Dreams Become Policy – From Listening to Lasting Change Copy

Vibrant Spaces is back for Season 2! In this podcast we connect with the people and places doing big things to bring their cities and towns to life. Tune in weekly for new episodes and new insights!

We are back in  West Palm Beach, Florida this episode to continue our conversation with Sherryl Muriente, to discuss how the City will use learning from their previous placemaking initiatives to shape a bright future for West Palm Beach.

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As a long time resident of West Palm Beach and now the Public Realm Director for the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, Sherryl is working to bring kindness back into the heart of the city through grace, media partnerships and whimsy. Together we discuss the strategy the City is using for collaboration at every level of implementation, the evolution of placemaking still to come, and how to make efficient and effective decisions for the best use of public space.

The episode covers:

• How to reframe the media from “adversary” to “ally” and the power of storytelling
• The launch of a placemaking mini-grants program to help build small dreams relatively quickly to build long-term  civic partnerships
• What it looks like to build collaboration at every level of placemaking and project implementation
• The difference between qualitative and quantitative and the importance of both in decision making
• Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic about how to turn temporary experiments into permanent installations
• The need to evolve “placemaking” to avoid it becoming diluted and to maintain intent.

CONNECT WITH OUR HOSTS: Emily Craven |  Tim Souza 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

SHERRYL MURIENTE - Public Realm Director, West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority - Sherryl Muriente is a visionary leader in urban design and placemaking, with a focus on understanding human behavior through action research to transform public spaces. As the first Public Realm Director for the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, she creatively guides the downtown area with a blend of community engagement and urban planning expertise. Muriente’s projects span from revitalizing alleyways to orchestrating large-scale public art, driven by principles of urban acupuncture and local knowledge. Her approach involves deep immersion in local culture and close collaboration with communities, fostering stronger social ties and encouraging stewardship of shared spaces. With degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning, she combines academic insight with hands-on experience. Additionally, as the co-founder and creative director of LeJobart, an art collective active in the U.S. and France, her global work in placemaking is shaping vibrant, resilient communities and redefining the future of urban environments.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: