Reflecting Culture, Fostering Belonging
At MidTown Cleveland Inc., we believe that meaningful placemaking begins with consistent engagement with community members. Residents, businesses, and neighborhood organizations help shape the design and priorities of the spaces around them.
Our work focuses on turning community ideas into visible improvements in the public realm: parks, murals, banners, lighting, and gathering spaces that strengthen neighborhood identity and pride.
Every project begins locally and connects outward to broader city goals, including:
Expanding green space and tree canopy
Improving pedestrian and bicycle safety
Supporting climate resilience and green infrastructure
Creating welcoming spaces for residents and visitors
Celebrating the cultural stories of MidTown, AsiaTown, and Hough
MidTown has long been a neighborhood of arrival. Black families during the Great Migration and immigrant and Asian American communities building new lives here have shaped the identity of this place. Our placemaking work reflects and celebrates those layered histories.
Over the past decade, MidTown Cleveland has made significant investments in shaping a stronger neighborhood identity.
Gateway Signage + Wayfinding
District gateway signage, corridor banners, and wayfinding elements have helped redefine MidTown as a destination between Downtown and University Circle.
Cleveland Walls! (2021)
Twenty large-scale murals by local, national, and international artists transformed MidTown in a single week and established the district as one of Cleveland’s leading destinations for public art.
Utility Box Wraps + Banner Programs
Two phases of art box wraps and a district-wide banner program now highlight neighborhood organizations and emerging artists throughout MidTown and AsiaTown.
These initiatives laid the foundation for the next generation of placemaking projects now underway.
placemaking services
community engagement
We work directly with residents, businesses, and community partners to shape neighborhood projects through meetings, workshops, pop-up events, and volunteer initiatives.
public art programs
We coordinate murals, artist installations, and creative infrastructure projects that reflect the culture and identity of MidTown and AsiaTown.
streetscape enhancements
We help plan and install streetscape elements that improve the experience of moving through the neighborhood, including:
- Wayfinding signage
- Gateway markers
- Pole banners
- Trash receptacles and bike racks
- Holiday lighting
public space development
We work with partners to transform underutilized spaces into community assets such as pocket parks, gathering areas, and small greenspaces.
envorinmental improvements
Our planning efforts increasingly focus on sustainability initiatives such as:
- Tree canopy expansion
- Green infrastructure
- Community gardens and greenspaces
CURRENT WORK HIGHLIGHTS
These initiatives represent some of the most visible placemaking efforts currently underway across MidTown and AsiaTown.
asiatown square dancing park
A small vacant lot at Payne Avenue and East 33rd Street has evolved into a vibrant community gathering space inspired by the square dancing traditions of neighborhood residents.
In 2025, the City of Cleveland’s Transformative Arts Fund awarded artist Jordan Wong to redesign the park through his project For Those Who Call Here Home.
AsiaTown Wayfinding
Outside of the AsiaTown Square Dancing Park, we are making investments to tie together all of the rich neighborhood assets that have begun to take shape.
We’re implementing a comprehensive wayfinding system designed by Guide Studio to make AsiaTown more legible and interconnected. The program includes directional signage, landmark gateways designed in partnership with the neighborhood residents, informational signage about the neighborhood’s beautiful array of murals, and new metal banners. You can see the full presentation below.
The system includes:
- Landmark gateway signage
- Directional and informational signs
- Public art interpretation signage
- Decorative banners throughout the neighborhood
This system connects visitors to restaurants, businesses, and cultural destinations across the district.
AsiaTown Murals
In an effort to celebrate the cultural identity of AsiaTown, MidTown Cleveland has facilitated more than a dozen public art projects.
The first, a temporary mural on the vacant Dave’s building by multidisciplinary artist Chris Yi Suh, brightens up a long dormant space.
Further down Payne Avenue, a pair of murals from emerging artists Lisa Tan and Kayla Kosaki now welcomes entrants to the neighborhood entering from East 40th Street. These murals have made Payne Avenue into one of the most active corridors for public art in the City of Cleveland.
AsiaTown Streetscape Improvements
We’re pairing aesthetic improvements with infrastructure upgrades—rolling out branded red trash cans, bike racks, and seasonal holiday lights throughout the neighborhood.
These details make AsiaTown cleaner, safer, and more functional while carrying the same cultural design motifs found in banners and wraps.
We also installed 30 district-wide banners along key corridors and nodes of AsiaTown as seen below, and worked with five artists and graphic designers in AsiaTown to install five additional utility artbox wraps around the neighborhood. All of these small elements add up to a huge transformation of the public right-of-way in AsiaTown.
Streetscape amenities include:
- Red neighborhood trash receptacles
- Bike racks
- Seasonal holiday lighting
- District-wide pole banners
- Artist-designed utility box wraps
Together, these elements create a cleaner, safer, and more recognizable neighborhood environment.
Pocket Parks and Greenspaces
MidTown has relatively few large parks, so our strategy focuses on building a network of smaller greenspaces throughout the district.
These spaces include:
- Penn Square Park
- Colonel Young Park
- Dunham Tavern greenspace
- E 71st Street Pop-Up Park
- AsiaTown Square Dancing Park
Over time, these spaces will form a connected network of neighborhood gathering places.
get involved
you can make a difference
artists
Join our artist roster to hear about open calls, micro-commissions, and workshops.
residents & Businesses
Propose a pop-up, request a banner, or volunteer to maintain a public space.
developers & partners
Let’s collaborate to integrate art, design, and community engagement into new projects.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Several partner organizations contribute to placemaking efforts throughout MidTown and AsiaTown.
LAND
Studio
LAND Studio maintains a catalog of public art across Cleveland and supports self-guided public art tours throughout MidTown and AsiaTown.
Cleveland Public Library
The Cleveland Public Library activates neighborhood spaces through programs such as the mobile library that regularly visits AsiaTown Square Dancing Park.
ACE Mentorship Program
ACE connects students with architecture, engineering, and construction professionals through hands-on community design projects.
Local Artists and Cultural Organizations
Local artists and cultural leaders help shape the neighborhood’s identity through murals, festivals, and creative programming.