White Flint Placemaking - Montgomery Planning

Montgomery Planning led a collaborative placemaking initiative in 2018 to reimagine part of the Randolph Hills Shopping Center in White Flint as a dynamic public space and park. The six-month collaboration with residents, local businesses, civic associations and non-profit organizations culminated in the White Flint Placemaking Festival. This public event was held on October 13 and 14, 2018 and drew more than 1,000 people to the county’s first pop-up park, which continues to serve the surrounding community.

During the event, 11 local bands, 14 small businesses, and 13 fitness and cultural programming partners provided more than 12 hours of activities.

A community outdoor event with people gathered at picnic tables, tents, and a small stage, surrounded by trees on a sunny day.

A small string quartet performs outdoors on a rug while people sit on orange chairs and take photos; trees, bookshelves, and a tent surround the area.

A group of people play basketball on an outdoor court under a sunny sky, with cars parked nearby and a building in the background.

People sit on yellow picnic benches watching a small band perform on an outdoor stage under a wooden arch structure on a sunny day.

Two boys sit at a wooden picnic table outdoors, playing a game of checkers and smiling.

People gather outdoors around a fire pit, sitting on colorful chairs and standing, with tents and trees in the background on a sunny day.

Two children sit on a wooden swing while an adult stands nearby; other people and a blue tent are visible in the background.

A group of people participate in an outdoor fitness class on a painted pavement in a park-like area under a clear sky.

Outdoor community event with tents, food trucks, and people gathered on a painted court and nearby parking lot, surrounded by trees on a sunny day.

People sit on colorful chairs around a fire pit at an outdoor event; a mural with a large pink heart is on a brick wall in the background.

A young boy plays a bean bag toss game outdoors near a brick wall mural, with people gathered under a canopy in the background.

By the numbers

One dozen community organizers from the Randolph Hills Civic Association and more than 50 volunteers from the Randolph Hills neighborhood spent hundreds of hours:

Painting a 200-foot-long mural.
Building 90 feet of tables, dozens of chairs and tables, four swings, two fire pits.
Stringing 350 feet of lights.
Spreading out three truckloads of mulch to make safe surfaces for kids to play.
Moving 30 trees and 50 potted plants to make a garden out of a patch of grass.
Applying 67 gallons of surface paint to make a basketball court and a bike track.

People assemble wooden puzzle pieces on the ground outside, with one person holding a mallet and another reviewing instructions.

Wooden pieces with "WHITE FLINT" engraved on two of them are laid out on a concrete surface. More wooden planks are visible in the background.

People-centered planning

The White Flint Placemaking project exemplifies a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Preparation for the placemaking festival took about six months of weekly calls with residents, on-the-ground conversations and more than 100 survey responses.

This project was undertaken to:

Give the community an opportunity to realize its collective vision for the neighborhood.
Demonstrate to the property owners and county agencies how recommendations in the White Flint 2 Sector Plan, approved by the Montgomery County Council in December 2017, can be implemented in the short-term before long-term investment is dedicated.
Engage local businesses, schools and community members in a dialogue about the role of public spaces within their community.
Use temporary placemaking as a tool to gather data and help inform permanent designs for successful public spaces in the White Flint 2 Sector Plan area.
Make a positive impact on the community with a public space that is still being used for community events and was underutilized before the placemaking festival.

Partners

Montgomery Planning organized the White Flint Placemaking Festival in partnership with Montgomery Parks, Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Dallas-based Better Block Foundation, Randolph Civic Association of North Bethesda and AR Kronstadt Realty Investors of Rockville.

Schedule

May 30, 2018

Kick-Off Meeting
October 8-11, 2018

Community Led Design and Building Activities
October 13-14, 2018

Grand Opening and Placemaking Festival