A Pathway to Connect Communities: A Case Study of the Beerline Trail Extension in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

R E S E A R C H R E P O R T A Pathway to Connect Communities A Case Study of the Beerline Trail Extension in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Carla Vásquez-Noriega September 2018 A B O U T T H E U R B A N I N S TI T U T E The nonprofit Urban Institute is a leading research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people’s lives and strengthen communities. For 50 years, Urban has been the trusted source for rigorous analysis of complex social and economic issues; strategic advice to policymakers, philanthropists, and practitioners; and new, promising ideas that expand opportunities for all. Our work inspires effective decisions that advance fairness and enhance the well-being of people and places. Copyright © September 2018. Urban Institute. Permission is granted for reproduction of this file, with attribution to the Urban Institute. Cover image by Willie Fields. Contents Acknowledgments iv A Pathway to Connect Communities 1 Overview 3 Beerline Background 6 Leadership and Collaboration 10 Activities and Programming 14 Monitoring and Evaluation 16 Challenges and Impacts 18 Appendix A. Logic Model 24 Notes 25 References 26 About the Author 27 Statement of Independence 28 IV A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S Acknowledgments This report was funded by ArtPlace America and programmatically supported by both ArtPlace and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission. The views expressed are those of the author and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Funders do not determine research findings or the insights and recommendations of Urban experts. Further information on the Urban Institute’s funding principles is available at urban.org/fundingprinciples. The author would like to thank those at ArtPlace and LISC who helped with the development of this case study, as well as stakeholders in Milwaukee, especially those from the Greater Milwaukee Committee, MKE<->LAX, and Riverworks, who answered questions and elaborated on the history, goals, and development of the Beerline trail extension. A Pathway to Connect Communities How can creative placemaking bring two communities together? And how can deeper engagement across boundaries foster community safety? Building a gathering space—say, a park, stage, or trail—is not enough; the space needs to be accessible, usable, and able to foster engagement across difference. The effort is complicated when adjacent communities are divided across social, economic, or racial lines. Without careful planning, the effort could be seen as an incursion or as a pathway toward displacement. This case study examines how one set of stakeholders used creative placemaking to foster engagement across different communities, build greater community cohesion, and push for inclusive economic development. The Beerline Trail extension, formally known as the Beerline Trail Neighborhood Development Project, is a creative placemaking project in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established in 2012, it roughly doubled the length of the Beerline Trail, which opened in 2010, to 6.2 miles. The trail runs from just north of downtown Milwaukee to Capitol Drive near the city’s border. This report focuses on the Beerline Trail extension that touches the neighborhoods of Harambee, which is primarily black and low income, and Riverwest, which is adjacent to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and is one of the city’s most racially and economically diverse communities. The project has engaged community residents along with representatives from government, economic development agencies, law enforcement, and social justice organizations. These organizations and individuals have come together to determine the project’s goals and how the arts can help achieve the community changes they want to see. This case study explains the Beerline Trail extension’s public safety goals and how it uses the arts, community participation, planning, and economic development to turn a former liability into a community asset. The eight acres of land on which the extension now sits were largely inaccessible and unused for several decades, making the area ripe for illegal dumping, loitering, and defacing of surrounding property. The project reflects a growing interest in using creative placemaking as a form of revitalization and in repurposing old railways into public parks and trails. The Milwaukee Model of Creative Placemaking, described below, emphasizes social justice and the inclusion of communities that have been left out of the planning process. Box 1 discusses creative placemaking and public safety and describes the three case studies of creative placemaking that accompany this report. 2 A P A T H W A Y T O C O N N E C T C O M M U N I T I E S BOX 1 Creative Placemaking and Community Safety: Research Agenda Public, private, nonprofit, and community