Action Tank partnered with Wave Pool on a creative placemaking initiative to develop a Toolkit for neighborhoods which advances community goals as neighborhoods manage outside investment that threatens to disrupt and displace residents. Two artists, Karen Boyhen and Courttney Cooper have been commissioned to design the Toolkit and accompanying materials.
Action Tank facilitated artist-led engagement for residents, gathering information and sharing knowledge in an inclusive, creative way. They utilized artist-created installations to solicit input and provide information is a concrete way to support local artists and engage with a larger public.
Increasing resident interest in ensuring community benefits as neighborhoods change will:
Support residents with a creative opportunity to develop vision and ideas for community benefits, and
Share knowledge with residents city-wide about how to incorporate these requests into a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with developers seeking city support (like tax abatements, zone changes, etc.)
A CBA is a contract between a developer and neighborhood stakeholders in which the developer agrees to provide specific amenities to the community and residents agree to support the developer’s request for city support. CBAs have been used for equitable outcomes in many cities experiencing rapid change and received attention in Cincinnati when FC Cincinnati negotiated a CBA with the West End in connection with the soccer stadium.
Simultaneously, Action Tank has been working with national experts at PolicyLink to develop the content for the artist-designed CBA Toolkit.
Action Tank hosted or participated in meetings with community leaders and residents in Camp Washington, Northside, Walnut Hills, Madisonville, and Price Hill to collect feedback on residents’ experiences negotiating with developers in their neighborhoods, and developed a prototype for the CBA Toolkit that will be shared during the March 2020 Neighborhood Summit and in additional sessions with residents whose feedback will allow us to refine the Toolkit.
Stay tuned for more information coming soon about a launch event and where you can get a CBA Toolkit!
The CBA Toolkit project is supported by the thousands of people who give generously to the ArtsWave Community Campaign.