LiveWorkLearnPlay teamed up with the Rock River Development Partnership to revitalize the Rockford City Center and waterfront by celebrating the city’s history and existing assets.

THE PLACE 

Also known as “Forest City”, the City of Rockford is located on the banks of the Rock River in northern Illinois. An historically industrial and manufacturing city of 500,000, Rockford has a significant heritage building stock, high-quality civic amenities and educational institutions. Despite its many strengths, Rockford’s city center has experienced a decline similar to many downtowns across America, with residential population and commercial concentration shifting to the suburbs. The Rock River Development Partnership (RRDP) is a non-profit group established in 2009 that aims to revive Rockford’s City Center and Riverfront.

OUR FOCUS

In 2009, LiveWorkLearnPlay was approached by the RRDP to help return Rockford’s City Center to its former glory and position as the heart of the broader community. LiveWorkLearnPlay is particularly focused on creating vibrant street life in and around the downtown by creating connections between Rockford’s disparate civic assets, creating commercial excellence and density of uses within the City Center, and reconnecting downtown with the Rock River. LiveWorkLearnPlay is focused on creating and participating in feasible implementation initiatives that will realize tangible results in the short term.

WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED

• Facilitated a public consultation process with over 100 community leaders, which was critical in both leveraging the insight of community members and generating support and participation in the many initiatives already underway
• Identified and prioritized the key focus areas for revitalization initiatives after conducting a thorough inventory and assessment of the City Center
• Provided key recommendations on the structure and management of the RRDP
• Analyzed the City’s capital budgets to identify opportunities to leverage existing investments into increased vibrancy for the downtown core
• Participated in several public relations events for the various groups participating in the revitalization process