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Vibrancy of Place

On GMC Way

We play crucial roles in the design, creation, and support of public spaces that increase civic engagement and connect people across racial, economic, and social divides.

The GMC employs our nationally recognized methods for designing public spaces to increase civic engagement, bridge economic divides, and accelerate success for neighborhoods within our region. Coupled with public- and private-sector development, these opportunities lead to a more inclusive Milwaukee. The Creative Placemaking Committee leverages national and local grants and resources, while the Beerline Trail impacts the social and economic fabric in the Harambee and Riverwest communities.

The Beerline Trail Neighborhood Development Project

The Beerline Trail Neighborhood Development Project works to sustain and enrich the lives of people in Harambee and Riverwest by promoting health, well-being, and prosperity through increased circulation of resources, voices, ideas, labor, and creativity. The group is led by committed partner organizations including the GMC, Riverworks Development Corporation and Riverworks Business Improvement District, LISC Milwaukee, the City of Milwaukee, and MKE<->LAX with the collaboration of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Guiding Lenses Group, WWBIC, and Rails to Trails Conservancy.

The Lifeways Plan

The Lifeways Plan, a linear park designed by nationally renowned, Black landscape designer Walter Hood of Hood Design Studios, was completed in 2019. In 2020, early efforts began to plan for a feasibility study and capital campaign to transform the plan to reality. The Lifeways Plan was created with crucial input from stakeholders in Harambee and Riverwest.

Lifeways Plan

To ensure the Beerline Trail Linear Park development stays the course, the Equitable Implementation Plan was created to ensure the next phases of trail development serve the needs of the community, and that other development inspired by and centered around the trail as a premier public green space benefits residents equitably. The EIP is a road map to guide and drive our collective work over the duration of the project.

We are Working to Become Anti-Racist

Our community will only recognize its potential when all are able to access and benefit from the resources and prosperity which surround us. Our work in vibrancy of place has created meaningful improvements in the quality of life for residents in the area, combining efforts across traditionally separate fields such as arts and culture, personal and public health, transportation, economic development, and social justice. (From the Beerline Trail Connector Plan).