Exploring Civic Infrastructure with Percent for Place

Percent for Place

This panel discussion will provide an opportunity to learn more and discuss Percent for Place, a coalition representing a diverse set of over two-dozen private, nonprofit, and philanthropic organizations dedicated to advancing policies that foster the creation, expansion, and improvement of civic infrastructure. The Percent for Place program looks at civic infrastructure as the totality of the public spaces where Americans connect with each other including, parks, town squares, main streets, play spaces, libraries, and other public places located in every type of community across the country. The discussion will feature three dynamic leaders involved in the coalition, including:

• Bridget Marquis, the Director of Reimagining the Civic Commons
• Nate Storring, the Co-Executive Director of Project for Public Spaces
• Kelly Humrichouser the Director of Government Relations of Main Street America

The presenters will share their experiences on coalition development and advocating at the federal level for greater investment in civic infrastructure.

From this presentation, attendees will:

• Learn how federal policy and programs can accelerate or inhibit investment in civic infrastructure projects on the ground;
• Hear insights on the barriers to federal funding that local government and placemaking organizations face on the ground in communities; and
• Understand the impact of cross-silo coalition work that unites rural and urban practitioners.

Attendees will leave with new knowledge on the opportunities and challenges for investing in civic infrastructure and how to participate in a coalition advocating for increased recognition of the needs for civic infrastructure funding.

APA CM .75

Moderator Bio

Patricia Walsh is the founder of PAW Arts, LLC, a public art consulting practice that collaborates with government agencies, nonprofits, and foundations to address community needs through the arts. With over two decades of experience in public art administration and cultural planning, Patricia brings extensive expertise in policy development, program management, and community engagement. As the former program manager for public art and community development at Americans for the Arts, Patricia spent nine years leading national initiatives to advance public art practices. She managed one of the field's premier annual conferences and built strategic partnerships with organizations like the American Planning Association and Smart Growth America to integrate arts into community development. She has been a key resource for the media, having been featured in numerous publications, including ARTnews, NPR, and the Chicago Tribune. Currently based in the Mid-Hudson Valley region, Patricia continues to advance the field through policy and program development, research and evaluation, and education on public art management. She serves as an advisor for the Arts & Planning Division of the American Planning Association and a recent board member of Arts Mid-Hudson. Patricia holds a Master of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University and maintains an active artistic practice, creating works inspired by the natural world through painting, drawing, and collages.

Speaker Bios

Bridget A. Marquis is the director of Reimagining the Civic Commons, a national initiative transforming public places to foster engagement, equity, environmental sustainability and economic development in cities. She manages the national Civic Commons Learning Network, housed at U3 Advisors, providing coordinated learning, impact assessment and storytelling across 10 U.S. communities. Prior to leading Reimagining the Civic Commons, Bridget served as program director during the start-up phase of ArtPlace America, where she developed and executed grantmaking strategies to inform and accelerate the field of creative placemaking. She is a frequent speaker and author on reimagining public space as critical civic infrastructure for equitable and resilient cities.

Nate Storring is a Co-Executive Director of Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit dedicated to creating community-powered public spaces around the world. As a nonprofit professional, researcher, and writer, he has spent his career investigating and sharing participatory approaches to city building. He has authored and edited a wide variety of publications from a career-spanning collection of Jane Jacobs' short writings titled Vital Little Plans to practical guides on inclusive placemaking, transportation on main street, and innovation districts. His latest edited book, Hyperlocal: Place Governance in a Fragmented World, explores the past, present, and future of how American cities manage their public realm.

Kelly Humrichouser, Director of Government Relations, at Main Street America’s (MSA) works to uplift the role of Main Street organizations to policy and decision makers. She works alongside MSA’s state, city, and country Coordinating Programs in defending and growing their programs and supports MSA’s network of Main Street programs in advocating for federal support for Main Streets. Prior to serving as the Director of Government Relations, Kelly was the Manager of Education & Illinois Main Street Coordinating Program. In this role, Kelly managed the Main Street America Institute (MSAI) and coordinated training, technical service, and communications for the Illinois Main Street program. Before joining MSA in 2016, Kelly worked at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). From northeast Ohio, Kelly holds a BA in Art History from Kenyon College, a MS in Historic Preservation from SAIC, and an MPA in Public Policy from the O’Neill School at Indiana University.