Planters in Downtown

Idea:

Place various planters with colorful flowers in areas around downtown

Benefit:

Downtown would be beautified and brightened

Location:

Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

“Play me, I’m Yours” Street Piano

Idea:

Paint old pianos that might be nearing the end of their life and give them new life as public art that also encourages spontaneous music! One could be placed in a key location, others to follow.

Benefit:

Show that overlooked areas can be activated by music. Encourage music and longer-term strategies that celebrate place-based music in a multicultural way.

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Poets on the Rooftops

Idea:

Have some of Lowell’s outstanding spoken word artists host a slam or a performance on one or more of the rooftop spaces downtown

Benefit:

The word gets out!

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.

Pollinator crosswalk and sidewalks

Idea:

The town of Greenfield, MA has a honeybee crosswalk in downtown to honor Rev. Langstroth, a sometime resident who revolutionized beekeeping by the discovery of the beespace. I would adapt this idea to a current problem, the plight of pollinators, by painting them on crosswalks and sidewalks. Our teen group is working on helping monarch [Read more…]

Benefit:

Beauty and environmental awareness. The Acre would be good because that area needs beautification and it is where our youth group works. It would be great in the "arts district" downtown, too.

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Pop-Up Cinema

Idea:

An inflatable movie screen and projector that can travel to neighborhoods and show movies, short films, etc, in communities that might not otherwise see such things.

Benefit:

It would bring cinema to more neighborhoods in Lowell and allow organizers to share movies from many cultures. Create community.

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Porch Fest

Idea:

Done in other cities, concerts on front porches of private homes. Great way to celebrate the city’s neighborhoods!

Benefit:

Get folks out to meet their neighbors. showcase their neighborhoods.

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.

Projections on Cityscape

Idea:

When the Old Man in the Mountain in NH fell down, they installed a series of “profile poles” at the base so you can stand in footsteps and sight along and still experience the Old Man as being where he always was. My idea is to install a series of similar poles along the riverwalk [Read more…]

Benefit:

Location:

Kerouac, OldIdea.

Protected Bike Lane

Idea:

Build a temporary protected bike lane every Sunday for a month connecting one of the neighborhoods to downtown. Haverhill made one on their main street recently as part of Better Block Haverhill.

Benefit:

It will show people that having a protected bike network in Lowell could reduce congestion, help businesses, reduce emissions, and increase quality of life for Lowellians.

Location:

Citywide, OldIdea.

Public Bathrooms

Idea:

See if self-cleaning bathrooms can be rented or borrowed as a demonstration. Place a self-cleaning bathroom in a public space. If the bathroom can’t be rented/borrowed, provide information about these bathrooms to explore feasibility of putting one in Lowell.

Benefit:

Provides public bathroom access to individuals who don’t have access to a bathroom for various reasons.

Location:

Citywide, Don't Know, Downtown / JAM, OldIdea.

Public Chess Match

Idea:

Reach out to LHS, UML, or other chess clubs to have public chess matches in the parks. We could bring out chess tables for a day in a visible park like Clemente park or Kerouac Park and advertise in the city calendar. This might also work for a plaza instead, such as JFK Plaza.

Benefit:

People that pass by are intrigued and watch the matches and it brings excitement and interest to the area. It would help test out whether permanent chess tables in downtown areas would be utilized and a welcome addition.

Location:

Don't Know, OldIdea.