Not quite as far away as in May when I was in Birmingham, AL for the national Main Street conference, but I am currently in Racine for a state workshop on placemaking. Placemaking was the topic of my column last month. Last month’s column featured many different definitions. And I am tempted to apologize for just how many different definitions and theories I sought to connect.
Like in Birmingham, I am surrounded by people who are doing similar, if not the same work. And, if possible, I think they have even more definitions of placemaking. Our conversations outside of official hours are largely work related, and, I find, cathartic. Perhaps that is unavoidable and needed since the days strictly in the office mean I may see no one else. Whether I and other directors have visited each other or not, there is genuine camaraderie and understanding. Not just understanding the tough days, but with all of the hopes and goals for our work and our communities. While there are times not having a coworker is exacting, the relationship with fellow directors is a beautiful thing. And yet, oftentimes it feels like something is not quite clicking. I am oftentimes pedantic (aka a pain in the rear), but there is something separating Monroe from so many other Main Street communities.
This workshop has been unusual in the sense that it is very hand’s on…I have spent a good chunk of my time here installing sidewalk stickers, dropping off window clings to businesses, and installing temporary street art in trees. Racine is unveiling a new branding and advertising campaign, filled with facts about what was once and what is now. They have dubbed it “racinaissance.” There is something in the air here. And it’s not just Lake Michigan and summer hanging on for another couple weeks.
Renaissance is a French word which means rebirth. The period we know as the renaissance led to modern civilization and an emphasis and revival in learning and classical wisdom. To Racine specifically, a Renaissance is a movement that comes alive when new energy wakes up a space, place, or entire generation of people. “Hope sings through the air and we get curious about what is possible.”
Their main drag, 6th Street, has become the home of the Racinenaissance, making downtown a birthplace for creativity, invention, and innovation. Their businesses, studios, restaurants, and historic spaces have become a home to breathe new life into old spaces.
What strikes me is that while we have worked on branding, it has never been so lofty. It is not that this does not fit for Racine or the work they are doing. There is certainly no competition between us or any other community. But perhaps one of the main reasons I feel like Monroe does not quite fit in, stubborn personality aside, is that our renaissance is well underway. What’s in the air in Racine has been in the air in Monroe for quite some time. Our new energy has been built from previous generations and those generations are still helping lead the charge. We are alive as we have been for many years. A long life has largely been what’s occupied our historic spaces.
“Monroe” may not fit nicely into “renaissance” but it does not need to either. Because ours has been happening whether branded or not. The renaissance lasted two hundred years. I’m not sure what that translates to in community development, but we are not starting it, we are living in it.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net. Complete details on Main Street Monroe and its efforts can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
