Project for Public Spaces in collaboration with Planetizen, recently highlighted 100 public spaces in America where community driven urban planning and change has been taking place. Bellingham Arts District is #8 on this list! Nakano Associates design team collaborated with community groups and the City of Bellingham to create a vision for the Arts District and to prioritize future improvements in the public realm. Information gathered through multiple workshops and meetings made it clear: Improving pedestrian connections and gathering spaces would help transform the Arts District to an area where people could more easily come together to enjoy the arts and to celebrate.

A number of improvements have been implemented over the last years, with the plaza at Bay& Holly being the biggest change. This area that used to be a busy intersection is now a popular meeting space and a defining gateway to the Arts District.

Read more about the top 100 list of public spaces here:

http://www.planetizen.com/toppublicspaces

Read more about the Bellingham Arts District on our website:

Bellingham Arts District