A community for all seasons

The Borough of Edinboro, Pennsylvania

An Atlas Community Studios Placemaking Action Plan

Introduction

Located in the southernmost part of Erie County, Pennsylvania, the Borough of Edinboro is a small town with BIG opportunities. Edinboro is home to an extensive variety of year-round recreational amenities, a distinguished public university, a growing downtown, and much more–there’s so much to explore!

Background

In early 2020, the Borough of Edinboro was awarded the opportunity for placemaking services through Rural Rocks, a program sponsored by the Northwestern Rural Electric Co-operative Association. Edinboro engaged Atlas Community Studios, a company with specialized expertise in strategic planning and place-based economic development.

After one community visit and stakeholder meeting, the world soon fell into a global pandemic. Despite immense challenges presented to the typical placemaking process, Atlas Community Studios was able to continue virtually, working alongside a Steering Committee of invested community leaders.

With strong borough leadership and the support of several community organizations, Edinboro is poised to create places and spaces designed to engage and inspire, establishing itself as “A Community for All Seasons


“Keeping our rural communities vibrant and healthy is critical to the quality of life of our rural members. We are excited to be part of this project and can’t wait to see what comes next.” – Linda King, Vice President of Communications & Energy Solutions.

What is Placemaking?

Placemaking is a people-centered approach to building strong, vibrant communities. Our holistic approach helps communities identify the long term vision and lay out a realistic, step-by-step “roadmap” to achieve these goals through catalytic project opportunities.

Placemaking Overarching Goals

  • Economic and social development
  • Increase population and/or tourism
  • Improve overall quality of life

Edinboro Scope of Work

The goal of this process is to identify high-impact opportunity areas, complementing existing and past projects, that address current challenges, and leverage existing assets for continued growth. This placemaking plan focuses on the following four key areas:

  • Downtown Revitalization
  • Public Art
  • Housing Strategy
  • Marketing and Branding
 

Steering committee

Thank you to the following people for your time and effort during this process!

Kevin Opple
Brenda Cannell
Gina Musset
Steve Lombard
Pat Hargest
Pat Davis
Shannon Hokaj
Charles Scalise
Sarah Schoolcraft
John Hynes
Casey Brown
Mary Jo Campbell
Mary Ann Horne
Curtis Hals
Rose Baker
Amber Wellington
Suzanne Winterberger
Randalee Gross
Susan Newman
Jon Foulkrod
Pat Koloskee
Steve Halmi
Debbie Swift
Amy Eisert
Jay McElhinney
Holly Palmer
Misty Knaus
Amy Westbrook
Barbara Hossain
Rick Scaletta
Tim Thompson
Julie Marchese
Heidi Marcinko
Fred Parker
Karen Willey