The Importance of Maine’s Downtowns: Strengthening Communities Through Place, Human Connections and Design
VFW, 687 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04103
Please RSVP for the event here.
Hosted by MPHA & MDF's Maine Downtown Center
Speakers:
- Anne Ball, Sr. Program Director, Maine Downtown Center, Maine Development Foundation
- CJ Opperthauser, Executive Director, Friends of Congress Square Park, Portland
- Kristina Cannon, President & CEO, Main Street Skowhegan
- Teresa Valliere, President, Friends of Woodfords Corner, Portland and Clinical Social Worker in private practice
- Lisa Miller, Retired and Co-founder of Maine Alliance for Health and Prosperity
Maine's downtowns are places that build human connections through good design and bringing people together. Local revitalization efforts work hard to design spaces that create shade, are safe, walkable and bikeable, provide trail connectivity, create seating for conversation or reflection and preserve buildings. These local downtown programs intentionally bring people together for yoga in a park, a walk along the waterfront, festivals, farmers’ markets, creating events in parks and alley way and shopping at local businesses. Maine has amazing downtown leaders around the State who are revitalizing their communities and neighborhoods with the goal of building human connections, preserving places, and driving economic development. This panel presentation and networking event will highlight the work being done in different Maine downtowns and the ways they are improving human connections and public health.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will learn at least 2 new things they can do in their community to increase human connections and quality of life.
- Participants will gain a thorough understanding of the connections between mental health, place and design, and intentional programming to increase human connections and quality of life.