Award for Advancing Diversity and Social Justice in Honor of Paul Davidoff.

 

Date and time	Topic	Register at:
Tuesday, February 25, 2 to 3:30 pm	Creative placemaking: integrating community, cultural and economic development What makes creative placemaking a new way to make communities better through arts and culture?  How can creative placemaking promote social equity, sustainability, and prosperity?  Learn about a model developed by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking that integrates community, cultural and economic development in ways that are sustainable and asset-based.  Also learn how our model fits in with the guidelines of the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. This webinar to be submitted for 1.5 AICP CM ethics credits.	http://cpweb022514.eventbrite.com Note: By registering for this webinar, you are also agreeing to receive emails from The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  All future updates about this session, including the link and login information, will be sent by email from NCCP.
Tuesday, March 18, 2 to 3 pm	Creative placemaking and human needs placemaking The arts aren’t a diversion or a luxury.  They are important for the well-being of individuals and communities.  Many people already know about the power of the arts to enhance economic development. This webinar will discuss how the arts can help people develop and keep intellectual skills, build social connections, and more.  We will explore how creative placemaking can support the elements of human needs placemaking. CM credits to be requested: 1	http://cpweb031814.eventbrite.com Note: By registering for this webinar, you are also agreeing to receive emails from The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  All future updates about this session, including the link and login information, will be sent by email from NCCP.
Wednesday, April 16, 2 to 3 pm	History of creative placemaking in the United States The term ‘creative placemaking’ was coined only three years ago, but it has been happening in various forms in the US since at least the late 19th century.  This webinar will explore the earliest work in creative placemaking in America.  Participants will learn about the pioneering work of Charles Mulford Robinson, Edgar Lee Hewett and others, and discover how placemaking through arts and culture has evolved over more than a century. CM credits to be requested: 1	http://cpweb041614.eventbrite.com Note: By registering for this webinar, you are also agreeing to receive emails from The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  All future updates about this session, including the link and login information, will be sent by email from NCCP.
Tuesday, May 13, 2 to 3 pm	Cultural districts and cultural institutions: suns or black holes? One of the first things that many people think about in creative placemaking is creating a cultural district or building a large cultural institution.  While districts and institutions can become catalysts for community-wide creativity and revitalization, they can also absorb a lot of time, energy and resources that could be used effectively elsewhere in the community.  Learn how creative placemaking can make it more likely that districts and institutions have a broader impact on their communities. CM credits to be requested: 1	http://cpweb051314.eventbrite.com Note: By registering for this webinar, you are also agreeing to receive emails from The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  All future updates about this session, including the link and login information, will be sent by email from NCCP.
Tuesday, June 3, 2 to 3 pm	Community coaching: a new way to speak truth to power Community coaching helps stakeholders build sustainable plans – and the shared leadership to implement them.   This model helps build relationships between planner and client that makes it possible to address the big, difficult issues that keep a community from moving forward.  It is a different approach to current models of planning practice, and it may challenge you to think about how you work with communities. CM credits to be requested: 1	http://cpweb060314.eventbrite.com Note: By registering for this webinar, you are also agreeing to receive emails from The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  All future updates about this session, including the link and login information, will be sent by email from NCCP.
Tuesday, July 8, 2 to 3 pm	How creative placemaking can help build more resilient communities With the damage caused from hurricanes, tornadoes and floods around the United States, more communities are looking to be more ‘resilient.’  Resiliency is not just about creative physical improvements to withstand storms; it is also connects to a community’s ability to revitalize quickly after disaster.  Arts and culture can play a big role in helping communities recover.  We will explore examples from Louisiana, New Jersey and Missouri, and discuss how to connect creative placemaking with resiliency in community dialogues. CM credits to be requested: 1	http://cpweb070814.eventbrite.com Note: By registering for this webinar, you are also agreeing to receive emails from The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  All future updates about this session, including the link and login information, will be sent by email from NCCP.

Information sessions for Certification in Creative Placemaking

Information session will introduce participants to the Certification program, as students and faculty in the program.  Participants will have time to ask questions.  All sessions will be led by the program’s designer and director, Leonardo Vazquez.   Information sessions are one hour, online, and free. Unfortunately, there will be no CM credits given for the information sessions.

