4MKE: Placemaking on 4th & Wisconsin Ave

Milwaukee has long sought development plans for the vacant lot at North 4th Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Once a vibrant, dense block of hotels and commercial storefronts, the vacant parcel erodes street life along Milwaukee’s main east/west urban corridor.

In partnership with Creative Alliance Milwaukee, TKWA conducted a workshop with a diverse group of creative professionals and urban advocates to identify solutions for bringing vibrancy back to this psychologically dead site.

Our primary goals were to stimulate collaboration and advocacy, to change perceptions about the area, and to show that diverse groups can come together to devise solutions for the neighborhood’s future.

LOCATION

4th & Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI

SCALE

Vacant City Block

STATUS

Completed 2015

As an outcome of this effort Milwaukee was named one of six U.S. cities to receive a $200,000 ‘Heart of the Community’ Grant sponsored by Southwest Airlines and the Project for Public Spaces. The grant will be used to help further reimagine and activate this important and underutilized site in downtown Milwaukee.