#LoveThatLot: Public Displays of Affection for revitalization projects!

It’s almost Valentine’s Day. That means it’s time for Public Displays of Affection – for revitalized vacant lots and buildings, that is!

2015 #LoveThatLot Example

We’re kicking off the second annual #LoveThatLot campaign. Last year, you shared the love for revitalized vacant spaces across the country that have been reimagined as pop-up parks, urban gardens, public art, and more. This year, let’s take #LoveThatLot to the next level. Online and in-person, send some Valentine’s Day love to the people who have transformed vacant lots into community gems. There are three ways to get involved in this year’s #LoveThatLot campaign:

1) Share photos of revitalized lots in your community

Take to Twitter and Facebook with snapshots of your favorite revitalization projects using #LoveThatLot. These could be rain gardens or art installations or rehabbed houses or anything else that’s restored vitality to a neglected property.

Last year you shared over 100 photos on Facebook and Twitter. This year, let’s bring that number up to 200! A selection will be shared with a national audience on our blog.

2) Send a Valentine, online or in-person

E-Valentine: Download the e-Valentine and send it on social media or via email to the people behind the revitalization project that’s captured your heart. When you share it on social media, make sure that you use #LoveThatLot for a chance to be featured on our blog!

Paper Valentine: Nothing beats a paper Valentine with a hand-written message. Download the #LoveThatLot Valentine, print it off on regular 8.5”x11” paper, and fold it in four. Send it off to a revitalization rock star so they know their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. If you’ve received a Valentine, post a photo of it—and your revitalization project—on social media with #LoveThatLot!

3) Go really public with your #LoveThatLot PDA – and attract well-deserved attention to a revitalized lot

Use #LoveThatLot to shine a big spotlight on exceptional revitalization efforts in your community with an in-person celebration, including an invitation to local media. You can find all the guidance you need to pull off a successful in-person Valentine’s event, including a sample media alert, in our #LoveThatLot celebration kit.  

For example, if you work at a land bank, stage a small Valentine’s Day celebration recognizing a new property owner on a former land bank property who has gone above and beyond to restore a home. Give the owner an opportunity to show off their hard work with a tour, and surprise them with Valentines and chocolates and balloons. You could even decorate the site in a Valentine’s theme, in the style of the “heart-bombing” popularized by Buffalo’s Young Preservationists.

We’re here to help! Contact us at ltelander@communityprogress.org with any questions.