Post-COVID Downtowns have been gutted nationwide. It is not that they are not dead, but how we think of them is. Creative Placemaking expert Kady Yellow believes that remaking and renewing our city centers requires social architecture, not only building up with brick and mortar but building up our people. Yellow unleashes the power of the public imagination through her award-winning open-call process that centralizes the resident as the expert city builder and transforms entrepreneurs through her process into more educated urbanists. By highlighting and embracing the everyday citizen as catalysts for positive change, we can enhance our cities aesthetically, bridge social divides, promote economic growth, and cultivate active public spaces.#Placemaking #Downtown #Art #Transformation #UrbanRenewal Kady Yellow is the Vice President of Placemaking for Downtown Vision, bringing over fifteen years of experience in creative placemaking and community-building expertise from her work in New Orleans, California, Alaska, New York, and Western Europe. She holds a master's degree in Arts Administration from the University of New Orleans and two bachelor's degrees in Mathematical Sciences and Graphic Design from Binghamton University. Yellow is known for her work in civic entrepreneurship and the night time economy and specializes in "making public space(s) more public" through partnerships around the world. She has received special training from Federal Resources for Creative Community Development, City Repair Project, and Project for Public Spaces, has taught at university and authored a book on the topic, and is a recipient of prestigious grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Planning Association. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx