b'Quality of place is an important component to furthering the vision outlined in Project Downtown: The Master Plan for Wichita. With the goal of strengthening the place-based identity of Wichita, we have led and assisted in a variety of placemaking initiatives and programming efforts. These projects are designed to engage the creative community, improve perceptions, attract and retain talent and help both locals and visitors establish a personal connection with downtown. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff looked for ways to safely engage downtowners and bring moments of encouragement and relief.Charles and Alexandra at an Alley Door locationAlley DoorsThe Alley Doors project repurposes alley and back-of-building doors and turns them into a discovery-driven urban gallery. In 2019, 39 artists from across Kansas contributed to an online artwork database. Participating property and business owners used this database to select artwork that was then printed on heavy-duty vinyl and applied to their alley or back-of-building doors. There are currently ten Alley Doors featuring artwork by Aaron Jackson Bowman, Ande Hall, BIGMENTION, Lindsey Kernodle, Matthew Miller, Sue Godwin, Rebecca Hoyer and Robin Valenzuela.The goal of this project is to increase foot-traffic and visibility of overlooked spaces downtown and thus enhance safety, combat vandalism and create surprises for passersby. The door murals are accompanied by an artist title card and alleyway signage. Downtown Wichita received a grant from the Knight Foundation Fund at the Wichita Community Foundation to launch the Alley Doors project.View all the artwork and find directions to each door at downtownwichita.org/alleydoors. Property and business owners interested in participating can apply at downtownwichita.org/participate. Artist: Sue Godwin Artist: Robin Valenzuela Artist: Lindsey Kernodle16'