PLACE - Projects Linking Art, Community & Environment

06/07/2021

We've begun to accept deposits for apartments at our new Via Sol community.

Interested? Check out our website at ViaLiving.org, or send us a message at [email protected].

07/10/2020

For this Project Update Friday, we are excited to report that framing is underway on Via Sol!

When complete, this community will provide affordable, sustainable homes to folks across the income spectrum and be a beacon of creativity for artists and creatives in St. Louis Park.

Learn more here: https://www.welcometoplace.org/slp

07/04/2020

06/30/2020

A big part of reducing homelessness and increasing housing opportunity is removing the barriers that prevent folks from renting or owning a home. The City of Minneapolis, where PLACE is based, has increased renter protections to make sure that all people, regardless of their past, have access to rental housing in the city. This is an important first step to extending home to all.

If you are a renter in Minneapolis, see below for more information.

New City of Minneapolis rules for screening rental applicants: http://ow.ly/8YUm50Alc6B

Image source: City of Minneapolis

06/24/2020

If we want racial justice, we must demand housing justice.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the unrest in America, PLACE is building our community engagement process and programming to meet the needs of our BIPOC and other underserved communities.

We know that housing has been disproportionately denied to communities of color in ways that still shape the face of the urban fabric today. In response to that, PLACE’s developments incorporates a robust community engagement process that invites folks to shape their community in ways that they have never been able to do. PLACE build spaces where all can feel ownership and where those traditionally left out of the housing system can find a place to call home.

And yet, we are still learning and growing everyday.

In this time, it is important to think about the world we truly want to live in, and work to make that world a reality. We invite you to work with us to build a future in which black lives are cherished, valued, and seen as equal in their humanity.

06/22/2020

We must direct resources to renters now to make sure they can stay in their homes.

Sources:
✨Pew Research Center - More U.S. households are renting than at any point in 50 years: http://ow.ly/BwOg50AeFRK
✨U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey: http://ow.ly/1HYr50AeFUh

06/19/2020

Today, let's celebrate. Not because we are hurting, not because of the injustices we face, but because of our resiliency. Here's to the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth.

06/17/2020

"African Americans still earn barely 60 cents for every $1 in white income. They have 10 cents in wealth for every $1 whites own. They remain more than twice as likely to live in poverty. And they’re about as likely to own a home as they were when Richard Nixon was president."

It is only when we look beyond the individual that we can see a pattern. This is systemic in nature. We must keep organizing and moving power towards communities of color.

WASHINGTON — The United States has been here before, staring into the deep chasm that divides white ...

06/15/2020

Racial segregation is literally marked into the landscape of our human existence. It is our job as community developers, planners, designers, architects, lawyers and all shapers of the urban landscape to listen, learn, and take action to build power within communities of color.

Examine the forgotten history of how our federal, state and local governments unconstitutionally segregated every major metropolitan area in America through law…

06/08/2020

It's Meet the Team Monday!

Meet Chris Velasco. For 25 years, Chris has been actively engaged in the development of leading-edge communities. He has worked in over two hundred cities around the world, and has been a leader in the creation of over $1 billion in new mixed-use, specialty facilities.

Chris has led PLACE in the development of new models for urban neighborhoods that demonstrate radical innovation in environmental design, live/work hubs for creatives and creative businesses, job creation through retail and manufacturing, affordable workforce housing, and supportive housing for the most economically distressed.

Guided by radical innovation, highest community ideals and ambition to exceed existing environmental design standards, Chris shapes PLACE’s organizational direction.

06/02/2020

A list of resources shared by PLACE's WAV community. Our time to learn is now.

Book, movie recommendations, and more

06/01/2020

It's Meet the Team Monday!

Meet Todd Bagby. Bringing over 10 years of practice in law and urban planning, Todd guides PLACE’s approach to building new communities and innovating within a complex regulatory environment.

He is skilled in building alliances, leveraging efficiencies, and navigating obstacles to accomplish great things with limited resources.

In his spare time, Todd coaches youth basketball and teaches language arts (and occasionally math) at Summit Academy OIC. He is also an artist of sorts, having produced works as a musician, filmmaker, and podcaster.