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• Size and formality: some assets are large and formal, such as the Detroit Public Library, while others are
small and informal, such as the horse-shoe pit in Baltimore’s Pigtown neighborhood;
• Usage: almost no asset type is likely to be frequented by everyone even though high accessibility is a key
feature of all true community and civic assets. Accessibility can be in terms of price, physical reachability/
safety, and diversity of those attending or running the asset;
• Delivery agents: no asset type is just delivered by the public sector. For example, Baltimore has senior
centers that are run by non-profits (with some support from the city council) alongside those that are
entirely council-run. The same city also has non-profit Ys (what used to be called YMCAs) that operate
alongside city recreation centers. There are also non-profit run assets that receive a good deal of state
and/or local grants, such as the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
Furthermore, there are also wholly private sector assets such as main streets, shopping malls, and
multiplexes and many assets that are run, wholly or primarily, as non-profit operations; and
• Permanence: Some civic assets are likely to have much greater permanence owing to the substantial
sunk costs involved whereas others, notably smaller assets, will have much lesser permanence owing to
the greater ease with which they might be sold or built on. With public art, for example, assets can range
from the long-term to very temporary installation pieces. In the summer of 2013, the Downtown Detroit
Partnership transformed a traffic island in downtown Detroit into an urban beach (minus the water). 7
Assets can also be a mix of the temporary and permanent. For example, since 1914, streets and space in
New York are fenced off by the Police Athletic League for organized sport and leisure activities for youth
(PAL Playstreets).
Table 2.1: A check-list of commonly found community and civic assets and the sectors they can be found in
Public Sector
Non-Profits/Social
Enterprises
Market
Aquaria (CIVIC) x x x
Art museums (CIVIC) x x
Block parties
x
Botanic gardens (CIVIC) x x
Bowling alleys
x
Cafes, diners, and coffee shops x x
Church spaces (if open to all irrespective of faith)
Cinemas x x
Communal areas in affordable housing blocks
x
Communal areas in Community Development
Corporations’ offices
x
Communal areas in “trailer parks” x x
Community centers x x
Community gardens and apiaries x x
Co-op food/general stores
Dog parks
Fairs and festivals
x
x
x
x
7
See http://thirdcoastdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/3Beachfront-plaza-Detroit.jpg
25 | The New Barn-Raising