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Let’s Talk Progress Talk #02

Let’s Talk Progress is a community-driven conversation about what Burlington could be–and how Smart Growth can help us get there. Let’s Talk Progress is produced by the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber and The Kauffman Foundation and is a series of eight talks with expert guest speakers discussing what a brighter future for our city looks like.

Our second Let’s Talk Progress event featured nationally recognized Placemaker Andrew Howard who talked about creating quality spaces that revitalize communities. With additional support from AARP we were able to bring Andrew in to speak and lead a placemaking workshop. The talk was held at Arts Riot and the workshop was at Alternator – a production acceleration, tech lab, and build space. Alternator also pre-cut the plywood we needed using a CNC router.

Using wooden mallets, attendees assembled tables, benches, planters and a bike rack and worked late into the night waterproofing them. The next day through a partnership with Local Motion and the Department of Pubic Works the placemaking features were installed at a temporary pop-up demonstration at the intersection of St. Paul and Howard. The pop-up was in place through the weekend to help DPW and Local Motion evaluate the impact of the redesign.

The Lake Champlain Chamber is thrilled about the collaboration that developed and the end result. The community was able to learn more about how we can improve our neighborhoods through placemaking, we contracted with local entrepreneurs to help us build the materials needed, and we installed them in a demo that created a safe gathering place near great local businesses.

Learn more about Let’s Talk Progress here.