Community Vitality & Placemaking Signature Effort

Outline

Principles and Practice of Community Placemaking

This priority area utilizes wide-ranging strategies related to Principles and Practices of Community Placemaking, and partners with a wide variety of external groups such as the American Planning Association, American Institute of Architects, the Local Government Institute, National Park Service, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Arts Wisconsin, UW-Madison Bolz Center for Arts Administration, and a number of municipal, county and tribal governments. Although its primary outreach focus is Design Wisconsin (a community design charrette program), the Signature Effort holds a biennial in-service, individual members conduct imageability mapping, placemaking training and assessments, and community marketing and branding initiatives.

Have you ever lived in or been a visitor to a community that seems especially vibrant, or one that has a strong sense of place? The Community Vitality & Placemaking Signature Effort helps communities pursue a shared vision of place that fosters vibrant, resilient and inclusive communities. The team offers involved large-scale programs, such as Design Wisconsin, alongside smaller-term trainings for community development professionals and consultations with individuals communities.

Overview & Purpose

The number and complexity of issues confronting local governments, community organizations, and networks are rapidly increasing. There are significant differences in the capacity of local groups to deal with these issues and develop effective policies and efficiently manage resources. UW-Extension colleagues have concluded that all fields related to the development of community (broadly speaking) have undergone dramatic changes in the last 40 years. Community structures and organizations now need to know how to “play the game” and develop the “necessary expertise” to address community needs and build community capacity. All program areas of UW-Extension are positioned to lead processes and provide resources to our vast network of community networks in need of our assistance.

Defining Community Vitality

The purpose of defining community vitality is to provide a shared understanding that allows us the ability to identify, measure, and evaluate the dynamics that define the community itself. After reviewing scholarly work, the UW Extension Community Vitality & Placemaking Team offers the following:

Community Vitality is defined as the community’s collective capacity to respond to change with an enhanced level of participation (process or pursuit of) with aspirations for a healthy and productive community (an outcome or shared vision of success). Shortly speaking, community vitality is the people‘s pursuit of a shared vision of a place, or CV=P3.

Building Community Capacity: Diagnosis & Roles

Effective diagnosis is the first critical element in community capacity building. An effective diagnosis is the cornerstone of effective purpose-based action. Determining which purposeful activity or activities to pursue through either quantitative or qualitative assessment of the community needs and the scope of the effort needed to achieve desired outcomes requires four key principles: considering the unique characteristics of the community, how the issue uniquely manifests itself in the community; using a limited amount of information focused more on developing solutions than analyzing the issue or problem; considering all the functional components of the community system necessary to achieve the desired outcomes and focusing on community strengths, or assets, when choosing from potential purposeful activities to pursue.

An Extension professional’s response to a diagnosis and her role in the community capacity-building effort will be determined by the purposeful activity or activities identified and the necessary functions to be performed when pursuing that activity. Most often, Extension professionals will be responsible for performing the primary functions associated with each purposeful activity and assisting the community in identifying secondary roles and community members to fill those secondary roles.

Building Community Capacity

This segment provides an overview of UW Extension-based resources on foundational concepts for transforming communities and building community capacity. This segment synthesizes existing research on definitions of community, community development, and community transformation. A model for conceptualizing community capacity is described and includes three interdependent elements: community environment (the setting or place for vitality to occur), community structures (the people as the means for advancing positive change), and purpose-based actions (the processes used by people to pursue the desired end-state). A distinction is made between development in the community (outcomes in the setting or place) and development of the community (enhancements of people and organizations). This segment has been piloted, peer-reviewed and extensively used by experienced community development professionals in Wisconsin. This session is foundational for enhancing knowledge and practice skills for leading change, building community capacity, and laying out a roadmap for helping communities move toward vitality.

  • Community Transformation
  • Defining “community”
  • Community Capacity Model
  • Interactive exercises during presentation

Purposeful Activities

This segment describes UW Extension resources about primary processes for purpose-based action. Five fundamental purposeful activities are presented including learning, research, planning, and design, operating and supervising, and evaluation. Appropriate application of research-based processes enables delivery of these targeted approaches as a specific response or combined response. Knowledge of these five approaches and associated skills, tools, and roles bolster the effectiveness of change agents and ultimately help communities achieve their intended purposes. Complex community transformation (called Transformational Education by UW Extension) requires the integration of high-end process (purposeful activities) and high-end content and community knowledge. This segment provides an in-depth review of key aspects of purpose-based action with an emphasis on the primary activities used by community development professionals.

