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Camden Lock

Eric Reynolds, Master of Low-cost, High-return Public Space Interventions in London and NYC

By Megan MacIver on Aug 9, 2010 | 7 Comments

“Lighter, quicker, cheaper:”   three words to sum up a revolutionary, low-cost, high-impact strategy to development, one behind all of Eric Reynolds’ projects at Urban Space Management (USM), a firm known for driving the economic renewal of run down or under-utilized spaces in imaginative and cost effective ways.  Reynolds urges a movement away from “mega-schemes” [...]

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Warren_Place_ek_Sep09 014

Alfred Tredway White: Public Housing Pioneer Who Built For Quality Public Spaces

By Craig Raphael on May 7, 2010 | Add Comment

Alfred Tredway White was arguably Brooklyn’s most significant and influential philanthropist and social reformer of the late 19thand early 20th centuries.  His lifelong work on behalf of the city’s poor population stemmed from a conviction that success, health, community, and the built environment were fundamentally interrelated, and that investing in the living conditions of the [...]

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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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Placemaker Profile: Alan Barber

By dkitzes on Sep 30, 2009 | Add Comment


“Placemaker Profiles” highlights the individuals who have captured our imagination about the need to create great places in every community. By bringing together their valuable stories, key insights, and compelling visions, we hope to share their wisdom with our readers, honor their accomplishments, and acknowledge their profound influence on the Placemaking [...]

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Energy, creativity, and collaboration transform Savannah’s public spaces

By joshkent on Jul 15, 2009 | Add Comment

It was only a few months ago that Destination: Savannah Forward, a coalition of Savannah-based public and private institutions, brought PPS President Fred Kent to Savannah.   Last February, Kent and over 300 Savannah citizens met to discuss how to transform the city’s car-oriented streets into pedestrian-friendly destinations, and how to create [...]

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What can you do now to make your neighborhood a better place?

By joshkent on Jun 18, 2009 | 1 Comment

There are plenty of simple things everyday citizens can do to reenliven their local communities – techniques to engage with your neighbors, revitalize your street, and improve everyone’s quality of life.

It’s easier than you’d think. The Continue Reading

PPS Workshop Inspires Bold Action in Blind River

By Craig Raphael on Jun 17, 2009 | Add Comment

Contributed by Mandy Johnson

On May 14th, Cynthia Nikitin of PPS keynoted the Ontarians Walking Now workshop in Blind River, Ontario. Shortly after the workshop, the Blind River attendees put together a plan to make a beautiful but desolate beach in a central part of the town one of ten great [...]

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Improving Transit “By Any Means Necessary”

By joshkent on Jun 16, 2009 | 4 Comments

Malcolm X once said that “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” And so we found ourselves in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn at the first annual Bedford-Stuyvesant Malcolm X celebration, as guests of the Malcolm X Merchants Association (MXMA). We were there to educate ourselves [...]

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Playborhoods: Bringing Communities Together through Play

By joshkent on Jun 12, 2009 | 1 Comment

Mike Lanza has long been an advocate for safe and livable streets that allow children a safe place to play freely outdoors and meet other local children.  He has coined the term “Playborhood” to describe the ideal neighborhood social situation for kids: “A place where children, ideally from more than one family, play outside on [...]

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Cultivating a Tradition of Placemaking with the Garden Club of America

By joshkent on May 11, 2009 | 1 Comment

On May 2nd Fred Kent gave the opening keynote to 700 leaders of Garden Clubs from every corner of the United States. The message resonated as a natural evolution for their powerful role in communities, leveraging their skills as practical implementers, social networkers and resourceful fundraisers.  The local garden club is often the first partner [...]

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Community Placemakers: Newell Nussbaumer and Buffalo Rising

By joshkent on Apr 13, 2009 | 4 Comments

Back in the summer of 2008, Rochester native Alan Oberst contributed an article to Buffalo Rising – a local news format blog — that analyzed both Hertel and Elmwood Avenues using PPS’ Ten Qualities of a Great Street.

The city, which has been struggling with population loss and economic [...]

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