What's the deal?
- Placemaking” is the practice of turning an intersection or other public spot into a lovable place, and it is coming to three elementary schools.
- Applications are currently open to any individual or organization able to lead community art projects for placemaking. The deadline to apply is May 18 at 4 p.m.
- Applicants can apply for up to $50,000 for any one project.
Nestled within Portland's Office of Violence Prevention, the Safe Blocks Program is a set of projects that exist to improve public safety by bringing neighbors together in various ways. Projects include block parties, community workshops, and now placemaking.
Placemaking is the practice of turning an intersection or other public spot into a place of appreciation or gathering, a lovable place, often using murals or other art mediums. Portland neighbors have designed street plazas and public art to reduce gun violence before, and the City of Portland is leading that effort now in a few neighborhoods with the highest rates of gun violence.
Using a three-year U.S. Department of Justice grant, the Safe Blocks Program is starting placemaking projects in partnership with three elementary schools in East Portland. These schools — Menlo Park, Ventura Park, and Gabriel Park Elementary — are near some of the intersections with the highest reported gun violence in the city. To bring down the temperature on these streets, the City of Portland has released a Request for Proposals open to artists or organizations able to lead community art projects. The selected muralists will lead neighbors in design workshops to help shape the vision for the projects.
Timur Ender is the placemaking project manager for the Safe Blocks Program. He shared more about this city program during a recent interview, including why it is important to center young people in projects like this.
"These projects in particular are very kid-focused," Ender noted. "The intent is these projects are driven by kids. They are for kids. They're implemented by kids. When we think about who has a say and the power to influence the built environment, often it is not kids. And they can't vote, so they have very limited ability to influence the built environment." By focusing on young people in a community art project, school-aged children can see their influence in their neighborhoods every day on their way to class.
While this is a newly funded program, it is not the first time that placemaking has been used as an intervention to reduce gun violence as well as to calm traffic. Arleta Triangle Square is a community-created plaza that was designed in response to an uptick of gunfire in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood during the COVID-19 shutdown. It worked. Gun violence plummeted by 60%. Driving speeds reduced as well.
Ender hopes that these projects make the David Douglas neighborhood safer in more than one way too.
"The places traffic crashes occur are often the same areas with gun violence," Ender explained. "And you look at some of these spots, and the curb ramps aren't where they should be, and then the lighting's deficient. And so there are overlaps. I remember I was managing the 136th Avenue Paving & Sidewalks Project, and there were three shootings during broad daylight on that project."
Wanting to participate in gun violence prevention is also a personal matter for Ender. "As someone who's had gunshots outside my residence, in that moment, you really do feel helpless. Because whatever's going on there you cannot control right this minute. And so to be able to have an upstream impact on some of these violent situations is hugely rewarding."
Artists and community organizations can learn more about how to apply for this program on the Safe Blocks website. The application deadline is May 18 at 4 p.m.
