Welcome to the East 9th Street Placekeepers*, a space to share stories and give voice to Lawrence residents concerned about the process and impact of the East Ninth corridor project.

The East Ninth corridor project is a partnership between the Lawrence Arts Center and the City of Lawrence to remake a seven-block stretch of East 9th Street. The project is funded by a $500,000 ArtPlace America grant, approximately $3 million from the City of Lawrence and an undisclosed amount from private developers and donors. It is by far the largest public art endeavor the City or Arts Center has ever tried.

This site addresses lack of transparency, inequity of representation, and obstructions to the neighborhood’s ability to shape its own story. It is an effort to provide information that can help residents better understand the implications of and alternatives to this first of its kind project in our community. It is also our hope that this site may serve to help other cities facing similar placemaking projects.

This site was created and is being maintained by individual East Lawrence residents and their allies. As this is a collaborative effort, if you would like to connect, share, or alert us to relevant information/visuals, please contact us using the form below:

– The East 9th Street Placekeepers

*We define Placekeeping as the active care and maintenance of a place and its social fabric by the people who live and work there. It is not simply preserving buildings but keeping the cultural memories associated with a specific place alive, while supporting the ability of local people to thrive and maintain their chosen way of life. Placemaking, which is the term used to describe the East Ninth project, is a process of urban renewal that leverages outside public, private, and nonprofit funding to strategically shape and change the physical and social character of a neighborhood (often working class) using arts and cultural activities.