Tag: Rochester Downtown Alliance

Reinventing Downtown alleys

Examples of hanging art installations

Activating and beautifying underutilized public spaces like alleys integrates exciting and healthy public spaces into our existing urban environments. It also tends to increase the perception of safety and reduce unwanted behaviors in those areas.

Over the past few months, the Rochester Downtown Alliance (RDA) has been working on a new project that aims to repurpose the Third Street Alley (behind Café Steam, Kathy’s Pub, and 318 Commons) in Downtown Rochester by integrating art and design installations into the space.

“Airglow” lights up the night

Heart of the City will be aglow this November when Destination Medical Center partners with the Rochester Downtown Alliance and Northern Sun Productions to introduce a first-of-its-kind event to Rochester.

Airglow will bring interactive lighting installations, including a 40-foot inflatable igloo, to downtown’s Peace Plaza from November 4-11. The all-ages event will take place each evening from 5-10 p.m.

A bold vision for Heart of the City

At the heart of every destination city is a vibrant downtown, where signature spaces, diverse programming, and enticing events encourage residents and visitors to linger a little longer.

In downtown Rochester, the bold vision for the true Heart of the City is coming to life as designers unveil a new future for the Destination Medical Center (DMC) sub-district where residents and visitors come together to celebrate life, community, health, and wellness 365 days a year. 

From Discover and Dream to Design and Do

The Heart of the City Design Team recently unveiled plans for the much-anticipated core of downtown. Their forward-thinking vision for this integral part of the DMC district was received with excitement and anticipation by the DMC Corporation Board of Directors, the Rochester City Council, and the community at-large as they learned of the new plans for the sub-district.

Making change possible: Urban prototyping and Transform

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The Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation kicked off its ninth annual Transform Conference on Thursday, September 14 at the Mayo Civic Center. But that wasn’t the only location in downtown Rochester where innovation was taking place during the four-day conference.

Coinciding with Transform 2016 was Rochester’s first-ever urban prototyping festival dubbed Placemakers | Rochester Prototyping Festival. Co-organized by Destination Medical Center, Rochester Downtown Alliance, and the Rochester Art Center, the festival featured the creations of 16 teams representing a diverse range of backgrounds.

Experience PlaceMakers | Rochester Prototyping Festival 2016

This September, the landscape of downtown Rochester will take on a new look when sixteen larger-than-life urban prototypes are put into place.

placemakers-logo-red-w-date250PlaceMakers | Rochester Prototyping Festival will take place from Thursday, September 15 through Saturday, September 17. The event is a collaboration of Destination Medical Center, the Rochester Art Center, and the Rochester Downtown Alliance and is a unique effort to engage local designers, artists, and community members in remaking of some of Rochester’s public spaces.

KIMT: Looking for ideas in downtown Rochester

The downtown landscape of Rochester is ever-changing, and come this September you will see many more creations.

The Rochester Downtown Alliance, along with Destination Medical Center and the Rochester Art Center are putting together what’s called PlaceMakers Prototyping Festival. This year’s theme is health and building the environment.

The idea of this fest is to have creative people come up with ideas to fill physical space. This could be as simple as creating something unique on a cement arch that hangs over a parking garage and restaurant. The possibilities are endless and the festival will take place this September downtown.

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Exploring prototyping to enhance urban design

Nature, connectedness, and accessibility.

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Photo credit: Emma Jeanson

In twenty minutes, those are the three words more than 100 Rochester community members settled on to describe what they believe makes a healthy city.

The rapid-fire brainstorming event was part of a Community Conversation About Prototyping, a public event hosted by Destination Medical Center, Rochester Downtown Alliance, and the Rochester Art Center. It featured Our City co-founders and prototyping festival organizers Ray Boyle and Jake Levitas.