Placemaking

Bronx-Manhattan North Association of REALTORS® Uses Placemaking to Spur Pride and Positive Engagement

What started as two people talking about how to spend $2,200 to improve the atmosphere of a bleak urban space, resulted in a vibrant public arts project that is now valued at $50,000, attracted a visit from a Supreme Court Justice, and, most importantly, has spurred pride and positive engagement…...

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Springfield (MO) REALTORS® Help Restore Beloved City Park to Former Glory – and Then Some

The 1,718-member Greater Springfield (MO) Board of REALTORS® was keen to show that they truly cared about their community. They found that opportunity by helping to restore the city’s beloved 31-acre Phelps Grove Park after a major ice storm had damaged much of its landscape. With an NAR placemaking grant,…...

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Worcester (MA) REALTORS® Use Placemaking Grant to Restore Local Veterans’ Memorial Triggering a Surge of Civic Pride

A 65-year-old granite eagle monument to honor veterans had become an eyesore from years of neglect, and the 1,500-member Worcester Regional Association of REALTORS® decided to do something about it...

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Merrymeeting Board (ME) Enhances New Library with Welcoming Outdoor “Reading Garden

When the small town of Richmond, Maine rebuilt their community library, the local 213-member Merrymeeting Board of REALTORS® stepped forward with an NAR Placemaking Micro-Grant to provide a reading garden and patio to go with it. The funds were used to create a large stone patio with a stepping-stone pathway,…...

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Missoula REALTORS® Combine Dollars and Sweat Equity to Make an All-Abilities Playground Happen

The 500-member Missoula Organization of REALTORS® put a placemaking grant, as well as their muscle-power, to work to bring an all-abilities playground to their city’s McCormick Park. The NAR grant, along with funds of their own and another community grant helped to pay for the playground that features rubberized surfaces,…...

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Northern Kentucky REALTORS® Offer New Park Benches for Walking Trail

After hosting a successful, yet strenuous, walk-a-thon as part of its first annual Health Fair, the 835-member Northern Kentucky Association of REALTORS® (NKAR) saw the need for some places to rest along the way. Not a group to rest on its laurels – even after celebrating their 100-year anniversary this…...

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Michigan REALTORS®–Placemaking Pioneers–Show How a Little TLC Goes a Long Way

After two years, the 'Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper' placemaking challenge launched by the Michigan Association of REALTORS® (MAR) is proving that little things make a big difference....

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Michigan REALTORS® Create “Sense of Place” in Workforce Housing

When the Michigan Association of REALTORS® (MAR) received an Ira Gribin grant from NAR a few years back, it funded a statewide initiative to study the benefits of placemaking in workforce housing. “As REALTORS®, we have been all about land use planning for a long time, but now we clearly…...

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