Southbank Partners announced that it has been awarded a Community Placemaking Grant: Streets as Places & Destinations Stations by Project for Public Spaces to improve safety and connectivity at Saratoga Plaza, a community gathering space located at Newport on the Levee.
Thanks to support from General Motors, Southbank Partners, along with two other grant recipients, will receive $100,000 in direct funding, as well as planning, implementation, and capacity-building assistance from Project for Public Spaces.
Saratoga Plaza sits at a key multimodal crossroads — adjacent to Shiners on the Levee, the scenic Riverwalk at Riverfront Commons, a bus stop, Red Bike station, and the Purple People Bridge connecting Newport to downtown Cincinnati — yet the plaza currently lacks the design, activation, and safety features needed to serve all users fully.
Through a Community Placemaking Grant, Project for Public Spaces will work with nonprofit regional economic development and place management organization, Southbank Partners, to transform the Plaza into a vibrant Destination Station by adding amenities and programming that help connect it to surrounding streets andtransportation networks. These improvements will enhance safety, support community gathering, and energize downtown activity.
“We are grateful to be selected for a Community Placemaking Grant,” said Will Weber, President & CEO of Southbank Partners. “Saratoga Plaza will play a pivotal role in connecting people to urban mobility options while also creating an inviting gathering spot for everyday meetups. We are excited to partner with Project for Public Spaces and Newport on the Levee to transform this small urban space into a great place for all walks of life.”
“A huge thank you to Southbank Partners for their unwavering support and advocacy on our behalf — it’s through partnerships like these that we’re able to create meaningful experiences that benefit the entire community,” said Gabriella Burch, General Manager at Newport on the Levee. “We are truly thrilled and honored for Saratoga Plaza at Newport on the Levee to be awarded a Community Placemaking Grant. The funding and the expertise provided by Project for Public Spaces creates an incredible opportunity to reimagine this shared space.”
Since launching in fall 2021, Project for Public Spaces’ Community Placemaking Grants have supported 22 U.S.-based nonprofits and local government agencies in partnering with communities to transform their public spaces into inclusive, vibrant places that welcome underserved community members, strengthen social connections, and enhance quality of life for all. This new cohort of grantees was selected for their proposed initiatives that aligned with one of two strategic focus areas. Streets as Places aims to improve traffic safety while elevating streets as the most accessible public spaces across the United States. Destination Stations focuses on enhancing the user experience and increasing awareness of micromobility and public transit options at mobility hubs through public space amenities and programming.
“We are proud to welcome our new Community Placemaking Grantees and look forward to reimagining these unique places together as safer and more vibrant public destinations for everyone,” said Elena Madison, Project for Public Spaces’ Director of Projects. “We are deeply grateful to our sponsor General Motors for being an essential partner in our efforts to unlock the full potential of streets and transit plazas as great places for people.”
Applicants were selected based on their commitment to engaging community groups, participating in an open-ended visioning process, demonstrating the capacity to deliver projects on time and on budget, and building strong partnerships with relevant organizations and public agencies. These placemaking projects will follow a “lighter,
quicker, cheaper” approach, prioritizing high-impact, low-cost improvements that advance long-term community goals.
The two other Community Placemaking Grant recipients are Downtown Detroit Partnership for Campus Martius District in Detroit, MI, and The City of Traverse City for the East Side Social District in Traverse City, MI.
Starting in February 2026, Project for Public Spaces’ Placemaking team will work with grantees to engage with their communities, co-create a vision for activation, develop designs, and support construction and programmatic implementation for each place.
Projects are expected to be completed by November 2026.