  • Examples of programs and concepts
  • Five factors of each purposeful activity
  • Interactive exercises during presentation

Familiar and Common Purposeful Activities

1. Assure self-preservation and survival of the species

2. Operating/Supervising an existing System

  • Team building (technique)
  • Real Colors (tool)
  • Leadership Development (approach)
  • Conflict Management (skill, approach)
  • Shared Leadership (skill, approach)
  • Creating a Shared Vision/Shared purpose (technique, approach)
  • Mission, Vision, Values (technique, approach)

3. Planning and Design – creating or re-designing a ‘situation-specific’ solution

  • Strategic Planning (approach)
  • Systems Planning, ABCD (approach)
  • Systems Thinking (skill, approach)
  • Problem Diagnosis: using mental models, reframing issues, (skill, approach)
  • Appreciative Inquiry (technique)
  • World Café (technique)
  • Community visioning/backcasting

4. Search for Generalizations and Causes (Research)

  • Community Based Research (approach)
  • CEDPI (tool)
  • COAT (organizational assessment) (tool)
  • Field plots (technique)
  • Community surveys (tools)
  • Market analysis (technique)
  • Focus Groups (tool, technique)
  • Causal Looping (skill, tool)

5. Evaluate the performance of solutions or other activities

  • Program evaluations (pre-post tests etc) (tools)
  • Adaptive management (approach)
  • Plan-Do-Check-Act (technique)
  • Causal Looping (skill, tool)
  • Outcomes measurements/indicators (tool)
  • Pilot projects (technique)

6. Gain Skills and knowledge (learn)

  • Peer Learning (tool)
  • Study circles (technique)
  • Participatory learning techniques and processes (technique)
  • Workshops/conferences (tools)
  • Public policy education (usually in conjunction with a P&D process) (approach)
  • Asking purposeful questions (approach)
  • Hands-on/scenario-based learning (tool, technique)
  • Adult Learning Theory (method)

7. Experience Leisure – Fill in your favorite activity here!

Systems Planning & Network Analysis

A systems approach is one of the critical elements to effective community capacity building.  It is a šcollaborative effort to analyze, define, and design a solution for a community issue, opportunity, or challenge.  It is most effective because community level issues, opportunities or challenges are complex in their nature and rely on multiple sectors with interdependencies, thus requiring a systemic solution.  It is a holistic, rather than a reductionist, approach which provides the community with an opportunity to build on its unique strengths in a focused way.  Increasingly, community networks are either interim or permanent structures used to engage in community capacity building because they rely on social capital to achieve more synergistically than individual community members or organizations can do alone.  This segment of the training provides:

  • An introduction to System Planning
  • An introduction to Network Analysis: Concepts and Practice
  • Practice activity

The Role of Systems Planning & Networks in Community Capacity Building

Key Principles of Systems Planning

Uniqueness

Every issue or problem manifests itself in an environment in unique ways. For example, heroin use may be a problem across the state of Wisconsin, but the problem is different in Marinette County than Jefferson County for reasons unique to each environment. The problem may also be different in Lake Mills than Watertown or Fort Atkinson. Any viable solution needs to take into consideration these unique qualities or it won’t work.

Purposeful Information

Too often groups rely on empirical evidence to solve complex problems. The groups engage in data gathering in an attempt to “know everything” about the problem. The underlying assumption is that once you know everything, the solution will be obvious. Most of the time this doesn’t work with complex problems because data is always incomplete and time-bound. It is more effective to spend time gathering data that will help create solutions, not analyze problems. The goal is to search out purposeful information that contributes to the knowledge about and understanding of the solutions.

Systems Approach

Complex problems are more often successfully solved when the solutions involve each part of the systems involved. Heroin use isn’t going to be reduced by just having law enforcement arrest more people without a similar response from the legal system and the human services system. The problem is too complex and the interdependencies of the systems require multiple actors to be involved from their sector to address it.

