Music Off McMillan to reinforce creative placemaking in Walnut Hills

On Aug. 8, the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation is launching a new creative placemaking initiative made possible by a two-year $100,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation, which was facilitated through LISC. Price Hill Will also received a grant for similar activities there.

WHRF has created a work plan for initiatives that focus on economic development, physical improvements and cultural awareness.
 
Music Off McMillan will take place on the streets of Walnut Hills every Saturday in August and September, leading up to the Cincinnati Street Food Festival on Sept. 26. Street musicians will perform in front of Brew House, Fireside Pizza and The Greenwich as well as inside the venues.
 
Music Off McMillan will help emphasize the neighborhood’s music culture while boosting pedestrian traffic between local restaurants and bars.
 
“This is the first step in getting people to come back to Walnut Hills and get used to walking the area, visiting local businesses,” says WHRF Development Officer Joe Sandmann.
 
There are already a number of creative placemaking initiatives in Walnut Hills, such as the Five Points Biergarten and the neighborhood’s youth ambassador program.
 
“We are beginning the process of taking a cultural inventory of Walnut Hills to inform our creative placemaking programming,” Sandmann says. “Through this grant, our ability to engage the community will increase.”
 
WHRF is working to identify people in the community who will be valuable stakeholders with a lot to offer but haven’t been very involved with past events. WHRF plans to continue its artist-led, community-focused initiatives that can help with the economic development and creative placemaking going on in the neighborhood.