What makes a place worth coming back to and how does that translate into business success?
Recently, Senior Urban Designer Jodi Dubyoski explored this question at the North Carolina Craft Brewers Conference in her presentation, Leveling Up: Placemaking for Business Longevity and Community Impact.
Speaking to a room of business owners and marketing and operations professionals, she discussed how successful places and business districts help orchestrate memorable moments and emotional connections that translate into loyalty, repeat visits, and word-of-mouth advocacy.
The Relationship Between Placemaking, Place Attachment, and Economic Vitality
The most successful places are “sticky.” They invite people to linger, return, and build low-stakes relationships that foster community cohesiveness.
Over time, these repeated positive memories and friendly interactions form the basis for place attachment — deep emotional connections that support stronger customer retention and economic resilience.
The Foundational Elements of Great Places
Designing for safety, comfort, and connection are fundamental to creating places people return to time and time again. Providing lighting, seating, and shade is important, but it’s not enough on its own.
Placemakers must also consider the relationship, frequency, and orientation of these elements to accommodate a range of visitors and behaviors.
In a vibrant retail district, for example:
1. Are there groupings of seating and tables that feel comfortable for someone alone?
2. Can a group gather easily for lunch?
3. Is there space for adults to connect while their young children get some wiggles out nearby?
These small yet impactful design decisions shape how welcoming and flexible a place feels.
Placemaking as an Extension of Brand Identity
A placemaking strategy should be a natural extension of your brand identity — not all breweries need a giant Jenga set or a playground.
Instead, choose a few elements to focus on that support the environment your business is trying to curate rather than adding features for the sake of activity.
At Streetsense, this philosophy comes to life through a coordinated approach to branding, economic strategy, and placemaking — where each element works together to support the brand story, guide tenant curation, and create space for meaningful programming and connection.
