Project for Public Spaces » Squares

Want to Create Family-Friendly Places? Get the Kids at the Table!

Project for Public Spaces — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:15:18 +0000

Children play on the Museum of Art and History’s rooftop sculpture garden during a Placemaking workshop / Photo: Greg Larson

In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake changed the face of downtown Santa Cruz, damaging dozens of buildings and hobbling the local retail scene. The Cooper House, which had been a key public gathering space in this oceanfront city’s core, was ruined. When the site was re-developed, a larger building was placed along the street, and a smaller adjacent public space, Abbott Square, was tucked away in the middle of the block as a retail pass-through. The square never really became a real destination for downtown…but now, with the help of the adjacent Museum of Art and History, that may be about to change.

PPS’s Cynthia Nikitin and Priti Patel visited Santa Cruz recently to kick off a series of Placemaking workshops with the MAH, a cultural institution that has been re-inventing itself as a participatory community hub since bringing on Nina Simon (a past Citizen Placemaker interviewee) as director almost two years ago. The museum has outlined a new vision “to become a thriving, central gathering place where local residents and visitors have the opportunity to experience art, history, ideas, and culture.” To further that mission, the MAH is taking advantage of a 50-year lease on Abbott Square to bring the excitement within its walls out into the public realm, creating a great new destination for Santa Cruz.

Naturally, Nina and her staff brought the same innovative spirit that they’ve applied to exhibitions and events at the museum to the Placemaking Process. While hundreds of citizens and stakeholders participated in workshops and meetings over the course of several days, it was a children’s workshop organized in collaboration with one of the dads in the community, Greg Larson, that really showed off the museum’s capacity for thinking outside the box.

“The children’s workshop was exciting because it speaks to two things,” says Cynthia. “First, it showed that it’s not really far-fetched to think that kids can talk about public space and contribute really meaningfully to Placemaking. Kids have great imaginations, and they can look at an adult problem and think differently about what they want to do with it. Second, it highlighted the museum’s role as a community institution, as a creative and networked place, and so clearly spoke to that vision that the staff is working toward.”

“Kids have great imaginations, and they can look at an adult problem and think differently about what they want to do with it.” / Photo: Greg Larson

One of the most exciting things about this unique component of the process in Santa Cruz was that it grew organically out of the museum’s public engagement efforts leading up to the workshop. “One of the things we’ve heard over and over again from people is that there’s no place for families to come downtown with their kids,” Nina explains. “When I ran into Greg, a museum member and manager for an adjacent town, I invited him to the Abbott Square workshop and he asked if he could bring his daughter. He runs a dads group, and offered to put together a family component to the workshop.”

Greg worked with the MAH’s Director of Community Programs, Stacey Garcia, to plan activities to engage local kids into the Placemaking process. On the day of the event, Greg and 25 local kids (aged five to 10) joined the adults in the opening presentation on Placemaking in the workshop led by Cynthia and Priti, before breaking off for a series of adventures and brainstorming activities. The first stop was Abbott Plaza itself, where everyone was encouraged to think about ideas for the space. “We told them, ‘Imagine you could have anything you want in this square, and got them to start sharing ideas while they were in the physical space,” Greg recalls.

Next, it was up to the museum’s rooftop sculpture garden, where kids were encouraged to play on the art while considering what made the space fun, and thinking about what would make them want to come back. After that, they went back inside to do some more traditional group brainstorming, drawing their ideas on big sheets of butcher paper, and then sharing ideas with each other. Among the ideas generated were a theater space, Chinese lanterns, a giant slide, a maze, a chocolate fountain, a zipline, flowers, a climbing wall, a tunnel—even a replica of the Titanic!

Sharing ideas with the group / Photo: Greg Larson

The kids then voted on their favorites to select a few key “big ideas” to present to the grown-ups, and then spent some time coming up with three skits to act out during that presentation to illustrate their ideas for the climbing wall, maze, and tunnel. Once they were back with the adults, the skits proved to be a big hit. “The kids crawling around and over and under the tables in the room during their skits got the adults more engaged,” says Greg. “It was beyond theater in the round; the kids took the stage to the adults.”

True to form for an arts-friendly town like Santa Cruz, those adults were ready to play ball! Says Cynthia: “One of the dads worked with the city, and also teaches rope climbing, and it got him thinking, ‘You know, we could hook some guide wires between the buildings, and I could teach lessons in the plaza. It’s not that far-fetched.’ Kids wanted a zipline, and he was like, ‘You could do that, actually…’ These kids didn’t know to be cynical.”

In fact, the ideas were so well-received that, according to Nina, the kids’ contributions had a marked impact on the adults’ discussion. “You could tell that the adults really became the stewards of the kids’ ideas, in a sense. It re-oriented us to what it really means to create something that’s family-friendly.”

When you approach it the right way, Placemaking has the potential to bring out the kid in everyone. While priorities have to be determined and decisions have to be made, at the start, there is potential in every public space for an amazing new destination to emerge. Sharing freely and openly at the outset is key because, even if some of the more outlandish ideas won’t be feasible, they can help to set a tone and establish the kind of flexibility and open-mindedness that lead, ultimately, to stronger results.

