The New York Times encourages you to consider living in Perth Amboy, NJ

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Congratulations to the City of Perth Amboy, which was featured in the Living In column of The New York Times in November.

Caroline Pozycki-Torres, founder of Perth Amboy Artworks, talked about how the city is being

Perth Amboy Creative Team member and Arts Council
President Greg Bender showing the creative placemaking
plan to Rep. Frank Pallone

transformed through arts activities.  NCCP worked with Caroline and other members of the Perth Amboy Creative Team (the precursor to its Arts Council) on a creative placemaking plan.  Caroline was one of the leaders of that effort.

Check out the Creative Perth Amboy plan.

This plan, the Arts Council and several projects, came through Community Coaching, an NCCP program to help communities build creative placemaking strategies and the capacity to see them implemented.  To learn more about Community Coaching, please contact NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez by email or at 973-763-6352

Planning 2018 New Jersey Creative Placemakers events

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

New Jersey Creative Placemakers had a great first year in 2017.  We helped influence the Fourth Regional Plan for the New York metropolitan area (Check out the section on arts), explored Morristown and the Valley Arts/Seven Oaks districts, and worked on strategies to activate a quiet corridor in Hackensack.  

Touring the Valley Arts District in
Orange and West Orange

In January, the NJCP leadership team meets to plan events for 2018.  We’d like your help.  What should we work on to help you build your knowledge and connect with other creative placemakers?

We’ve already got some events lined up:

•          A Strategy Lab to recommend land use, tax, and other policies to support creative placemaking New Jersey.
•          A Learning Tour of Hammonton, a growing arts center in South Jersey. That will be March 24. Learn more or register.
•          The Northeast Corridor Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit, which will be held May 3 and 4 at Drew University in Madison.  (You can register now at a special early bird rate.)

We also will create an online forum for New Jersey Creative Placemakers and a resource page for creative placemaking in New Jersey.

If you would like to be involved in these efforts, or help plan others, please join us at the next New Jersey Creative Placemakers quarterly meeting.  It will be held January 10, at the Art Factory in Paterson.  Please contact NCCP Program Coordinator Thomas Young at tyoung@artsbuildcommunities.com or 973-763-6352, x2, to get involved.

NCCP welcomes two new board members

By Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP

Chuck Biczak and Anne LaBate have joined the Board of the Directors of The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking.  The appointments were made effective November 21, 2017

Charles "Chuck" Biczak is a strategy and marketing professional dedicated focused on designing and implementing strategies, marketing campaigns, and business development programs that work in the real world.  Chuck has worked in Corporate Planning at Canon USA, Inc. since 1998, where he is currently the Director of Strategic Change Management.  Chuck led the marketing strategy for the successful design and launch of a brand new corporate logo and tagline: Canon See Impossible.  In addition, Chuck has helped to establish strategic partnerships, develop new business, and establish the social media strategy for Canon. 

Chuck graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and earned his MBA in Marketing from Drexel University.  While at Drexel, Chuck was a Teaching Assistant in the Marketing Department and won awards for both his teaching and research.  He is currently pursuing a Master Certificate in Music Business through the Berklee College of Music.  The diverse education means that Chuck is comfortable with both quantitative and qualitative approaches, encourages analysis and intuition, understands the big picture as well as the smallest details, and balances passion with strong project management.

Anne LaBate has been active in commercial real estate for over 25 years, with a current focus on estate, and is pleased to work every day within the Creek to Canal Creative District.

sales and leasing and prior to that, the appraisal of commercial properties. As a resident of Trenton, NJ, she has a particular interest in promoting the competitive advantages of Trenton real

She is active in her community as a Board member of the Trenton Downtown Association, the Trenton Parking Authority, the MIDJersey Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Grants Committee of the Princeton Area Community Foundation. She formerly served on the Boards of Passage Theatre Company and Artworks Trenton.

Anne has a BA in Community Development from Rutgers University and a Master of Science in Real Estate Development and Investment from New York University.

On another note, former NCCP Board Treasurer Marisa Benson has stepped down from the NCCP Board of Directors.  

The NCCP Board of Director oversees the work and sustainability of The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking. For more information, please contact NCCP Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez by email or by phone at 973-763-6352, x1