Patronicity’s Post

Excited to be part of this panel discussion! Resiliency is something we have to routinely design for and how to best evaluate the increased frequency in storm surge, sea level rise, and appearance all need to be evaluated! Join me October 23rd to discuss!

🎉 North Bend Awarded $50K T-Mobile Grant to Launch Community Hub 🎉 The City of North Bend is thrilled to announce that we’ve been awarded a $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant to bring the North Bend Community Hub to life! This project will feature the T-Mobile Stage & Performance Corner as part of the North Bend Visitor Center Master Plan. 🌟 We’re proud to be one of only 25 communities nationwide this quarter selected for this prestigious grant, joining a network of small towns revitalized through T-Mobile’s remarkable $15 million investment in rural development since 2021. Competition was fierce with more than 850 applicants! What’s Coming? The T-Mobile Stage & Performance Corner will become the beating heart of our community—a vibrant space hosting live performances, art installations, and public gatherings. This ADA-accessible hub will include: • A permanent stage for music, theater, and more 🎭 • Public art, including a mural celebrating North Bend’s rich cultural heritage 🎨 • Seating and landscaping, featuring magenta blooms 🌺 This project celebrates our local history, uplifts community voices, and ensures access to arts and culture for everyone. With an estimated 6-9 month timeline to completion, North Bend’s downtown will soon transform into a bustling center of creativity and connection. Hear from Our Leaders: “The T-Mobile Hometown Grant is a transformative opportunity for North Bend, helping us bring the vision of a vibrant community hub to life,” said Mayor Jessica Engelke. “The T-Mobile Stage will foster creativity, connection, and cultural celebration for years to come.” This initiative continues our commitment to innovative placemaking, as seen with our Four Point Wayfinder and other community-led projects. Thank You, Partners! A huge thanks to Main Street America and T-Mobile for supporting our vision and to our local community for contributing their ideas and excitement to this effort. Stay tuned for updates and announcements as we kick off construction in early 2025. Let’s come together to celebrate and build our future, one step at a time. 💕 #northbendoregon #tmobilehometowngrants #communityhub #artsandculture #Placemaking T-Mobile Main Street America League Of Oregon Cities

More reflections on #APBP2024 in #Detroit.

Exciting News Alert! ULI Orange County/Inland Empire District Council snagged the Top Award for "Best Program for Professional Development and Member Engagement" with their Builders Got Talent event! UrbanPlan’s Got Talent, an inaugural fundraiser for the UrbanPlan program, was an incredible showcase of teamwork and innovation. Teams from four leading builders in Orange County immersed themselves in the UrbanPlan program over five weeks, crafting detailed proposals with guidance from seasoned volunteers. The competition reached its climax on June 8, 2023, as teams presented their proposals to a city council panel, spiced up with lively networking, dinner, and drinks. The event even had a People’s Choice award, with teams pulling out all the stops with creative marketing strategies - think buttons, flyers, and yes, even tequila shots! The Urban Cowboys team from Rancho Mission Viejo with JZMK’s Andrew Watkins swept the first annual Builders Got Talent: UrbanPlan Edition! UrbanPlan’s Got Talent wasn't just a night of fun and competition - it was a testament to the growth and vitality of the UrbanPlan program. Let's keep building together! #BuildersGotTalent #UrbanPlanSuccess #TeamworkTriumphs #ULIOrangeCounty #InlandEmpire #ProfessionalDevelopment #MemberEngagement #InnovativeEvent #UrbanPlan #CommunityImpact #NetworkingEvent #AwardWinners #CreativeMarketing #VolunteerRecognition #BuildingSuccess #BuildersCommunity #TopAward #BuildersRecognition #BuildingInnovation #EventHighlight #ExcitingNews #SuccessStory #BuildingTogether #BuildersCommunity #BuildingLeadership #EngagementSuccess #CelebratingAchievement #BuildingConnections #UrbanCowboys #Congratulations #RanchoMissionViejo #JZMK #BuildersSuccess