Note: By registering for this webinar, you are also agreeing to receive emails from The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  All future updates about this session, including the link and login information, will be sent by email from NCCP.

Session date and time	Register at
Thursday, February 20, 6 to 7 pm	http://ccpinfo0220.eventbrite.com
Wednesday, March 18, 6 to 7 pm	http://ccpinfo0318.eventbrite.com
Tuesday, April 1, 6 to 7 pm	http://ccpinfo0401.eventbrite.com
Thursday, May 1, 12 to 1 pm	http://ccpinfo0501.eventbrite.com
Wednesday, June 4, 12 to 1 pm	http://ccpinfo0604.eventbrite.com
Tuesday, July 1, 12 to 1 pm	http://ccp0701.eventbrite.com
Wednesday, August 6, 6 to 7 pm	http://ccpinfo0806.eventbrite.com

Registration now open for 2014 Certification in Creative Placemaking program

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

You can now register for the 2014 Certification in Creative Placemaking program offered by The Ohio State University's City and Regional Planning section.  This is the only program in the United States of its kind in the growing field of creative placemaking.

In this 10-month, online program, continuing education and graduate students together learn about issues of community development, economic development, complex analysis, capacity building, site planning, and place marketing.  Students participate in entrepreneurial leadership sessions go help them become more influential and effective.  Finally, every student works on a creative placemaking issue in a community of his or her choice.

We want you to do more than just learn about creative placemaking.  We want to help you become
successful.

Anyone who has an interest in public affairs and the arts can succeed in this challenging program -- if they're willing to put in the effort.

Tuition for the program is $3,250.  We are offering an early-bird discount of $250 to anyone who registers by March 31.  Most of the readings are free.  The only books we assign are ones you will want to keep with you.

Never taken an online class?  No problem.  We will give you plenty of time to get comfortable with OSU's online learning management system.

This is the second year of the program, which was designed by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.

Want to learn more?  Please join us in an upcoming information session

Session date and time	Register at
Thursday, February 20, 6 to 7 pm	http://ccpinfo0220.eventbrite.com
Wednesday, March 18, 6 to 7 pm	http://ccpinfo0318.eventbrite.com
Tuesday, April 1, 6 to 7 pm	http://ccpinfo0401.eventbrite.com
Thursday, May 1, 12 to 1 pm	http://ccpinfo0501.eventbrite.com
Wednesday, June 4, 12 to 1 pm	http://ccpinfo0604.eventbrite.com
Tuesday, July 1, 12 to 1 pm	http://ccp0701.eventbrite.com
Wednesday, August 6, 6 to 7 pm	http://ccpinfo0806.eventbrite.com

Questions?  Comments?  Please feel free to contact the program director, Leonardo Vazquez by email or at 973-763-6352

NCCP had a great 2013, looking forward to 2014

In 2013, NCCP's first full year, we were busy -- good busy.

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

We helped 11 communities in Louisiana and New Jersey do quality creative placemaking. We created steering committees for both the national consortium and one focused in New Jersey.  With The Ohio State University, we launched the nation's first graduate program in creative placemaking. We shared our insights with arts and public affairs professionals in Delaware, Louisiana and New Jersey.  

Creative placemaking in Long Beach Island, NJ

We contributed to sustainability efforts in New Jersey, taught leadership skills to mental and behavioral health professionals in the state.  We built strong partnerships and got support from two of New Jersey's leading arts funders. 

NCCP generated more than $210,000 in contracts, grants and earned income, allowing us to expand from a solo operation to a four-member team. We also helped our clients get more than $77,000 in grants.

Leo joined the faculty of Ohio State University's City and Regional Planning section of the Austin Knowlton School of Architecture.  He taught Arts and Entertainment Planning in the fall semester, and is teaching Planning Ethics in the spring.  In the fall, he plans to teach Local Economic Development.

Planning for parks in East Orange, NJ

We'll have more on this in our upcoming 2013 annual report.

We're looking forward to a productive 2014.  We're developing a creative placemaking plan for Perth Amboy, NJ.  We'll be presenting our community coaching model at the American Planning Association national conference. And we're preparing to offer the Creative Placemaking Certification program again at Ohio State University in the fall. (And now that we've built up our team, we have the capacity to take on more assignments.)

Also look for a new logo, website and to hear more from us in 2014.