For this workshop, Ridhi D-Cruz and I will start by giving an overview of The City Repair Project. We will explain what the organization represents, how the Village Building Convergence (VBC) works, and why this event is part of the permaculture movement. Then, we will specifically describe how the VBC has helped marginalized communities stand up for social justice and equality. We will give examples of how we are building bridges of diversity and what communities can do to share power through co-collaborative placemaking.

Presented By: Ridhi & Ashley Bonn

City Repair has over 20 years of experience with grassroots, community-initiated placemaking in Portland, Oregon. Our model for building place-based empowerment is inspiring communities across the nation and even globally from countries like Canada, the UK and even Australia. Here in Oregon, however, our biggest learning edge is integrating a social justice lens to ensure that the people and the places that we are working with provide benefit to some of the most vulnerable groups in our community. For us it has meant working with People of Color in one of the most ethnically Caucasian cities and also with folks experiencing houselessness. We will share stories of placemaking with these communities and how they contribute to what we are calling Place Justice.

Presented By: Ridhi DCruz

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Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Placemaking capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well being. Each presenter will share some examples of placemaking from different places with pictures, stories, lessons learned and plans for the future/ growth with the projects. This is a great time to start developing plans and ideas for your neighborhood and ask our panel of experienced placemakers on tips and tricks for successful community building techniques for a happy place.  

We are showcasing: Portland City Repair Project as well as Revitalization efforts Katrina was part of in the Mississippi Delta last year, where the economy is the lowest in the country. We will also have PLACE for Sustainable Living of Oakland share where they are with advocating for the city of Oakland to adopt placemaking ordinances as Portland and many other cities have done.  Sebastopol’s progress on this after their very successful and 1st VBC will be great to hear as well.

With: Katrina Zavalney, Veronica Rameriz & Lindsey Whited