Holistic vs. Reductionist Approach to Planning

Holistic Solution Creation Reductionist Problem‐Solving
Employs many mental models; intuitive, analytical, creativeEmploys rational, empirical thought processes
Future-oriented; focus on creating solutionsPast oriented; focus on solving each problem
People-centeredFact-centered
Seeks out broad context to understand a problem and its potential solutionsLimits context to the problem
itself
Aims to find unique ideas that can create a solution that endures over timeAims to find a single, immediate solution that “fixes” the problem
Recognizes that information is softEmphasizes hard data
Initially treats each problem situation as uniqueSeeks similarities with other problems
Puts solutions in a systems framework, recognizing interdependencies with other systemsSpecifies changes only in terms of the parts of the problem

Key Phases of Systems Planning

Key People Involvement

Who is involved or affected by the issue, opportunity, or challenge; who is best qualified to be part of the solution design and decision-making process; and who has the talents and resources needed to implement and maintain the possible solutions.

Identify a Focused Purpose

It’s important to identify a purpose that reflects the ultimate needs, desires, intentions of the issue and its larger context.

Identifying the Ideal Solution

Focuses on identifying the longer-term solutions rather than “quick fixes”. Seek out the solutions that need to be achieved in the future rather than just focused on the immediate issue.

Identifying the Living Solution

What ideas can we come up with today that will move us further down the road to our ideal solution in a way that is modifiable as our community environment continues to change? What are the functional components of such a system?

The Effect of Technology on Networks

Lower Transactional Costs

Social media builds social capital quickly because social media lower transactional costs. People are easy to find online and on many channels.

  • Talk is cheap
  • Serendipity is enhanced online
  • Reciprocity is incredibly easy
  • Cost of failure is lower

Open System Infrastructure

Social media break down additional transactional costs because organizations are no longer necessary to build community capacity – social media allows individuals to build amazing amounts of social capital without formal structures and to generate crowdsourcing.

  • Arab Spring was started in Egypt by a Twitter user Crowd Sourcing: crowd wisdom; crowd creation; crowd voting; crowdfunding.
  • Social media create a “publish-then-filter” system pattern
  • Open system infrastructure uses the “power law of distribution” to increase the durability of successful community engagement strategies

Key Components of a Network

Nodes

Individuals/Organizations comprising the network

Ties

Connections or links between Nodes that form communication/information pathways. Can be weak or strong.

Clusters

Groups of Nodes held together with very strong Ties.

Hubs

Nodes with multiple Ties to Clusters. Sometimes indicate a “network weaver”

Periphery

Nodes on the edge of the network. Most often loosely tied or linked to the rest of the network. May function as links to other networks.

Network Weaver

Key Node is responsible for building and maintaining the network. Functions include mentoring others on network building.

Network Mapping Exercise

Individually

Begin by thinking about either a formal or informal network you are currently working with or have worked within the past. On a piece of paper, draw out the network noting the components (nodes, hubs, clusters, etc). Draw in the connections between each member of the network. Consider the following as you examine your drawing:

  1. Are the right connections in place? Are key connections missing?
  2. Who are the key community leaders? How are they represented in the network?
  3. Who are the experts in process, planning and practice?
  4. Who are the mentors others seek out for advice?
  5. Who are the innovators? How are ideas shared and acted upon?
  6. What are the networks strengths? How could the network improve?
  7. How well is the network working together now? How could it be more effective in the future?

As a Dyad

Share your reflections with your partner. What insights did you glean from mapping the network? How could you use a similar exercise in your work?

Large Group

Share your reflections with the larger group? When would network mapping work well? When wouldn’t it work? What prerequisites might need to be in place?

Written by Kathleen Eisenmann and Joshua Clements

Principles of Community Vitality

This segment provides a research-based review of concepts and definitions of community vitality, community development, community economic development and economic development. Definitions from prominent community development professionals are presented. A “white paper” concludes with a summary of selected definitions which are compared to provide evidence of the many similarities and subtle differences in the definition of these important concepts. A working definition of community vitality is provided:

Community Vitality-Defined as the community’s collective capacity to respond to change with an enhanced level of participation (a process) with aspirations for a healthy and productive community (an outcome or vision of success).

This segment recognizes that the concept of community vitality is an evolving notion subject to wide-ranging interpretation. Interactive exercises to share perspectives and contribute to a UW Extension definition and model of community vitality are part of this segment. It builds on the model for capacity building from Segment 1.

Asset-based Community Development

This segment explains the fundamentals of Asset-based Community Development (ABCD) in the context of building and sustaining the vitality of communities. It explores the asset-based, internally focused and relationship driven principles of ABCD. It describes how to identify individual, organizational and institutional community assets and demonstrates how to engage these community assets in a process to create vital and sustainable communities. A case study will be shared detailing how the ABCD principles and approaches were utilized in a Wisconsin community. This section also explores related theories for implementing asset-based community development initiatives such as the community capital framework, action research and change theory.

