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Question:
How can Worcester, MA --a city with over a billion dollars of development money set aside to revitalize the central core and not a single innovative architect retained to design great buildings and public space. How do cities attract innovative architects like Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Renzo Piano, Santiago Calatrava, Tom Wright, I.M.Pei to design striking buildings and transform public space? What carrots are dangled in front of the horses' mouth?
Answer:

To create incentives to attract architects to create transformative public spaces, we can draw upon resources from the Community Tool Box sections and Toolkits, as well as other web resources. Here's a comprehensive plan:

  1. Needs Assessment:
    • Utilize processes in Chapter 3. Assessing Community Needs and Resources to understand the community's desires and priorities for public spaces.
    • Conduct surveys, focus groups, or interviews to gather insights into the community's vision for transformative public spaces and their expectations from architects.
  2. Building Relationships:
  3. Education and Awareness:
  4. Incentive Design:
    • Develop incentive programs that recognize and reward architects for their contributions to creating transformative public spaces.
    • Offer financial incentives such as grants, honorariums, or design stipends to architects who propose innovative and impactful designs for public spaces.
    • Provide non-monetary incentives such as recognition, publicity, or professional development opportunities to incentivize architects to participate in public space projects.
    • Some examples are here: Chapter 25. Changing Policies | Section 3. Using Tax Incentives to Support Community Health and Development
  5. Policy Advocacy:
    • Advocate for supportive policies and regulations that prioritize the creation of transformative public spaces in urban planning and development.
    • Refer to Toolkit 10. Advocating for Change to engage policymakers, urban planners, and community stakeholders in advocating for policies that incentivize architects to prioritize public space design.
  6. Capacity Building:
    • Strengthen the capacity of architects and design professionals to conceptualize and execute transformative public space projects.
    • Provide training, workshops, or design competitions focused on public space design principles, placemaking strategies, and community engagement techniques.
  7. Community Engagement:
    • Involve community members in the design process to ensure public spaces meet their needs and reflect their values.
    • Use participatory design approaches, community workshops, or online surveys to gather input from diverse stakeholders and incorporate their feedback into design proposals.
  8. Resource Mobilization:
    • Seek funding from public and private sources to support incentives for architects and public space projects.
    • Explore crowdfunding platforms, grants, sponsorships, or public-private partnerships as potential funding sources for incentive programs.
  9. Monitoring and Evaluation:
  10. Continued Engagement:
    • Sustain engagement with architects, community members, and stakeholders to maintain momentum and support for transformative public space initiatives.
    • Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility for creating vibrant and inclusive public spaces that enrich the lives of residents and visitors alike.

By implementing these strategies and leveraging resources from the Community Tool Box sections, Toolkits, and other web sources, communities can effectively create incentives to attract architects to collaborate on transformative public space projects.

Question Date: Tue, 10/10/2023