Eyes On The Street

In today's episode, Ryan interviews Jake Rishavy of Chaffee County Economic Development to discuss an inside-out approach to economic development. This strategy emphasizes internal development through initiatives such as start-up cohorts, mentoring, investment, and on-brand events, and is already yielding significant results and impact.

Chaffee County EDC:
https://chaffeecountyedc.com/

Central Mountain Entreprenuers
https://drivenbynature.co/

The title of this episode may shock a few folks. Are we really suggesting to stop doing public engagement? Are we really advocating for a cookie-cutter plan? Maybe, and in many communities, yes.

Equitable public engagement is at the foundation of everything we do at CivicBrand, but who hasn't been in a project interview where the client says, "We don't want a cookie-cutter plan"? So, how could we possibly be suggesting this?

The reality is that public engagement can be insulting and a waste of time and money when we're asking people things we already know. Those things are often the basics of any community, and you could even say they are "cookie-cutter." Many of those things are likely in your old plan.

So when is the right time for public engagement? And when do you need more than a cookie-cutter plan? In this episode, Ryan Short of CivicBrand and Jeff Siegler of Revitalize or Die discuss just that.

In this episode, Ryan Short of CivicBrand is joined by Clayton Garrett and Scott Snodgrass, founders of Meristem Communities, to discuss what it really means to really build for humans. From creating more environmentally and fiscally sustainable communities to places with diverse options so that individuals, couples, families, and seniors can all co-exist and age in place within a community. They discuss sweating the small details and how that is what placemaking really is. 

At CivicBrand we love data. We use it in the engagement phase to ensure we're reaching everyone, in the strategy and design phase to test ideas, and in the implementation phase to measure what's working and what is not.

However, there is a problem with data, especially in the civic space. In this episode Ryan Short and Brisa Byford of CivicBrand dive into the problems with data.

Far too many use data as a shield in the decision-making process. They look for data to make the decisions for them so that it shields them from any potential blowback.  Additionally, many often focus only on one type of data and overly value quantitative data over qualitative data. 

In this episode, CivicBrand senior strategist Brisa Byford talks to Dr. David D. Perlmutter, Dean of Communications at Texas Tech University.  Brisa and Dr. Perlmutter discuss what truly makes a place authentic,  how communities are now competing globally for talent and residents, and the generational impacts on place identity. 

Dr. Perlmutter has authored ten books on political communication, new media technologies, and higher education published by, among others, Palgrave, Oxford, and Harvard University Press. 

Get some valuable and free legal advice as CivicBrand CEO Ryan Short and trademark and patent attorney Grady Bergen discuss trademarks. Understand the difference between trademarks and copyrights, what rights you have by common law and what rights are extended when you federally register and the steps you need to take to protect your mark.

Your brand is one of your most valuable assets and there is a lot of nuance and detail to managing and protecting your brand.  If you'd like to hire Grady Bergen to help with a trademark search or registration you can contact him at [email protected].

Public engagement is all about listening. Whether that's through surveys, focus groups, interviews, or on-the-street engagement we've found that too many cities and consultants are simply asking the wrong questions. In this episode, Ryan Short and Brisa Byford of CivicBrand discuss what those wrong questions are and how to dive deeper and get at the real issues. 

In this episode of Eyes On The Street, Ryan Short is joined by other members of the CivicBrand team Layne Ferguson, Landon Ferguson and Connor Cox to discuss Placemaking. 

They discuss what placemaking is, the types of placemaking from large projects to small and the many goals of placemaking from beautification, activation, safety, economic development, civic pride and public engagement. They discuss  common barriers or pitfalls that keep cities from doing these projects and how to measure the impact and importance of  placemaking.

In this special live episode of Eyes On The Street, the CivicBrand team sits down with Waco Mayor Dillion Meek as well as Wendy Gragg and Jeffrey Vitarius of City Center Waco at the Summer of Downtown launch party in the brand new 7th Street Pedestrian Plaza. 

The CivicBrand team was hired by Waco to do a parking study, brand audit as well as design and implement two placemaking interventions in Downtown Waco. The first was a 4 block pedestrian walkway to connect the Silos to Austin Avenue and create a safer, more visible and experience for pedestrians. The second was a Pedestrian Plaza on 7th street that turned an under utilized street into a thriving community space. The episode is two conversations live at the launch event with a band playing and Capri Suns in-hand, enjoy!

Developing a place brand always starts with listening and together with the community crafting a brand story that is authentic. This collaborative and inclusive process doesn't end when the brand has been developed as implementation is key. In today's episode of 'Eyes On The Street' we sit down with Andrea Haley of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada to discuss their journey in developing and implementing their place brand.