Creatives Additives to Corridors

Author: Aliya Mckethern

Incorporating creative elements into a wide-spread area of vacancy is a key asset to challenging a city’s land use. The Grand River and Abbott Park District has the potential to do just that. Currently, this space is vacant and lacks creative output. This area is an excellent social region, surrounded by bars and dining. However, how do we further develop inclusion in ways that will draw non-residents to the space?

Through creative additives such as event parks and regular art festivals, East Lansing would welcome people out of the city which makes for business opportunities. With the many art students who attend Michigan State University, a common area for art presentation would offer them experience and an opportunity to demonstrate their learned skills to the local area. An event park would also contribute to a good city aspect due to its creation of a sense of belonging and unity in a downtown area. Local musicians can utilize this stage to bring their art to life, all while bringing the city to life and giving local residents, tourists, and others something to do. This improvement idea serves as a form of entertainment for residents and thus generates positive outlooks on the city. During this, artists are given a platform to express their progressive ideas, which makes the development idea all the while more rewarding. Implementing this design improvement idea could be carried out by a committee who is responsible for scheduling and advertising these local events. Doing so would eventually curate an opportunity for residents to have a say in what events they want to see.

An example of this principle at work: Project For Public Spaces

Back