GMC 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
MEET
WILLIE
KARIDIS
Willie Karidis is a member of the Beerline Trail Neighborhood Development Project Committee and is the Route of the Badger Project Manager for Rails to Trails Conservancy.
Willie’s involvement with the project has been an integral part of connecting the Trail to the statewide Route of the Badger network of trails during the expansion of the Beerline Trail in 2021. Willie’s commitment to equity is an invaluable asset to the team; equity is a central part of the Beerline Trail as a transportation and recreation infrastructure for residents of the Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods and beyond.
Read more about the Beerline Trail’s commitment to equity in the Equitable Implementation Plan.
BEERLINE TRAIL
As a vibrant public space, the trail serves as a symbol of Milwaukee’s focus on access and equity.
Through the Beerline Trail Neighborhood Development Project, the GMC and its partners are uniting two intersecting neighborhoods as a hub for artists, makers, and other creative entrepreneurs. With significant support from the Kresge Foundation and Artplace America, the GMC and its partners are able to continue building towards a community vision. Currently, the GMC is working with the Hood Design Studio to create a comprehensive plan for creative trail design and equitable implementation.
IN 2021, THE BEERLINE TRAIL NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROJECT TEAM PREPARED FOR THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN TO FUND THE EXPANSION OF THE BEERLINE TRAIL
PREPERATION INCLUDED
A four-part webinar series celebrating the Beerline Trail, focusing on equitable design, the economic impact of creative placemaking, and a history of the community along the Beerline Trail.
Walter Hood's, urban landscape designer who has been contracted to complete the design of the trail expansion, Black Landscapes Matter won an American Society of Landscape Architects Award of Excellence. The book also features a chapter from project partner Sara Daleiden, founder of MKE<->LAX.
The Urban Institute studied the Beerline Trail and Milwaukee for a recent report titled “Embedding Equity Into Placemaking,” looking deeply at the equitable approaches to creative placemaking in our region.
Finalized branding for “B Line” : engaged with community members.