COMMUNITY WELLBEING

AND PRIMACY OF PLACE™

Building Better Communities

Jane Ellery Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology

Ball State University

Delaina Boyd Building Better Communities

Ball State University

Krista Flynn Building Better Communities

Ball State University

Community

Economic Development

Primacy of Place

Concepts

Introduce/Define

Community

Group of People defined within the context of a…

Geography

Neighborhood, Town, City, County, Region, State

Institution or Setting

Workplace, Social Service Agency, School, Medical Practice,

Faith-based Group, Clubs, Web Portals

Demographic or Characteristic

Seniors, Families, Music Lovers, Outdoor Enthusiasts, Low

Wage Earners, Smartphone Users, Cyclists

Economic Development

Community Economic Prosperity

Money Economy – Jobs, goods, services, and financial

incentives

Core Economy – Home, family, neighborhood and

community

http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_sandel_why_we_shouldn_t_trust_markets_with_our_civic_life.html

Valuing BOTH… and

understanding how

they work together

Beyond a Medical Model

Wellness – Halbert Dunn, MD, Ph.D

Established a national vital statistics system in the

United States

Recognized as starting the wellness movement

Book “High Level Wellness” published in 1961

Definition – an integrated method of functioning which

is oriented to maximizing the potential of which an

individual is capable, within the environment where he

is functioning

In Addition to a Medical Model Dunn’s view of the situation (1959) -

1. It is a shrinking world.

Communication time has shrunk to

a vanishing point.

2. It is a crowded world. Population

growth brings with it new health

problems arising from population

pressures and the scarcities of

materials and living spaces.

3. It is an older world. People

living longer has created a

steadily advancing per capita

demand on productivity.

4. It is a world of mounting tensions.

The tempo of modern life and its

demands on the human being

and his society are steadily

increasing.

Power 9®:

Lifestyle Secrets

for Living Longer

Move Naturally 1. Just Move

Right Outlook

2. Purpose Now

3. Down Shift

Blue Zones: Live Longer, Better

Eat Wisely

4. 80% Rule

5. Plant Slant

6. Wine @ 5

Connect

7. Belong

8. Loved Ones First

9. Right Tribe

Dan Buettner – National Geographic

Blue Zones: Live Longer, Better

Surprisingly, people in Blue Zones areas don’t try to do these things. They exhibit these behaviors naturally because their surroundings encourage them—constantly nudging them toward actions that improve their well-being.

Primacy of Place™

Primacy of Place™ represents a community's

strategic choice to dedicate its resources toward

the improvement of life experiences for

residents, businesses, and visitors.

- Ball State, Building Better Communities

What does PLACE mean to you?

Physical Characteristics?

Things You Can Do?

The People?

The Food?

The Sights, Sounds and Smells?

Rethinking Change…it’s not what you do its how

you do it

Primacy of Place™ Resources

Placemaking

http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

Placemaking

“[A] multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and

management of public spaces. Put simply, it involves

looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the

people who live, work and play in a particular space, to

discover their needs and aspirations. This information is

then used to create a common vision for that place.”

– Project for Public Spaces

http://www.placemakingchicago.com/

Project for Public Spaces

Goal of placemaking – to invite greater interaction

between people and to foster healthier, more social,

and economically viable communities.

SPACE - a physical description of a

location or environment

PLACE - an emotional tie to a location or

environment

11 Principles of Placemaking

1. The community is the expert

2. You are creating a place, not a design

3. You can’t do it alone

4. They’ll always say, “It can’t be done”

5. You can see a lot just by observing

6. Develop a vision

7. Form supports function

8. Triangulate

9. Start with the petunias

10. Money is not the issue

11. You are never finished – Project for Public Spaces

Providing Leadership

Social vs Financial Contract

Organizing People

Co-production - engaging

your community and

expanding your reach

http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_on_institutions_versus_collaboration.html

Financial vs. Social Contracts

Designing for Generosity

Minimizes Contractual Overhead

Culture Change

Organizing People

Contribution

Financial vs. Social Contracts

Hire

Contest

Planning vs. Coordination

Co-Production

Professor Elinor Ostrom, 2009 Nobel Prize in

Economics

The design and implementation of a program

through collaborative decisions between a client and

a service professional

For more information:

http://www.neweconomics.org - New Economics

Foundation

http://www.wix.com/fiwellness/coproduction - Fisher

Institute for Wellness and Gerontology

COMMUNITY WELLBEING

AND PRIMACY OF PLACE™

Building Better Communities

Maximize the Potential of

a Community

Community Awards Program

Conference

Extended Knowledge Groups

Best Practices Databases

Ball State Primacy of Place™ Initiative

http://cms.bsu.edu/about/administrativeoffices/bbc/primacyofplace

If you are hearing about this concept for the first

time, what is your initial reaction?

How many of you have placemaking initiatives

underway?

What are some of the successes you have faced?

What are some of the challenges?

What can we do to help you take these steps?

Questions?