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