Media release courtesy County Of Hawaii Dept. of Planning:

HILO, Hawaii: The County of Hawai’i Planning Department has joined hands with Cooltown Beta Communities to release a new ‘Crowdsourced Placemaking’ website for Downtown Hilo, called ourdowntownhilo.com.

What is crowdsourced placemaking? Neil Takemoto, founder of Cooltown Beta Communities, states, “One of the fastest growing phenomena is investing in triple-bottom-line (economically, socially and environmentally beneficial) communities with public places that bring people together and uplift the spirit. Crowdsourced placemaking is a tool that can help us achieve this. It’s about involving our community to help create places they will ultimately use. The concept is simple – ask a crowd (community) what they want, then, connect them with the people who will invest in it once the crowd proves there’s a viable market for it.”

This new website is a ‘one stop shop’, for posting and rallying around the most popular ideas that, if implemented, would bring vibrancy to Downtown Hilo. It provides flexibility for those who are unable to attend community meetings, to go online at their convenience, to share their ideas and participate in polling. This site is an open call for action and creativity as we help to design our Downtown Hilo.

Join in by supporting and posting your favorite ideas to make Downtown Hilo the most attractive place to live, work, and play:

· What type of public places do you feel our downtown is missing, but really needs?

· What kind of uses and activities will make Downtown Hilo a thriving business district?

· What improvements do we need to make it a healthy and safe place?

· Where and how do we celebrate culture, history and friendship?

· What can we do to promote livability, economic success, and protect our resources in a ‘green and smart’ way?

Support your favorite placemaking entry, share your ideas for what you want to see in Downtown Hilo, and tell your family and friends about this site! Keep returning to the site to see how your favorite ideas are doing, campaign for them, and check out new ones.

For additional information contact Susan Gagorik, County of Hawai’i Planning Department at (808) 961-8133 or email at sgagorik@co.hawaii.hi.us. Visit http://ourdowntownhilo.com.