Five Questions With Victoria Pennacchio, ADNY’s Placemaking Manager

As part of the Downtown Alliance’s commitment to making Lower Manhattan a vibrant and inviting place for all, we host art installations and free cultural performances in public spaces located across the district. These projects include “Geo,” “Art Above the Mantel” and our Art Is All Around lunchtime live music series; they’re popular with folks in the neighborhood, and make the public plazas that host them come alive. They also fall under the banner of something called “placemaking,” which is a technical term for the process of shaping public spaces to improve the quality of life of its users and people in surrounding areas. To learn more about placemaking and how it supports Lower Manhattan, we spoke to Victoria Pennacchio, placemaking manager at the Alliance. 

See our conversation below, and visit our website to learn more about what our organization does for the community. 

Tell us a little about your role at the Alliance.

I am the placemaking manager for the Downtown Alliance, which means I activate the public realm with public art, performances and urban design interventions. I am on the Economic Development team, which means my goal is to increase foot traffic within our district, especially in our small businesses which will hopefully lead to higher revenues. With our projects, I look to improve underutilized public spaces, making the neighborhood a place commercial tenants, residents and visitors all want to be. I also try to highlight that Lower Manhattan has evolved. It is a place with an increasing residential population and a growing visual and performing arts presence. I want to shed light on what our district has to offer.

What is placemaking? Can you give us some examples of some well-known placemaking projects? 

As the nonprofit Placemaking Europe says, placemaking is about turning spaces into places. It’s about enhancing a space’s assets, often through temporary measures with the goal of having long term effects. By considering the local context and engaging with the community, we are creating authentic experiences for people. As individuals interact with their surroundings and with one another, the space is given meaning and memories are created.

Bryant Park is considered the quintessential example of placemaking. It went from an underutilized space to one of the city’s most beloved and visited parks because of physical transformations and extensive programming. Another well-known example is the Meatpacking District which has been incredible in its expansion of public plaza space and public art and programming initiatives.   

How does placemaking affect its surrounding space? Can you give us some examples?

Placemaking provides an array of benefits. There are social, economic and physical and mental health impacts as a result of these activations. For example, these initiatives create a place for spontaneous social interactions, a chance for people to engage with others they might not have otherwise. These efforts also make neighborhoods more attractive, increasing property values and help stimulate the hyperlocal economy as there should be an increase in tourists, workers, residents, tenants.

How does the Downtown Alliance utilize placemaking? How do our placemaking projects benefit the district?

The Downtown Alliance utilizes placemaking to improve the district and promote local economic development. We are guided by four pillars: Create Engaging Spaces, Support District Businesses, Build Cohesive Identity and Foster Cultural Vibrancy. Our activations are opportunities for “surprise and delight.” I love the idea of people stumbling upon one of our installations and lingering in the neighborhood longer than they had planned. It creates a true NYC moment, one filled with diversity, culture and a feeling that anything can happen here. Plus, the longer they linger, they will hopefully patronize more of our local businesses. These projects are meant to increase the positive social sentiments people have about the neighborhood. I hope our placemaking work encourages people to move to our district because it feels like a community, and entices office workers to come back to the office. Maybe they hear that on Wednesdays in the summer we have live jazz playing on the World Trade Center’s North Oculus Plaza and they don’t want to miss out! Through my work I really intend to shift what comes to mind when someone thinks of Lower Manhattan.

Do we have any placemaking projects coming up?

Oh, yes I am very excited about our upcoming holiday project called Star Light Star Bright! It is a small business/community engagement initiative anchored by a light art installation located at 140 Broadway. We had been inspired by the tradition of the wishing tree. Throughout the district we have “wish partners” that include many schools, small businesses, hotels and cultural organizations. At these locations, members of the public may pick up a fluorescent ribbon containing a positive wish for the new year and attach it to the star-shaped installation. Essentially, as the public contributes to the artwork, it will grow bigger and glow brighter! We will also be hosting four events on the plaza where people are invited to write their own personalized wishes onto ribbons and enjoy live music and free refreshments. I am really looking forward to learning what the Lower Manhattan community is wishing for this holiday season!