We highlight here some great articles we’ve read this week dealing with art, creative placemaking, and building great communities. You’re sure to find some inspiration to make your life and our community even better!

1. What is a Livable Community or City?: Towns and cities themselves are art. You can’t see it at 50 mph or very clearly at 30 mph—you must walk, bike, or drive slowly. The art of community building brings us together.

2. The Increase of Poverty in the Suburbs: Suburbs also have less transit than urban areas, making it difficult for low-income residents to get to jobs or buy groceries. And social services have been slow to follow the poor to the suburbs, so many suburban poor find themselves isolated.

3. Building Community Through Performances in Community Gardens: With their latest performance, called “The Harrowing,” they are planning to visit community gardens across the city and host neighborhood parties as a way to unite the residents.

4. Go to Ann Arbor … for the Public Art?: From miniature dioramas buried at the feet of storefronts along Main Street to a movable cube in the middle of campus, art is everywhere in this city.

5. Helping Artists Find Places to Work and Perform: While their congregations might have condensed, renting out the ornate and uplifting interiors of church buildings is a natural fit for arts groups.