Community Design Charrettes

This segment shares the content and application of curriculum developed by the University of Wisconsin-Extension on Principles of Community Placemaking. Definitions of place, place identity and placemaking are provided. An overview describes how these principles have been presented, integrated and applied in community development practices throughout Wisconsin. Practitioners will see how photographic imagery supports research-based principles about “best practices” of community design. Examples for using this curriculum are provided from dynamic community visioning processes, adaptations of “First Impressions Community Assessment Programs” and other efforts to raise the capacity of aspiring citizen planners. This segment describes “off-the-shelf” resources that have been and can be used by community development professionals in their programming. These resources have been used in previous UW Extension in-service training workshops, and the scholarship has been shared widely (including the National Association of Community Development Professionals-NACDEP in 2011).

Placemaking

Placemaking refers to the process of people coming together to discover and express the unique and desired characteristics of their community. We have a long history of working with communities through this process of bringing people together to make their community special. Explore our educational programming and research.

Wauwatosa Papers #1 – What is Community Placemaking?
Wauwatosa Papers #2 – Ecosystem of Planning Definitions

Design Charrettes

Design Wisconsin, a core part of the  Community Vitality & Placemaking Signature Effort, is a placemaking program that brings a multi-disciplinary team of 6-24 volunteers to a community in order to help that community discover a shared vision of the future. Design Wisconsin is modeled after the Community Design Charrette developed by the Minnesota Design Team.

Theory and Practice of Community Design Charrette

This segment shares the content and application of curriculum developed by the University of Wisconsin-Extension on Theory and Practice of Community Design Charrette. Community Design Charrettes are high-energy community planning activities that concentrate public involvement into a 3-day period (the charrette) that generates energy and momentum needed for implementation.

The Community Design Charrette is based on the Minnesota Design Team model that since 1983, has assisted more than 120 rural communities discover their shared visions for the future. During the three-day charrette, a team of 12-20 volunteer planning and design professionals live and work with a community to collaboratively develop short-, medium-, and long-term visions.

Community Design Charrette Process

Unlike a traditional strategic planning process, the community design charrette approach concentrates public engagement into a 2- to 3-day event. The charrette consists of a flurry of interactive activities that encourage the exchange of ideas while generating the energy needed for implementation. Like a traditional strategic planning process, the community design charrette involves months of preparation and deliberation involving key stakeholders. Contrary to public opinion, the community design charrette process involves just as much time and effort as a traditional process and merely projects the illusion that it is quick, fun, and simple. This illusion is by design and is critical to successful public participation and implementation.

UW-Extension Pilot Program: Grantsburg, WI

In April of 2014, the University of Wisconsin Extension partnered with the National Park Service, the University of Minnesota Center for Rural Design, and the Minnesota Design Team of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Architects to conduct a Community Design Charrette in Grantsburg, Wisconsin.  The team included architects, landscape architects and planners from Wisconsin and Minnesota along with Community Resource Development educators from the University of Wisconsin Extension’s Community Vitality & Placemaking Team. See full report.

Community Design Impacts (6 months later…)

Scale

Every community has different placemaking issues and opportunities that vary in scale and intensity. The Community Vitality + Placemaking Team works with local UW-Extension Educators and communities to diagnose and craft an appropriate placemaking response. Typically, responses are developed to address 3 different scales.

Community (3-day charrette): In some cases, a 3-day charrette is selected because it addresses community-wide issues in a holistic approach. A multi-disciplinary team of 20 professionals stays with host families from Thursday thru Saturday. The team of architects, landscape architects, planners, economic developers, engineers, artists, etc. works with the community to discover a shared vision of the future as well as some methods to realize that vision. Prior to the charrette, a community-wide survey, a youth survey, a teen S.W.O.T. analysis, a market analysis, and demographic analysis are conducted. During the charrette, public participation includes a half-day battery of community presentations, 3 focus groups, site tours, and a community-wide workshop.

Area/Neighborhood (1.5-day charrette): Communities who want to target a specific area or neighborhood may not need to devote resources towards a 3-day charrette. In these cases, UW-Extension will work with the community to bring a team of 5-10 professional volunteers. Prior to the charrette, a community-wide survey, a youth survey, and market analysis are conducted. During the charrette, public participation is limited to a visioning session with a focus group and site tours.