“I think that the main takeaway was that it really is possible to engage kids in productive ways, parallel to adults, in a creative design process,” says Greg. “It’s important for it to be multi-modal, experiential, reflective, artistic, tactile. If there’s anything consistent to what the kids drew up, it was that the square and the art on the square needs to be engaging, or participatory as Nina would say, where they can touch it or interact with it, not simply observe it.”

We’ll be back in Santa Cruz next month. We’ll keep you posted as the new Abbott Square shapes up!

Click here to view a slideshow of the results of the kids’ workshop!

Fred Kent Featured on cdmCyclist Podcast

Project for Public Spaces — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:37:55 +0000

"Whenever you see a corner, think of it as a square, because that puts that corner into the public realm, rather than into the traffic realm." / Photo: Cher Amio via Flickr

PPS President Fred Kent is featured as the guest on today’s episode of the cdmCyclist, a podcast hosted by Frank Peters in southern California, where we’re looking forward to hosting the Pro Walk/Pro Bike: Pro Place conference this September 10-13. Fred not only talks about the important role that walking and bicycling play in successful places, he gives a bit of background on how he came to be involved in the Placemaking biz, and how active transportation advocates and Placemakers can strengthen each others’ efforts by working together. A short preview of Fred’s interview:

“It’s all woven together. It’s so naturally intuitive. We all share the same [desired] outcomes. Whether you’re an avid bicyclist, an avid walker, or just an avid playground user, we all want the same thing. So that’s why this conference that we’re all doing together in Long Beach in September is such a big shift away from isolating the biking and walking people, to integrating them into the broader community life and happiness that we all know happens when we create environments that are good places…

We see streets as public spaces; when they’re public spaces they’re meant to be for everyone. That starts to put into perspective the role that the automobile plays in a space because it’s only one of the users…Whenever you see a corner, think of it as a square, because that puts that corner into the public realm, rather than into the traffic realm. You can downsize or right-size or modify the role that the vehicle plays and enhance enormously the pedestrian and bicycle [uses]. Corners are where you start! That’s the hardest part, because that’s where the traffic engineer controls the outcomes more than any other place.”

Click here to visit Frank’s website and listen the full podcast of Fred’s interview.

Click here to learn more about Pro Walk/Pro Bike: Pro Place, and register for the event.

We’ll see you in Long Beach!

Placemaking at Monument Circle

Robin Lester — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:08:58 +0000

PPS is working with the grantees and partners of Inspiring Places Initiative of the Central Indiana Community Foundation to build capacity for Placemaking in the Indianapolis region. One focus of this effort has been on Monument Circle, one of the city’s most iconic public spaces. The Circle, which hosts numerous events throughout the year, has the potential to become an even better destination for downtown activity.

PPS provided a report outlining a process for improvements, which included a management plan, additional amenities and flexible activities.

“From a European perspective, this could be one of the great public spaces in America, it seems to me,” said Simon Crookall, president of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, which performs at Hilbert Circle Theatre. “It has enormous potential.”

More information:

Reshaping the Circle [Indianapolis Business Journal]

Placemaking Catalyzes New Life in Providence Square

hmanshel@pps.org — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:56:44 +0000

Several months after a PPS Placemaking Workshop, Providence’s Kennedy Plaza is bustling. There are live Rhythm and Soul concerts every Sunday, a Farmeri’s Market Fridays and a Market Bazaar with food, antique, art and other vendors on Thursdays. Throughout the summer there have been a variety of programmed events including a Street Paining Festival, a Roller Derby, and a Bolivian Festival.

These are the creations of the Greater Kennedy Plaza Working Group inspired by discussion at PPS’ workshop in February. PPS saw Kennedy Plaza as the heart of Providence and invited community members to brainstorm ways to make it more inviting; to truly draw people into the square and make it a vibrant and active downtown center

At the launch of the first Kennedy Plaza summer programs, Mayor David N. Cicilline was full of praise for the Working Group and for the progress that has been made in the square: “Thanks to the hard work and vision of our community partners, this wonderful space is being transformed into a vibrant gathering place that offers something for everyone.” Previously, Kennedy Plaza was used almost exclusively as a bus transfer station but with the help of PPS and the Working Group and the myriad new programs and activities, Kennedy Square has become a veritable destination and a lively public space.

Montreal’s New Public Spaces

mkodransky@pps.org — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:30:53 +0000

Montreal is a city with an interesting mix of old colonial squares and new corporate plazas. A new approach to creating vibrant public places seems to be brewing. The focus is on simple and flexible designs that facilitate human activity rather than merely display great architectural achievements.

Gavin Affleck, a partner in the Montreal-based firm Affleck + de la Riva Architects and contributing editor for the monthly magazine Canadian Architect, writes:

“What public space is about is human activity; what it is not about is architectural objects. The great urban spaces of European cities are precisely that: spaces. What fills them is the ebb and flow of life–events, experiences, activities.

