Winter Activation Ideas for Main Streets & Neighborhoods During COVID19
As COVID19 restrictions and public safety concerns limit indoor activities, restaurants,
entertainment, public events, social gatherings and more have turned to the outdoors. This has been
a great lifeline during the Spring and Summer but will become challenging during the colder, darker
winter months.
Winter Places sent out a call seeking design ideas for quickly implementable, low cost interventions
to drive visitors back to Main Street that will encourage them to stay longer and patronize area
restaurants and businesses. This design guide is the final product of creative submissions from
students, architects, artists, designers and more from across the United States, Canada, Europe and
beyond! We hope these can help you bring customers back to your small businesses community and
provide a safe social space for you and your neighbors.
Sign up to download the guide today
“Winter Places” Massachusetts
Starting in November, Bench Consulting began working with communities
across
Massachusetts to help
plan and implement winter placemaking projects aimed at bringing people back to their commercial
districts & main streets.
Funding for this program has been provided by:
*Projects will continue to change and evolve. Check back for updates.
How can we encourage residents and visitors to visit and spend time on our main streets during colder
winter weather while also encouraging shopping and dining at area small businesses? Winter
Places is
soliciting creative low cost solutions around main street district interventions from outdoor dining
to
large scale winter festivals, art installations and more that fit the following two purposes:
Give visitors a reason to come back to Main Street this Winter
Give them a reason to stay, including, but not limited to, space for outdoor dining, recreation,
entertainment, commerce, public art and warmth.
how it works
We asked design firms and creates to develop quickly implementable, low cost interventions to drive
visitors back to Main Street that will encourage them to stay longer and patronize area restaurants
and businesses. Final designs are published in the “Winter Places” activation guide book.
Discovery
COMPLETE
We crowdsourced ideas from communities looking to activate their cities & towns this
Winter.
Open Call
COMPLETE
Open call to artists, designers, architects and others to submit ideas for winter activation.
Review
COMPLETE
Representatives from each of the five partners review the submissions and select the
finalists.
Design Guide
10/26
Finalists are published in a FREE digital Design Guide.
the design guide
The Winter Places design guide is a downloadable resource with different ideas for
interventions for the colder months on main streets and residential streets. Each selected
design features images, description, contact information and rough budgets.
creative solutions
We asked creatives to think outside the box. From cozy and practical to abstract and inspiring, the
final Design Guide is full of actionable, impactful and cost-effective solutions to keep downtowns
active during colder months.
A sample of the submissions
Vacation on Main Street
Thermal Mass
Frosty Art Fair
listen to the webinar
bench's Jonathan Berk joins Emmy Hahn of the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative and Emily Keys
Innes of Harriman to discuss practical ways to implement outdoor winter activities to draw
people to your downtown and help your business community.
Want more information?
Send us an email and we'd be happy to assist your further.
