cities from Los Angeles to Detroit. All across the country, I witnessed people coming together to roll up their sleeves and restore a sense of place and possibility to their com- munities—even in neighborhoods devastated by disinvest- ment, poverty, and crime. For a look at creative placemaking in action, I visited
the future site of Frogtown Park and Farm in St. Paul, Minnesota, where locals are blending green space with arts, agriculture, and play areas to create a neighborhood masterpiece all their own.
Where nature’s needed most We’re tromping through a field of rough scrub grass when Seitu Jones suddenly motions skyward. I spot a large bird soaring above. “It looks bigger than a hawk,” Jones says. “It might even be an eagle—all kinds of birds use this area as a flyway down to the Mississippi River.” Keen-eyed Jones is the perfect guide to introduce me
to Frogtown Park and Farm. A St. Paul resident for 18 years, he knows the city’s soon-to-be newest park down to the last detail: 13 acres of fields and woods in the heart of Frogtown, St. Paul’s poorest and most ethnically di- verse neighborhood. A foundry stands adjacent to the site; across the street rises a low-income apartment complex and a tattered 1960s-era shopping plaza now home to the Al-Ihsan Islamic Center, the Hmong American Travel agency, and a car wash. But to locals’ surprise, this particu- lar parcel of land has managed to escape intensive develop- ment—for 140 years. “Those may have been planted by the sisters,” Jones says, pointing to a row of day lilies on the edge of a hill—bright orange dabs on a canvas of midsummer green and blue. He’s referring to the Catholic Contemplative Sisters of the Good Shepherd, who built a convent and girls’ home here in the 1880s. In 1969, the Wilder Foundation took over the site as headquarters for its social services programs. In 2007, when the foundation decided to move on to larger offices, the future of the land was unclear.
continued on page 44
Local artist Seitu Jones is a tireless advocate for Frogtown Park and Farm.
HOW TO MAKE THE NEXT GREAT PLACE
Nette Compton, associate director of city park development at The Trust for Public Land and former director of green infrastructure for New York City parks, offers tips for creative placemaking success.
1 Listen: Designers, artists, public officials, and other professionals are there to help the community articulate its concerns and ideas—not necessarily to offer their own.
2 Prioritize process: The “how” in creative placemaking is more important than the “what.” “The right process ensures local ownership, a sense that what is being built is meaningful to the community,” Compton explains.
3 Diversify: Community representatives and
project teams should reflect the makeup of the neighborhood. Strive for diversity in age, back- ground, and professions.
4 Be patient: “The process will be slow and messy, but the end result is worth the extra effort.”
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© ryan siemers 2014
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