Let’s make your neighborhood shine! This guide is designed to help neighborhood organization leaders and volunteers create a unique brand and bring vibrant placemaking projects to life in their neighborhoods. Follow these simple steps to take control of your neighborhood’s image and create spaces everyone loves.
Why does neighborhood branding matter?
Your neighborhood already has a reputation, whether it’s positive or not. A well-crafted neighborhood brand helps shape that image, fostering pride, unity, and community. By managing your brand, you can:
- Attract new residents and businesses.
- Enhance neighborhood pride and property values.
- Increase engagement in neighborhood organization activities and events.
- Unify the community by fostering a sense of belonging and encouraging participation in events and activities.
What is a neighborhood brand?
A neighborhood brand is more than a logo or slogan. It’s the perception others have when they hear your neighborhood’s name or visit the area. A strong brand reflects your neighborhood’s values, amenities, and character.
A well-managed brand can:
- Highlight what makes your neighborhood unique.
- Attract residents who align with your community’s vision.
- Boost involvement in neighborhood organization events and initiatives.
- Foster a sense of pride and ownership among residents.
- Enhance property values and appeal to businesses.
- Increase the perceived value of the neighborhood.
- Demonstrate a commitment to quality and attention to detail.
Key Features of a Successful Brand
A strong neighborhood brand is:
- Unifying: It brings residents together around a shared identity.
- Distinctive: It highlights what makes your neighborhood special.
- Consistent: It delivers a clear and cohesive message.
- Focused: It reflects your neighborhood’s vision and goals.
Now that you know why a strong neighborhood brand matters and what makes it successful, it’s time to start building your own! The next section will guide you through simple, actionable steps to create a unique and inspiring brand that reflects your neighborhood’s identity. Let’s bring your community’s vision to life and make your neighborhood a place everyone loves to call home.
Step 1: Form a Branding Committee
Goal: Reflect diverse perspectives within the neighborhood.
Size: Keep it manageable (7–10 members).
Roles to Include:
- Marketing or sales professionals
- Public relations or real estate experts
- Graphic designers (or hire one if needed)
- Long-term and newer residents for historical and fresh perspectives
- Influential neighbors who can engage others
Tip: Include long-term and newer residents for historical and fresh perspectives.
Set Clear Expectations: Establish a decision-making process for design choices, ensuring clear standards while recognizing that not every idea may be incorporated.
Step 2: Gather Key Neighborhood Information
Contact the City’s Neighborhood Relations team (neighborhoods@orlando.gov) for resources like:
- Neighborhood maps and data (census, crime, property)
- Details on land use, zoning, and city plans
- Neighborhood history
Step 3: Assess Your Neighborhood's Current Reputation
Understand Your Neighborhood’s Current Image:
- How do people feel about your neighborhood? How do they perceive it?
- Gather feedback from residents, realtors, businesses, faith organizations, etc. in and around your neighborhood, and your City Commissioner and Orlando Police Dept. Community Liaison officers.
- Identify the neighborhood’s strengths and weaknesses.
Research to understand perceptions: Ask residents, businesses, realtors, and community leaders:
- Why they chose the neighborhood?
- What they like, dislike, and want to change?
- What makes the neighborhood unique?
Collect data via:
- Surveys, focus groups, and interviews
- Social media polls and neighborhood events
Step 4: Define What Makes Your Neighborhood Unique
Discover what makes your neighborhood special. What unique qualities does your neighborhood have? Identify strengths, benefits, and unique attributes like:
- Ambiance: Cleanliness, architecture, landscaping
- Amenities: Parks, cultural spots, events
- People and Values: Friendly neighbors, diversity, why people love living there
- Proximity: Accessibility to shopping, schools, or entertainment
Define Your Neighborhood’s Identity:
- What values and qualities best represent your neighborhood?
- What type of residents and businesses do you want to attract?
Rank attributes by importance and performance to highlight strengths and address gaps.
Ask neighbors, “What do you love about living here?” Write it all down.
