Art in Algonquin.

Remember when I mentioned an art event in Algonquin? Well I went to it! Their public art program is incredible. Artists lend their pieces to be put on display publicly–some on the street, others in schools and public buildings. Click here to read all about it. (As an urban planner myself, I must note that Algonquin’s planner Ben Mason seems to be the one who came up with this great idea.)

Here are a bunch of photos I took at the event. I promised myself I’d remember artists’ names, but sadly my memory broke that promise and I cannot find the names online. If anyone knows, please comment!

This one was probably my favorite.

I felt smart because that was my guess at the meaning, based on the titles.

These motivate me to be more adventuresome in my painting. Next time I paint I think I’ll go outside first and grab handfuls of stuff to throw in there with it.

This gigantic boat is made out of toothpicks. No, not joking.

A close up.

Apparently this lights up, but we didn’t get to see that.

Kudos on the solar panels.

If you know me at all, you can probably guess what I’m going to write next: Elgin, let’s do something like this!

Also, there were delightful sweets at the event and I grabbed a business card of the pastry company then promptly lost it. If you know the name, comment, because they deserve lots of business!

Tags: Algonquin, art, events, Illinois, pastries, photography, public art, sweets, urban planning
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Yay for grassroots planning efforts!

The community development-lover in me is overjoyed to find out that Elgin’s Gifford Park neighborhood’s resident-driven plan was adopted as part of Elgin’s plan.

Click here for the full article.

This plan is “heralded as a ‘first’ by city leaders” and, according to Councilman John Walters, could “set the trail for future groups.”

This is a “bottom up” approach to urban planning, where residents guide the future of their neighborhood instead of having plans pushed upon them by officials who might not have first hand information of what it’s like to live in the neighborhood (a “top down” approach).

Click here for a nice introduction to neighborhood planning at neighborhoodplanning.org. For more info on the importance of this sort of thing, check out the books Neighborhood Planning: A Guide for Citizen’s and Planners by Bernie Jones or Neighborhood Planning and Community-Based Development: The Potential and Limits of Grassroots Action by William Peterman.

Tags: community planning, Courier News, Elgin, Gifford Park, neighborhood planning, urban planning
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