WHITE SOX MUST STAY IN BRIDGEPORT! Absolutely agree with this article here. The potential relocation of the Chicago White Sox's stadium isn't just about sports; it's a pivotal moment for addressing the issues of urban disinvestment and neglect that upon communities on the South Side for decades. Rather than abandoning Bridgeport, the White Sox have an opportunity to catalyze positive change by reinvesting in the community and leveraging public-private partnerships for sustainable revitalization. The potential benefits are immense, from job creation to enhanced cultural vibrancy, and from improved infrastructure to environmental stewardship. 35th street and certain parking lots along the train tracks can be reimagined with bars, restaurants, shops and much more, creating a destination. Instead, investing in the existing Bridgeport location presents a unique opportunity for transformative change. The idea of repurposing the stadium as a multipurpose facility, complemented by year-round programming and community engagement, is not just visionary but essential for fostering economic growth and social cohesion. Furthermore, the potential for innovative urban design, as mentioned, decking over the Dan Ryan Expressway to create green space, exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking approach needed to revitalize urban areas sustainably while bridging the divide of communities. Ultimately, keeping the White Sox in Bridgeport isn't just about preserving a sports venue; it's about revitalizing an entire community and setting a precedent for inclusive urban development for generations to come. The loss of the White Sox in Bridgeport is a loss for the entire south side as a whole! Let's seize this opportunity to create a more equitable and vibrant South Side.

In September, Innovation Park at Holbrook Farms began leasing the first units in Lehi, Utah. This community is the first of 7 to deliver on Ivory Innovations and Call to Action’s promise to bring more affordable housing to communities across Utah. When completed, the neighborhood will have green spaces and a community tutoring center. Learn more about the townhomes at https://lnkd.in/gjAKrZCE

Charlotte, NC is poised for a major transformation with the proposed Queen's Park project. 🏞️ Envisioned as a 220-acre urban green space, it aims to convert a former industrial railyard near uptown into the city’s largest and most dynamic park. Spearheaded by the nonprofit Friends of Queen's Park, the initiative aspires to establish a community hub while addressing the city's need for more accessible green spaces. Queen's Park promises to integrate diverse amenities such as flexible spaces like a great lawn for recreation and events, cultural hubs to showcase arts and host festivals, natural preserves that restore ecosystems and add tree cover and connections to existing trails and infrastructure, linking surrounding neighborhoods and promoting walkability. The park is intended to bridge and unite eight neighborhoods divided by industrial zones, fostering inclusivity and urban renewal. Advocates liken its potential impact to New York's Central Park or Chicago's Millennium Park, emphasizing its role in enhancing quality of life, culture, and sustainability ❗ While the vision is compelling, challenges remain. Securing funding and addressing competing land-use needs complicate progress. For example, parts of the site have recently been allocated for light rail storage, underscoring the complexity of balancing infrastructure with public space development

Industrialist J. Irwin Miller believed cutting-edge design would help draw the best and the brightest to his Midwestern town. The model of philanthropy he championed, through the Cummins Foundation and his family’s personal giving, was one of soft influence — an approach that required community input and collaboration. “Columbus has always been a place that raises bold ideas,” says Richard McCoy, Executive Director of Landmark Columbus Foundation. “We have a unique opportunity here to lead by example.” What began as a creative solution to attract the best and brightest to live and work in this Indiana town led to an unlikely collection of modernist architecture and a model of civic philanthropy that endures today. Eden Stiffman reports: https://lnkd.in/enjW4ZVb Cummins Inc.

This week, I’m attending the NeighborWorks America Rural Revitalization Clinic in Millersburg, KY, hosted by Community Ventures. One part of the clinic that’s been sitting with me is the opening session led by Kevin Smith, where he framed the approach to Comprehensive Community Development (CCD) in a way that really stood out. One of the key ideas Kevin shared was about shifting how we engage funders. Instead of focusing on isolated investments (like down payment assistance for a specific income band), he challenged us to advocate for enterprise-level investments. The idea is to get funders to see the big picture and support community-driven strategies rather than one-off programs. This shift in perspective could mean the difference between piecemeal progress and long-term transformation. Another takeaway from Kevin’s talk was how CVC approached the decision to invest in Millersburg. Initially, the town of 800 people wasn’t seen as a “good bet” because, as Kevin put it, “it needed everything.” But a board member challenged that thinking, pointing out that if they didn’t step in, no one else would. That moment changed the trajectory—not just for Millersburg, but for how CVC approaches risk and opportunity. It’s a reminder of how mission-driven decisions sometimes mean leaning into uncertainty. I’m still reflecting on these ideas and thinking about how they show up in my own work. How do we shift funder mindsets toward broader investments in strategy? How do we, as rural community development leaders, encourage funders to recognize when “risky” investments are actually the most necessary? Grateful to Community Ventures Corporation and Kevin Smith for creating space for this kind of reflection and for sharing the lessons learned through their work in Millersburg. Looking forward to seeing what else emerges as the clinic continues! In the meantime, here’s a great video that shows CVC’s approach to comprehensive community development in Millersburg: https://lnkd.in/e6AYW7Ze

A new development in Chiswick House with more capacity for community and educational activities.