Example: “Orlando Groves is a warm and welcoming neighborhood known for its tree-lined streets and vibrant community events. We’re where neighbors become friends and everyone feels at home.”
Step 5: Craft A Neighborhood Branding Statement
Create Key Branding Elements:
- Develop a clear message about your neighborhood or vision statement.
- Design simple visual elements (logo, colors, typography) to reflect your neighborhood’s personality.
Create a short (4–5 sentence) statement summarizing your neighborhood:
- Benefits
- Unique features
- Character
Example: “Our neighborhood is a vibrant community known for its historic charm, friendly neighbors, and walkable parks. Conveniently located near top schools and entertainment, it offers a perfect balance of tranquility and accessibility.”
Step 6: Build the Brand
Focus on:
- Core strengths: Highlight attributes important to residents and well-performing.
- Themes: Combine similar strengths for clarity (e.g., proximity to amenities).
- Uniqueness: Emphasize features other neighborhoods lack.
- Enduring qualities: Prioritize timeless elements like architecture or green spaces.
Engage Your Community:
- Share the branding process with residents to gather input and buy-in.
- Incorporate the brand into neighborhood organization events, newsletters, and signage.
Design simple visuals that represent your brand. Use free tools like Canva or enlist a creative neighbor. Keep your brand simple and easy to identify; your brand cannot include everything that makes your neighborhood special, etc. Ideas include:
- A logo inspired by a local landmark.
- Colors that reflect your neighborhood’s vibe (e.g., green for parks, blue for lakes). Limit your colors. The more color, the more it costs to reproduce your visual brand.
- A catchy slogan
Step 7: Launch and Promote Your Brand
Promote Your Brand:
- Highlight the neighborhood’s amenities and lifestyle through social media, local events and partnerships.
- Consistently use branding elements in all communications.
Start small and spread the word. Use your brand on:
- Your organization’s website, social media accounts, newsletters and all your printed materials.
- Engage residents to embody and promote the brand.
- Collaborate with businesses, realtors, and community groups for visibility.
- Host an event to promote your new brand and its value. Consider passing out stickers with your brand.
Step 8: Maintain and Evolve Your Brand
- Regularly review how the brand is perceived.
- Adjust as needed to keep it relevant and aligned with your neighborhood’s vision.
- Budget for designer costs into your association budget.
Taking control of your neighborhood’s image empowers your organization to shape perceptions and build a stronger, more cohesive community. With this guide, you have the tools to create a brand that reflects the best of your neighborhood and sets it up for long-term success.
Once you’ve built and are promoting a strong neighborhood brand, the next step is to bring it to life through placemaking. Branding defines how people see your neighborhood, while placemaking transforms those perceptions into physical, shared experiences. By aligning your brand identity with thoughtful, inclusive placemaking projects, you can create spaces where your neighbors feel a true sense of belonging and pride. Let’s explore how to turn ideas into action and shape a neighborhood everyone loves to call home.
Placemaking transforms physical spaces into vibrant, welcoming places that foster community, connection and a sense of identity. It’s about more than just improving a space—it’s about creating environments where neighbors feel a sense of belonging and pride.
For neighborhoods, placemaking can:
- Strengthen community ties: Gathering spaces like parks, plazas and community gardens bring people together, encouraging interaction and collaboration among residents.
- Boost local identity: Placemaking celebrates the unique history, culture, and character of a neighborhood, helping it stand out and instilling pride in those who live there.
- Enhance quality of life: Well-designed places promote safety, accessibility, and recreation, making neighborhoods more enjoyable for residents of all ages.
- Stimulate economic growth: Inviting public spaces attract visitors and investment, benefiting local businesses and increasing property values.
- Promote neighborhood stability: Well-branded, inviting spaces encourage long-term residency and attract talent, fostering a stronger, more connected community.
As stewards of your neighborhood, neighborhood organizations are uniquely positioned to champion placemaking efforts. By focusing on placemaking, your association can:
- Foster civic engagement: Community-led placemaking invites residents to take an active role in shaping their environment, creating a sense of ownership and empowerment.
