What is Placemaking?
Per Wikipedia, "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 improve urban vitality and promote people's health, happiness, and well-being."
The Friendship Heights Alliance's placemaking efforts include installing native plant pollinator gardens and planters along the corridor to soften the public realm, bringing vibrant flowers into the neighborhood, and providing high-quality, brightly colored furniture to encourage people to sit and stay.
Friendship Heights Pollinator Commons
The Friendship Heights Pollinator Commons is a series of native plant pollinator gardens throughout Friendship Heights. These gardens will be located close enough together to allow native insects, with relatively small ranges, to visit multiple sites — establishing a strong visual presence of native plants throughout the neighborhood. Currently, the Alliance has established three gardens: one in Maryland (5496 Friendship Boulevard) and two in D.C. along the 5200 block of Wisconsin Avenue.
As new sites are identified, the Pollinator Commons will continue to be a collaborative environmental stewardship project, connecting D.C. residents to Maryland residents, teens to seniors, and pollinators to people. To learn more about getting involved as a garden volunteer, please contact our Pollinator Commons Director, Amanda Huron at amanda.huron@gmail.com.
New Furniture Along Wisconsin Avenue
The Alliance heard through our initial community engagement in 2022 that people wanted: places to sit down, softened edges in the public realm, more flowers and landscaping, and places to meet or take their dogs. The Alliance worked with property owners and a local landscaping firm to install more than 100 planters along Wisconsin Avenue, along with dozens of bistro chairs, small tables, and Adirondack seating.
Using planters along the corridor softens the public realm, bringing bright flowers and calming plants into the neighborhood – a key request from constituents. Installing high-quality, brightly colored furniture is part of our efforts to create places to linger, enjoy, and meet a friend.
Pop-Ups
The Friendship Heights Alliance is dedicated to cultivating a dynamic and vibrant neighborhood through placemaking, community building, and collaboration. Pop-ups are temporary activations that create new opportunities for artists and community gatherings. Throughout the year, the Alliance produces a variety of pop-ups to connect residents and visitors with local businesses, artists, and organizations. Learn more about our pop-ups here.
Tulips
Each spring, the Friendship Heights Alliance is adding more color and a fresh dose of inspiration with hundreds of colorful tulips – a nod to the vibrancy and hope of our visual identity and tulip logo, as well. Snap your own photos of the tulips as they emerge, and tag us on social @friendshipheightsalliance! Flowers and greenery soften the public realm and encourage people to linger.
What's next?
The Alliance team is working on future phases of our long-term placemaking plan, and working with property owners to improve tree boxes and sidewalk areas throughout the neighborhood.