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One of the "placeless" blocks of Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway

Rose Kennedy Greenway “A Design Disaster”

By Ethan Kent on Apr 30, 2010 | 5 Comments

Jane Jacobs made famous the isolating effect of Boston’s Central Artery on Boston’s North End.   As she is celebrated this weekend with Jane’s Walks around the world, the situation in Boston reminds us that few of her lessons have truly been learned by the professionals planning cities today.

As Jane Jacobs said, [...]

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The Battle for Gotham by Roberta Gratz

Jane Jacobs in the Modern City: Learning from her Legacy

By Megan MacIver on Apr 29, 2010 | 1 Comment

Urban critic, journalist, and long-time PPS board member Roberta Gratz is the author of a new book, “The Battle for Gotham: New York in the Shadow of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs,” a revisionist story of New York City’s recovery from the economic crisis of the 1960’s and 70’s.  While many credit Moses [...]

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Jane Jacobs

Jane’s Walk USA

By Project for Public Spaces on Apr 28, 2010 | 1 Comment
Honoring Jacobs’ Legacy and Building Community

Jane’sWalkUSA, a program of The Center For the Living City , is dedicated to honoring the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs by facilitating free walking tours in neighborhoods throughout the country, in cities from Ankorage to Philadelphia.  These walks celebrate local [...]

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Relaxing on the new deck underneath the historic "Auction Oaks"

Austin Republic Square Becomes a Great Place through Partnerships

By Craig Raphael on Apr 27, 2010 | Add Comment

Republic Square in Austin, Texas has a long and storied history. The first city blocks were auctioned there under live oak trees in the summer of 1839; patriotic Mexican celebrations were staged during the First World War; cars were invited to park in the 1950s, only to be sent away twenty-seven years later when the [...]

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Vote on your Favorite Places in Chicago

By Robin Lester on Sep 2, 2009 | 2 Comments

What is the best public place in Chicago?  Sylvia O. thinks it is a community garden on Chicago’s far South-East Side, Brian S. nominated the Chicago Riverwalk for its “ingenuity and imagination,” and Afshan H. chose Harmony Park, the “go-to place in the Village of Arlington Heights.” The community, of course, is the expert.

The [...]

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Dane County Farmers Market (Madison, WI)

By Tom Peyton on Aug 26, 2009 | 1 Comment

What: Situated in the heart of Madison, a market whose fame extends well beyond the city.

Why it Works: On Saturdays this market surrounds the Capitol Square. The vendors are friendly Wisconsin growers. On Wednesdays the market is on a street that runs from the Square to the Monona Terrace. The Capitol Square [...]

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Transformative Transportation Policy in Abu Dhabi

By Gary Toth on Aug 18, 2009 | Add Comment

The third in a series of reflections from the travels of a 34-year veteran Traffic Engineer from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.  Gary Toth, who had previously never been abroad, spent a week in the United Arab Emirates capital city of Abu Dhabi. He found [...]

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Where the Sidewalk Doesn’t End: What Shared Space has to Share

By Gary Toth on Aug 17, 2009 | 11 Comments

The second in a series of groundbreaking reflections from the travels of a 34-year veteran Traffic Engineer from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.  Gary Toth, who had previously never been to Europe, spent a week touring the Netherlands with fellow PPSers Fred Kent and Kathy Madden.  Their mission was to learn more about [...]

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The Fight Continues to Make Privately Owned Public Spaces…Public

By Craig Raphael on Aug 14, 2009 | 3 Comments

The battle over the right to use public spaces on private property has been played out throughout the US over the last half century. Many developers, in exchange for a more favorable floor-to-area ratio (FAR) allowance, were required to build ground level public plazas.   Unfortunately, most of these plazas were public only in name; [...]

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Buchanan Street (Glasgow, Scotland, UK)

By Tom Peyton on Aug 12, 2009 | Add Comment

What: Scotland’s principal shopping street, and the heart of Glasgow.

Why it Works: Buchanan Street has been Glasgow’s premier street for the past two centuries and is an integral part of the fabric of Glasgow’s historic city centre. With its richly ornamented Victorian and Edwardian commercial buildings as a backdrop, Buchanan Street is [...]

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Shinjuku Eki (Tokyo, Japan)

By Tom Peyton on Jul 22, 2009 | Add Comment

What: A multi-use transfer point for all main lines of mass transit in Tokyo, this station is filled with people from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day of the week.

Why it Works: The Japanese know how to use their valuable space efficiently. This is urban development at its best; you can [...]

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Speaking Engagement: Cynthia Nikitin to speak at Imagine Miami Changemaker Conference

By dkitzes on Jun 29, 2009 | Add Comment

The second in a three-year series, the Imagine Miami Changemaker Conference II on July 18, 2009 focuses on the power of place. Local residents will learn how to create and sustain the public spaces that build community, from community gardens to family-friendly parks and city blocks. Presented by the Human Services Coalition (HSC), the event [...]

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