Placemaking
Community updates: Tuesday, Oct. 13
by (The Rapidian)
Submitted 10-13-2020 under NEWS
MDHHS clarifies statewide COVID-19 rules replacing Gov. Whitmer’s orders The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued an emergency order Friday giving more specific COVID-related rules across Michigan, replacing a...
Everyone in Grand Rapids should have access to a quality park
by (Mayor Rosalynn Bliss)
Submitted 10-16-2018 under PLACE-MATTERS
We are proud of our parks and open spaces in Grand Rapids and we know well the many benefits they offer. That’s why I’m supporting the 10-minute walk to a park campaign launched a year ago and working to make it a reality. The campaign,...
A new kind of community garden
by (Urban Roots)
Submitted 02-13-2018 under NONPROFITS
Community gardens are a beautiful and inspiring notion. It's easy to imagine the benefits of people working with the soil, planting, cultivating and harvesting. Yet, we have all driven past abandoned community gardens in Grand Rapids, so why...
Rain gardens continue to flourish, transform Plaster Creek area
by (Calvin College)
Submitted 01-24-2017 under PLACE-MATTERS
It is the summer of 2014, and rain has begun to fall on a hot July afternoon in West Michigan. One droplet lands on a rooftop in the Alger Heights neighborhood, running down the sloped roof into the gutter and through the downspout onto the driveway...
WMCAT teens dedicate new mural in Burton Heights
by (wmcat)
Submitted 10-27-2016 under NONPROFITS
House of Style is a decades-old, family-owned business in the Burton Heights Business District of Grand Rapids. Despite its long-standing reputation as an anchor business in their neighborhood, owner Debra Reece saw a need to increase visibility....
Downtown wants ideas for reimagining Calder Plaza
by (DowntownGR)
Submitted 06-21-2016 under PLACE-MATTERS
Have an idea to enhance the too-often uninviting and barren plaza that surrounds Grand Rapids City Hall and the Kent County Administration Building? Well, now is the time to share your idea with the community. After years of casual civic banter...
Building four-season neighborhoods: Snowmen, skating rinks, safe roads, sidewalks for everyone
by (EHCN)
Submitted 01-12-2016 under PLACE-MATTERS
Winter is the season to enjoy our neighborhoods in different ways. We like to call East Hills a four-season neighborhood. What does it mean to be a four-season neighborhood? Four-season neighborhoods are active year-long; they are neighborhoods that...
Placemaking gone digital: Local library assistant turns Eastown into video game
by (Elizabeth Roger...)
Submitted 11-03-2015 under LOCAL LIFE
Drew Damron is a Grand Rapids history and video game enthusiast. He’s also a local cartoonist, and a library assistant at the Grand Rapids Public Library. This past summer, Damron released a video game, The GRpg, Chapter 1, at the Grand Rapids...
Urban agriculture + placemaking = new economy
by (levigardner1)
Submitted 10-06-2015 under OPINION
Drive through the city to see abandoned lots with a “For Sale” sign, and you are faced with a fascinating conundrum. Inquire from a real estate agency the value of that property and they will de facto respond with its financial value....
Nomadic placemaking: Art designed to help communities see future potential
by (tclinton)
Submitted 10-06-2015 under PLACE-MATTERS
We frequently use the term "nomadic" to describe SiTE:LAB. I love that word choice because it makes it clear that our business model of moving from place to place is a conscious choice. The most frequent questions I get asked by visitors...