- Promote inclusivity: Thoughtful placemaking ensures that public spaces are accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds, encouraging diversity and inclusion.
- Create a lasting impact: Investments in placemaking leave a tangible legacy, benefiting current residents and future generations alike.
Placemaking isn’t just about creating physical improvements; it’s about building stronger, more connected neighborhoods where everyone can thrive.
Principles of Successful Placemaking
- The Community is the expert - People who use a public space regularly provide valuable insights. Engage them in the process.
- Create places, not just designs - Focus on access, activities, and opportunities for interaction—not just aesthetics.
- Build partnerships - Collaboration with local businesses, organizations and government can amplify impact.
- Start small - Short-term, low-cost actions (like planting flowers) can spark excitement and inspire larger projects.
- Develop a vision - Align activities, design and goals with the community’s identity and needs.
- Think long-term - Good places evolve. Plan for ongoing improvements and flexible management.
- Embrace the power of 10 - Aim for 10 activities or attractions in a space—seating, art, food, events, etc.
Easy Placemaking Projects
Placemaking means creating spaces where people come together. Here are some ideas:
- Community gardens: Transform an empty lot into a vibrant space.
- Art projects: Paint murals, decorate mailboxes or install public art.
- Little free libraries: Share books and connect neighbors.
- Neighborhood cleanups: Beautify streets and parks together.
- Pop-up events: Host block parties, movie nights or farmers markets
Quick Wins
Start with small, visible projects to build momentum and neighbor involvement. For example, here are some additional simple, affordable placemaking projects:
- Add benches or planters to public spaces.
- Host a community cleanup day in partnership with Keep Orlando Beautiful. Visit orlando.gov/kob for more information.
- Add neighborhood identification signage: create welcoming, branded neighborhood entrance signs. (You can use a Mayor’s Matching Grant)
- Host a pop-up event: Plan a small gathering like a mini farmers market, food truck night or outdoor movie screening.
- Set up a community message board: Install a bulletin board or creative display where residents can share updates and announcements.
- Create a walking tour: Highlight neighborhood history, unique homes or landmarks with maps or markers.
- Organize a meet your neighbors block party: Use this as a casual way to strengthen community connections.
- Revitalize a neglected space: Transform an unused lot or forgotten corner with simple upgrades like mulch, flowers or seating. The city’s Green Up Orlando program may be able to assist with these types of projects. Visit orlando.gov/greenup for more information.
- Coordinate visits with the Orange County History Center to get a better perspective on your neighborhood.
These projects encourage collaboration, enhance your neighborhood’s appearance and create a sense of shared ownership and pride.
Consistency: Use branding elements across all materials and communications.- Engagement: Involve neighbors in events and projects that embody the brand.
- Review: Regularly gathering feedback helps ensure your brand stays relevant and aligned with your neighborhood’s vision. If changes are needed, keep them small and intentional to reinforce your brand’s identity. Consistency is key.
Keeping your neighborhood brand and placemaking efforts strong ensures your community remains a place people love and feel proud to call home. A well-maintained brand highlights what makes your neighborhood unique—its history, culture, or special landmarks—while placemaking brings that identity to life by creating inviting spaces where neighbors connect, support local businesses, and enjoy their surroundings. When you focus on these efforts, you build trust, bring in new opportunities and make sure your neighborhood stays a great place to live, work and enjoy life.
Branding and placemaking celebrate what makes your neighborhood special and create spaces where people want to be. Start small, involve your neighbors and watch your neighborhood thrive.
Available City Funding
Funding for your branding and placemaking activities is available through the Mayor’s Matching Grant program. Visit orlando.gov/mmg for more information.
Thank you for your commitment to making our neighborhoods stronger, more connected and vibrant. By working together, we can build a community where everyone feels welcome and proud to live. Need help? Contact the city’s Neighborhood Relations team at neighborhoods@orlando.gov or 407.246.2169. We’re here to support you every step of the way.