Site-Specific (half-day charrette): Instances in which the community has identified a singular site for visioning, a small 2-3 person team facilitates a half-day charrette with a local stakeholder group. Prior to the visit, a local UW-Extension Educator conducts a visioning session with those stakeholders. During the charrette, public participation is limited to a half-day workshop with the stakeholder group to develop design alternatives.

Design Wisconsin: Your Community’s Design Team

The University of Wisconsin-Extension provides communities with a variety of resources to help them make meaningful decisions about their future. The Design Wisconsin program is an opportunity to bring a team of planning and design professionals into your community to help you discover the short-, medium-, and long-range visions of your future. To apply for a Design Wisconsin program, please contact us. We will guide you through the application process, build community capacity for the charrette, and assist with implementation. For any questions about Design Wisconsin, please contact:

Todd W. Johnson, Land Use & Community Development Outreach Program Manager
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension
123E Regional Development Institute

410 S. 3rd Street
River Falls, WI 54022

(715) 425-3941 office

Awards, Publications, & Presentations

The following list of awards, publications, and presentations represents some, but not all of the work conducted by the Community Vitality + Placemaking Team between 2016-present.

Awards

2025 Community Development Society “Outstanding Program Award” for Design Wisconsin

2025 Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects “Visibility Award”

2020  Wisconsin Rural Partners “Wisconsin Top Rural Development Initiative” for “GRO Grantsburg”

2019  Pierce County EDC Cornerstone Award for “Design Ellsworth”

2017  Wisconsin Rural Partners “Wisconsin Top Rural Development Initiative” for “Design Wisconsin Team program in Baileys Harbor”

2017  Wisconsin Extension Environmental & Community Development Association “Outstanding Team Award” for Iron County Regional Trailhead

2016  Wisconsin Extension Environmental & Community Development Association “Quality of Teaching Award” for Baileys Harbor Design Team

2015  National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) “Excellence In Community Development” for Community Design Charrette Program

Publications & Articles

Johnson, T. “Design Mineral Point Summary Report”. Report. 2019.
Johnson, T. “Design Wisconsin: A Researched-based Approach to Community Placemaking”. Slide show. 2019.
Johnson, T. “Design Wisconsin: A Researched-based Approach to Community Placemaking”. Hand out. 2019.
Johnson, T. “The Principles Community Placemaking Assessment Map”. Online interactive geographic information systems application. 2019.
Johnson, T. “Ellsworth Design Team Summary Report”. Report. 2019
Johnson, T. and Klemme, N. “Empowering Youth/Transforming Communities”. Presentation. 2018.
Johnson, T. “Kewaunee Design Team Summary Report”. Report. 2018.
Grabow, S. & Johnson, T. “Community Placemaking: An Important Foundation for Comprehensive Planning and a Guide to Community Mobilization”. Pending Occasional Article. May, 2018.

Johnson, T. & Thompson T. “Kewaunee Design Team”. Video. 2018.
Johnson, T. & Thompson T. “Baileys Harbor Design Team”. Video. 2018.

Grabow, S. & Johnson, T.   “What is Community Placemaking?”. White Paper.  October 10, 2017.

Grabow, S. & Johnson, T.  “Ecosystem of Planning Definitions & Hierarchy Including Placemaking”. White Paper. October 10, 2017.

Johnson, T.  “Helping Communities Create Meaningful Places”.  Publication. Scotland’s Urban Regeneration Forum.  July 24, 2017.

