City Kicks Off Wayfinding & Creative Placemaking Initiative and Launches Survey
The City of Melrose, through the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), is pleased to announce that it has kicked-off a Wayfinding & Creative Placemaking Initiative. Working with consultants Selbert Perkins Design and the Civic Space Collaborative, the City will be developing a wayfinding and creative placemaking strategy for Melrose through the lens of public art. This work is made possible entirely through a grant from the Massachusetts Marketing Partnership and Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism. A portion of the funding will go toward the development of the Wayfinding & Creative Placemaking Plan while the remaining funds will go toward carrying out pilot projects during the summer of 2020.
The purpose of the project is to make Melrose's downtown even more welcoming, build on its Victorian identity to enhance the sense that this is a unique place, guide pedestrians and cyclists, and connect the downtown with other business areas. It will involve a comprehensive public engagement process to develop a wayfinding system that speaks to Melrose’s past and present, features public art, highlights local artists, and provides multi-modal wayfinding. A Wayfinding & Creative Placemaking Committee consisting of community members and City staff has been established by Mayor Paul Brodeur to advise this process and assist with public outreach.
Having completed site visits and an audit of existing conditions, the design team from Selbert Perkins Design is working with OPCD staff and the Wayfinding & Creative Placemaking Committee to identify suitable types of placemaking and wayfinding elements for Melrose, recommend key locations for these elements, and develop conceptual designs that illustrate what the elements could look like for presentation to the public. Elements to be explored for the wayfinding system will range from traditional directional signage and interpretive panels to imaginative murals and pavement markings.
Engagement for the Initiative will take the form of an online survey, call for local artists, and virtual community meeting. Decisions around which placemaking and wayfinding elements and locations to prioritize and then pilot will be based heavily on this feedback from the community. In announcing the initiative, Mayor Brodeur acknowledged the unique circumstances posed by the current public health crisis. “The goal of this initiative will be to engage residents from the comfort and safety of their homes” said Brodeur “and to foster a sense of community in a fun and accessible way.”
The online survey has just gone live and it will remain open until May 14, 2020 at 5:00 PM. All Melrosians are welcome to participate. The City is thankful in advance for the valuable feedback during this difficult time. Access the survey and watch an informational video that introduces the project and survey at the following link:
Responses to the survey will be collected and reviewed with the Committee, and they will also help the City hold a public call for art and host a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, May 20th at 7:00 PM. Please mark the following dates on your calendar and look out for more information at the above link:
Public Call for Art
May 18th - June 15th
Virtual Community Meeting
May 20th, 7:00 PM
For additional information or questions about theWayfinding & Creative Placemaking Initiative, please contact Denise Gaffey, Director & City Planner, at dgaffey@cityofmelrose.org.