A critical facet of thriving communities, placemaking is a key development process of improving the sociability, connectivity, usage, and comfort of a space, ultimately building cultural identity and a “sense of place.” On their own, these elements contribute to pleasant and useful settings, but strategically combined through placemaking, can build more meaningful, landmark hubs of community engagement and activity. The City of Peoria’s interest and motivation to identify and analyze placemaking opportunities through the Project Cities partnership illustrates the commitment and enthusiasm the City has toward providing its residents and visitors with the best public services, amenities, and community experiences.
Due to the ubiquitous competition of online shopping, retail centers like P83, are experiencing massive shifts in use and demand, triggering noticeable impacts in the physical retail landscape. Through the proactive development and adaptation of P83 as a premier urban village, Peoria can seek to avoid common pitfalls associated with aging retail centers, such as their potential to become derelict “greyfields.” The research yielded multiple instances of retail centers with similar attributes and conditions to P83 becoming obsolete much faster than anticipated. Redevelopment or adaptation of these sites can help revitalize both the centers themselves and the surrounding neighborhoods. In order to explore potential development directions for the future of P83, the
following report investigates and applies urban planning and placemaking techniques and concepts to the district and its adjacent areas. The goal of this project is to assist Peoria in preventing potential economic decline within P83 by providing suggestions that enhance the area through strategic redevelopment and connectivity.