Grabow, S. and Johnson, T. “MDT Futures Retreat: Proceedings Report”. Report. 2017.
Johnson, T. and Thompson A. “Clark County Fairgrounds: A Shared Vision”. Digital Model. 2017.
Johnson, T. “Reedsburg Design Team Summary Report”. Report. 2017.
Johnson, T. “Helping Communities Create Meaningful Places”. Online article. 2017.
Johnson, T. “Making Fun: Using Charrettes to Transform Traditional Playgrounds into Outdoor Learning Environments”. Poster. 2017.
Johnson, T. “Princeton Design Team Summary Report”. Report. 2017.
Johnson, T. “UW-Extension: Helping Communities Create Meaningful Places”. Online article. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Placemaking: Imageability Mapping Field Guide”. Field guide. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Imageability Mapping”. Poster. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Cognitive Map of Fort Atkinson”. Map. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Outdoor Learning Environment”. Digital Model. 2016.
Johnson, T. “UW-Extension Helping Communities Create Meaningful Places”. Online publication. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Design Wisconsin Team-Grantsburg”. Video. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Iron County Regional Trail Summary Report”. Report. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Design Wisconsin Team Workbook”. Workbook. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Clark County Fair Visioning Summary Report”. Report. 2016.
Johnson, T. and Kozak, R. “Pathfinders Evaluation”. Evaluation instrument. 2016.
Johnson, T. “Community Design Team Program Piloted In Wisconsin”. Online article. 2016.
Johnson, T., Burke, R. and Johnson, T. “Baileys Harbor Imageability Map”. Map. 2015.
Johnson, T., Morey, H., Ryan, B., and Veroff, D. “Baileys Harbor Community Profile”. Report. 2015
Johnson, T. “St. Croix Falls-River & Trail Access”. Report. 2015.
Johnson, T. “Baileys Harbor-Community Design”. Report. 2015.
Johnson, T. “Placemaking Tools: Imageability Mapping”. Field guide. 2015.
Johnson, T. “Community Design Team: Town Meeting Questions”. Field guide. 2015.
Johnson, T. “Community Design Team: Town Meeting Questions”. Field guide. 2015.

Presentations

Johnson, T.  “Grantsburg Facade Study-Outcomes”.  Presentation.  GRO Grantsburg. Grantsburg, WI.  December 16, 2019.

Holtkamp, C. and Johnson, T.  “Grantsburg Facade Study”.  Presentation.  GRO Grantsburg.  Grantsburg, WI.  April 29, 2019.

Johnson, T.  “What’s All of the This About Creative Placemaking”.  Panel discussion.  The EXPOnential Creative Conference.  Milwaukee, WI.  April 27, 2019.

Johnson, T.  “Tactical Urbanism and Community Engaged Design”.  Presentation.  University of Wisconsin-Madison “CommNS Annual Conference”.  Madison, WI.  April 24, 2019.

Johnson, T.  “The Community Design Charrette”.  Presentation.  University of Wisconsin-Extension Community Vitality + Placemaking “Foundation of Community Placemaking In-Service”.  Fort Atkinson, WI.  February 28, 2019.

Johnson, T.  “Imageability Mapping”.  Presentation.  University of Wisconsin-Extension Community Vitality + Placemaking “Foundation of Community Placemaking In-Service”.  Fort Atkinson, WI.  February 28, 2019.

Johnson, T.  “The Principles & Practice of Community Placemaking”.  Presentation.  University of Wisconsin-Extension Community Vitality + Placemaking “Foundation of Community Placemaking In-Service”.  Fort Atkinson, WI.  February 28, 2019.

Johnson, T.  “Ellsworth Design Team, Next Steps”.  Workshop.  Ellsworth, WI.  January 28, 2019.

Johnson, T. and Klemme, N. “Empowering Youth/Transforming Communities”.   Presentation.  University of Wisconsin-Extension All Colleague Conference.   Madison, WI.  December 5, 2018.

Johnson, T.  “Design Wisconsin: A Researched-based Approach to Community Placemaking”.  Presentation.  Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet. Ellsworth, WI.   November 15, 2018.

Johnson, T.  “Design Wisconsin: A Researched-based Approach to Community Placemaking”.  Presentation.  Amery, WI.   November 7, 2018.

Johnson, T.  “Community Design Charrettes: A Simulation”.  Workshop.  University of Wisconsin-Madison Bolz Center for Arts Administration.  Madison, WI.  October 10, 2018.

Grabow, S. & Johnson, T.  “Community Design Charrettes”.  Workshop.  Creative Placemaking Institute.  University of Wisconsin-Madison Bolz Center for Arts Administration. Madison, WI. July, 2018.

Johnson, T.  “Creating Community Visions That Inspire Change”.  Presentation. Community Development Society International Conference, Detroit, MI. July, 2018.

Johnson, T.  “Making Fun”.  Presentation. Community Development Society International Conference, Detroit, MI. July, 2018.

Baefsky, L. & Johnson T.  “Principles and Practice of Community Placemaking”. Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. June 26, 2018.

Grabow, S., Johnson, T., and Runge, K.  “Facilitating for Placemaking”. The Bolz Center for Arts Management. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison, WI.  January, 2018.

Grabow, S. & Johnson, T.  “UW-Extension Community Vitality + Placemaking Team”.  Workshop/Forum. Arts Business Research Symposium, UW-Madison. April 20, 2018.

