Three Ways to Build Planning Into Summer Fun

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EngagingCities is supported by The Orton Family Foundation, which helps small cities and towns adapt to change while maintaining or enhancing the things they value most. The Orton Family Foundation hosts The Planning Tool Exchange (PlanIt X), a free online database of community planning projects, tools, and resources.We encourage you to browse, comment and contribute to PlanIt X.

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It’s hard to expect people to come to meetings and sift through pages of planning documents during the summer, while they’ve been much more interested in the Olympics, camps and vacations, among other summer time activities. Planning has probably been the last thing on everyone’s minds lately. So, we’ve compiled a list of ways to help you build planning into your community’s summer time fun:

PARK(ing) Day and Better Blocks
We’ve written about PARK(ing) day in the past, but it’s worth another mention; you just can’t beat a park for a cool way to spend a hot afternoon. Rather than heading out to your town’s favorite park, use the resources and ideas developed by the PARK(ing) day network to create your own park in a downtown parking space. Unroll the sod, set up the grill, and people will be flocking to your ad-hoc park. Hand them a cool drink and start a conversation about how to build more vibrant public spaces downtown). If it works well, then don’t stop at one parking space, but keep on going! Block parties and the Better Block Project are a great way to take over a block or street with pedestrian-friendly activities and temporary improvements that can show people what placemaking can do for their communities. Read more at PlanIt X >>

Graffiti Walls
Many communities have developed popular sidewalk chalk art festivals in the summer (if you haven’t seen true chalk artists, be sure you do… wow). But there’s a place for amateurs too: if you’re community is having some a public festival or event, set aside a place for community members to scribble on the ground or on the walls and weigh in on what they love about the town, or what they’d like to see on a certain site. If you don’t have a great stretch of pavement for chalk, a graffiti wall can be easily set up just about anywhere – erected on plywood, or just a piece of butcher paper. Bring a bag of markers or crayons, pose a question about your community, and invite your town to express itself. Don’t forget your camera: the results may be much more meaningful than you’d expect. Read more at PlanIt X >>

Photography Contests
As fun as you make them, you’ll never catch everyone at summer events – there are simply too many vacations and camps and other things to do. So your best bet might be to offer an engagement opportunity that people can do on their own time, in their own way. Photography contests are a great place to start: identify a question or topic (like favorite things about the town, or local character) and publicize the contest well. Contact summer camps, school enrichment programs and other kids programming opportunities that might be looking for an exciting activity. Showcase the results in your local newspaper or a community gathering if you can. Read more at PlanIt X >>

Find more fun ideas in the Planning Tool Exchange in the Planning Tool Exchange and add your own thoughts and examples!