BOSTON - nvtip -- As COVID19 restrictions and public safety concerns limit indoor activities for restaurants, entertainment, public events and social gatherings, communities have adapted, expanding into the outdoors. This lifeline, perfect during the warmer spring and summer months, becomes more challenging during colder, darker winter months.

"Winter Places - A design challenge for winter placemaking" seeks ideas and designs for innovative, quickly implementable, low cost interventions to drive visitors back to Main Streets to support area restaurants and small businesses. The competition is a partnership with Bench Consulting, Patronicity, Boston Society of Architecture, The Boston Society of Landscape Architects and Edmonton-based Municipaction. Selected designs will be published in a free, open-sourced "Winter Places" Activation Guide Book.

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"Over the past 6-months we've seen cities completely transform their relationship with space. Parking lots have become theatres. Streets have become dining rooms, playspaces and classrooms. Typically empty plazas have become space for commerce. It's been a lifeline for many during the warmer months but what happens when winter arrives?" said Jonathan Berk, Director at Patronicity & Bench Consulting. "With indoor options shrinking due to capacity restrictions and COVID19 mitigation efforts, more commerce will need to occur outdoors this winter than in a typical year. Our ultimate goal is this program produces implementable interventions that provide Main Street a lifeline to bring customers back to support our small businesses throughout the winter months and create safe, outdoor social gathering spaces that will be so critical for our communities."

The competition is open to design teams, artists, creatives, students and anyone with a creative idea to bring visitors back to Main Street this winter. Respondents have until October 9th, 2020 at midnight (ET) to submit their responses.  For more information or to upload your submission, please visit https://benchconsulting.co/winter-places/.

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bench consulting is a placemaking consultancy and advisory firm with a mission to help unlock the potential in the ordinary. Our experienced team of placemakers is dedicated to helping communities and stakeholders take a second look at these neglected, underused spaces. Powerful change through the connection of people, place and ideas.

Patronicity is a civic & community-based crowdfunding platform aimed at building more vibrant communities by creating engagement with the public to support projects meaningful to sponsors and area residents. Patronicity's award-winning crowdgranting model – an easy application process & cost-effective administration – brings deeper engagement and broader press & public recognition which is aimed directly at a sponsor's mission for creating better communities.