Early registration is now open for a new training on community engagement led by Project for Public Spaces and the outreach and community engagement firm Connect the Dots.
Join us on Tuesday, March 5th, and Thursday, March 7th, from 10am to 12pm ET, to explore the art of fostering connections, creating vibrant spaces, and making a lasting impact. Equipped with foundational theory, tools, and case studies, you can ignite your passion for community engagement and bring about positive local change. Learn more.
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Announcing New Board Members
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| This past December, Project for Public Spaces welcomed three new members to its board of directors. Their leadership in placemaking, design, and expanding equity in those fields will make an invaluable addition to the organization. |
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Lisa Knip, AIA, LEED AP, is a Principal and Senior Project Architect with over 20 years’ experience at HLW International, a leading global design firm specializing in architecture and interiors. With an extensive background in financial and tech sector services, Lisa brings to each project a practiced expertise that produces proven goal-oriented results.
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Bridget A. Marquis is director of Reimagining the Civic Commons, a national initiative demonstrating how strategic investments in our civic assets can connect people of all backgrounds, cultivate trust, and create more resilient communities. She is a frequent speaker and author on innovative ways to design, operate, and manage public spaces in order to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for cities.
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Todd Palmer is the first Director of Diversity in Design Collaborative, which fosters systemic change by increasing diversity and improving conditions for Black creatives across the design industry. As a cultural nonprofit leader at the Chicago Architecture Biennial and curator at the National Public Housing Museum, Todd stewarded platforms dedicated to civic issues in the built environment.
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Now through January 25 • Project for Public Spaces is seeking a host for the 12th International Public Markets Conference. Submit a letter of interest.
February 25 • Registration for the 4th International Placemaking Week in Baltimore, Maryland, US, opens!
Now through February 27 • Applications are now open for TD Park People Grants 2024! 70 grants of $2,000 are given to community groups and organizations to host two park events across Canada. Learn more.
Have an event or opportunity you would like to share? Email us at [email protected].
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Chain Stores Flee Downtowns. All over the country, large chain stores like Target are shuttering their city locations at much higher rates compared to the suburbs. The reasons for this include higher poverty rates, too many highly clustered city locations in a time where foot traffic has fallen, and an increase in shoplifting. Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Professor of Urban Policy and Planning at Hunter College, suggests that the solution lies not in wooing these stores back but in supporting small, local businesses, which would keep money circulating locally while building trust-based relationships with customers. (The Conversation)
Reducing Homelessness in Minneapolis. Just six years ago, Hennepin County in Minnesota, which includes parts of Minneapolis, had hundreds of chronically unhoused residents. Since then, 1,500 of these residents have been provided with permanent housing thanks to a methodology called "Built for Zero," which focuses on housing specific subgroups, like families, one at at time. This single-minded focus has brought hopeful results—Hennepin has reduced its unsheltered population by over 20%—but needs support as current pandemic-era funding is running out. (CityLab)
A Model for Safer Streets in Evanston, Illinois. In 2022, Chicago saw over 200 deaths from traffic crashes and roadway deaths and injuries have been rising over the last decade. Meanwhile, Evanston, just about 14 miles to the north, hasn't had road deaths in five years thanks to concerted efforts to slow down traffic. These include spending consistent amounts on street improvements every year, centralizing street planning, and installing protected bike lanes, among other measures. (Next City)
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As always, here's a roundup of placemaking projects and ideas that inspired us this week:
- This Toronto underpass-turned-public spaces features a winter ice-skating trail! (Fast Company)
- A design fix to urban loneliness (CityLab)
- Here's what happened when São Paulo turned a major avenue car-free on Sundays (Next City)
- Enjoy this video tour of Philly's European-style walkable, narrow streets (City Beautiful)
- 15 new books on how to make cities more livable (CityLab)
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Support the 4th International Placemaking Week
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We're inviting institutions of all sizes to sponsor the 4th International Placemaking Week in Baltimore, June 5-8, 2024. This is a special opportunity to advance your organization's mission and form lasting connections with leaders in the field of public space. Benefits include free conference registrations, media mentions, and much more. Explore the sponsorship package.
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