Placemaking sounds like some urban planning buzzword, and it should because, well, it is. But despite the negative connotation of ‘buzzword,’ placemaking can actually be an integral process in creating the best possible community in which we all live, play, and work. The Project For Public Spaces – a national not-for-profit organization – has honed a placemaking format that allows communities to come together and improve their public spaces. A number of local projects have embraced PPS and their concept, Power of 10, and begun to incorporate it in plans around the Chippewa Valley. 

Headed by the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, projects in Altoona, Colfax, Owen and most recently Eau Claire have started gathering together public input to make our public spaces not just usable, but great. So while the term placemaking may leave a synergy-esque taste in your mouth, underneath the term is a powerful tool for our region, cities and neighborhoods to be better than ever going into the future ...

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