Johnson, T.  & Klemme, N. “Creating Community Visions That Inspire Change”. Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit, Chattanooga, TN.  March 15-16, 2018.

Johnson, T.  & Klemme, N. “Empowering Youth to Transform Communities”. Presentation. Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit, Chattanooga, TN.  March 15-16, 2018.

Johnson, T. & Maddox, M.  “Growing Meaningful Places”. Presentation. Joint Council of Extension Professionals. May 2, 2018.

Johnson, T.  “Design Wisconsin”.  Keynote Presentation. Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet. May 24, 2018

Cronin, W.  “Placemaking Safari”.  Presentation. Wisconsin Downtown Action Council Summit, Sheboygan, WI.  October 25, 2017.

Deller, S., Johnson T., Runge, K., and Ryan, B.  “Are Downtowns Public Goods?”. Workshop. Wisconsin Downtown Action Council Summit, Sheboygan, WI. October 26, 2017.

Grabow, S. & Johnson, T.  “The Wauwatosa Papers # 1 and #2”.  (#1 What is Community Placemaking?; #2 Ecosystem of Planning Definitions and Hierarchy: Including Placemaking) Workshop.  University of Wisconsin Creative Placemaking Consortium, Madison, WI. October 13, 2017.

Grabow, S. & Johnson, T. (Process Designers and Facilitators). Strategic Direction Workshop. University of Wisconsin Creative Placemaking Consortium, Madison, WI, October 13, 2017.

Alexander, M.  & Sandwick, N. “Community Placemaking 101”.  Presentation. Wisconsin Downtown Action Council Summit, Sheboygan, WI.  October 26, 2017.

Erickson, J., Sandwick, N. & Pittz, S. “Community Placemaking”. Presentation. 2017 Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) Annual Conference, Wisconsin Dells, WI. September 26, 2017.

Johnson, T.  “Placemaking, Not Space Making”. Keynote address. Sauk County Leadership Summit. November 9, 2017.

Johnson, T.  “Community Design Charrettes”. Guest lecture. ESM 389:  Explore Your Watershed, UW-River Falls. October 24, 2017.

Erickson, J., Sandwick, N. & Pittz, S. “Community Placemaking”. Presentation. 2017 Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) Annual Conference, Wisconsin Dells, WI. September 26, 2017.

Clements, J.  “Placemaking Education and Outreach in Practice”.  Placemaking Leadership Forum.  Vancouver, BC. September 14, 2016.

Johnson, T. “Community Placemaking”.  Keynote address.  NW Wisconsin Arts Forum.  Amery, WI.  2016.

Johnson, T. “Harnessing the Power of Collaboration”.  Keynote address.  Great Rivers Confluence.  River Falls, WI, November 16, 2016.

Grabow, S., Johnson, T., and Runge, K.   “Creative Placemaking in Practice”.  University of Wisconsin Creative Placemaking Consortium.  Bolz Center, UW-Madison.  December 8, 2016.

Grabow, S. and Johnson T.   “Community Design Charrette – UW-Extension Community Vitality and Placemaking Team”.  Arts Wisconsin’s Arts Day 2015 Conference. March 11, 2015.

Sandwick, N.  “Revisioning Point Stevens Point.”  Stevens Point, WI.  March 19, 2015.

Andresen, W., Clements, J., Eisenmann, K., Grabow, S., Johnson, T., and Sandwick, N.  “Community Vitality & Placemaking in Wisconsin”.  2015 Joint Council of Extension Professionals Annual Conference. April, 2015.

Andresen, W., Clements, J., Eisenmann, K., Grabow, S., Johnson, T., and Sandwick, N.  “The Community Vitality and Placemaking Team”.  Professional Development In-Service.  Treehaven, WI.  May 13, 2015.

Johnson, T. and Sandwick, N.  “Community Vitality & Placemaking”.  Wisconsin Rural Partners Summit.  April 23, 2015.

Sandwick, N.  “Place and Civic Engagement”. The 20th Conference on the Small City and Regional Community. Wausau, WI.  October 7, 2015.

Grabow, S.  “Comprehensive Planning, Community Visioning and Placemaking”. Special Session of the Fort Atkinson City Council.  Fort Atkinson, WI.  July, 2015.

Grabow, S. and Johnson T. “The Practice of Placemaking: A Research-Based Approach for Creating Meaningful Places”. American Planners Association Regional Conference. Madison, WI.  October, 2015.

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