Creative Placemaking and Community Resilience

Monday, October 13, 3:15pm – 4:45pm

Organized and moderated by Edwin Torres, deputy commissioner of cultural affairs, City of New York.

Presented by Nancy Barton, Director, Prattsville Art Center and Residency; and Geneva Wirth, Associate, SCAPE / LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PLLC.

Engagement with the arts has long been considered an important contributor to an individual’s resilience in the face of stress and change. There is also a growing understanding through the lens of creative placemaking of the ways in which the arts can contribute to resilience campaigns at the community, city, and regional levels. We will continue an ongoing discussion about how resiliency is shifting how we plan in communities. We will describe how design-thinking is helping to reimagine a region and a people’s ability to protect against future climate events, and present an in-depth look at how a cultural anchor and residency project is helping a town devastated by Hurricane Irene shape its economic, physical, and social future.