2013 Annual Award Winner-Planning Excellence Award – Public Outreach
Awarded to Make Your Mark! Lower Lancaster Revitalization Plan, People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation
Make Your Mark! brought together residents, community groups, local institutions, city reps, and businesses to create a revitalization plan for the Lower Lancaster Avenue area in Philadelphia. The community participated by a variety of creative outreach techniques. A vacant building was used as an open house, painted with chalkboard paint that allowed passers-by to chalk-mark it with ideas and opinions. Inside were a photo suggestion booth and hot-spot maps. “Postcards from the Future” were used in forums to get residents to articulate dreams for the future. Conventional meetings and a steering committee were also used. In all, over 1,000 residents were engaged in the plan.
tags: Neighborhood Planning, Public Outreach and Participation