Rather than aesthetic, formal or visual concerns, the measure of success of a public space is the degree of vitality it achieves as a support for human activity.“

U.S. Presidential Candidates Ignoring Urban Issues

mkodransky@pps.org — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:15:32 +0000

Despite the large number of Americans now living in cities, urban issues have been astonishingly absent from the U.S. presidential debates. PPS did a spoof article for Faking Places, the annual April Fool’s Newsletter, in which Hillary, McCain and Obama make promises for more livable neighborhoods. The glaring omission of urban issues from the national discourse is actually no laughing matter.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

“There are three times as many urbanites in America as country folk, yet you wouldn’t know it listening to the three main presidential candidates, or perusing their Web sites. Instead, you might come away thinking the United States is a collection of Norman Rockwell small towns surrounded by picture-book farms.”

Related Stories:

The Candidates and the City [Gotham Gazette]

Urban Issues Get Short Shrift [Politico]

Candidates Largely Ignore Urban Issues [City Mayors]

Parks and Squares Are An Essential Feature of Urban Infrastructure

mkodransky@pps.org — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:13:02 +0000

“Public space is central to the political and social life of a city. Streets and squares are marketplaces for trade, places for discussion and demonstrations, for formal and informal meetings. Public spaces are democratic in essence: in them citizens have rights, defined only by national laws. They are places in which cities define their character, display their generosity, and show off. Erosion of public space undermines the very fabric of society.”

Downtown Ithaca is the ‘Community Hub’

keenan — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:02:52 +0000

There’s something special about having an authentic, real center of your community: a Main Street, a plaza or piazza, a town square or village four corners. I mean a real community center, a place like Broadway in Saratoga Springs, Fountain Square in Cincinnati, Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall or Santa Fe’s downtown plaza. All of these places are special and are regarded by their residents as their social, heritage and emotional community centers. These are places where their community celebrations must happen. Residents celebrate and pay tribute to others in them. People come to such places to mourn, protest and bare their emotions. When these communities show themselves off to the world, their downtowns are the places they feature and the postcards they create.

Searching for the Soul of Times Square

keenan — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:55:00 +0000

You know that scene in the movie I Am Legend where Will Smith (playing the last man on Earth) and his German shepherd (playing the world’s last good dog) go deer hunting in a depopulated Times Square? Well, to my urbanist-geek way of thinking, the most impressive aspect of this masterpiece of computer-generated cityscape is that the new TKTS booth, currently under construction, plays a pivotal role in the action. How is it that before the whole human race perished from a nasty viral infection (or was transformed into obnoxious zombies) we still had the presence of mind to complete a lovely public amenity, the long-neglected winner of a 1999 design competition?

PPS In Providence: City told to think and dream big in reinventing plaza

jpastore@pps.org — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:35:11 +0000

As part of a project Providence, RI, PPS lead a workshop of over 130 city officials, business owners, residents and representatives of nonprofit groups about potential improvements to the city’s central plaza, Kennedy Plaza.

“All over the world, people are coming back to these great squares. Once you’ve got a great square, the rest of your city is going to fall into place,” said Kent. He and PPS envision a Kennedy Plaza that is ringed by shops, full of attractions and serves as the hub for a different kind of transit system, one based on trolleys or trams.

The Great Neighborhood Book Voted in the Top 10 Planning Books for 2007 by Planetizen

rdahl@pps.org — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:47 +0000

Planetizen has named PPS/Jay Walljasper’s The Great Neighborhood Book as one of its top 10 planing books of 2007. http://www.planetizen.com/books/2008
Also, Urban Land magazine recently reviewed The Great Neighborhood Book in the November/December 2007 issue. Click here to read the review.
The Great Neighborhood Book also received an honorable mention on the American Booksellers Association’s list of books about promoting local businesses.

Hibernation Discouraged: Cities Need Life on Their Streets

rdahl@pps.org — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:40:05 +0000

Jay Walljasper discusses the need for cities to have life on their streets – even in the most frigid days (and nights) of winter.

“Plunging temperatures don’t necessarily sentence us to months of house arrest. People around the world from Copenhagen to New York are figuring out how to keep things lively throughout the colder months. City streets bustle with festivals and outdoor attractions showing that winter is something to enjoy rather than endure.

My colleague Cynthia Nikitin, vice president of Project for Public Spaces, describes Berlin in the dead of winter: “It gets dark at 3:30. It’s snowing like crazy. But it’s no problem. People are playing bocce ball on the ice. There are tents selling hot mulled wine. You are walking down the street just watching all the other people. Life is good, and winter feels good, too.”

But you need to give people reasons to be outside, Nikitin adds — “a market, ice skating, music, decorative lighting. No one will stay outdoors to stare at an empty plaza.”

The Rockefeller Foundation Jane Jacobs Medal Nomination Process is Now Open

rdahl@pps.org — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:35:35 +0000

The Rockefeller Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2008 Jane Jacobs Medal on its website through February 1, 2008. The 2008 Rockefeller Foundation Jane Jacobs Medals will recognize two living individuals whose creative vision for the urban environment has significantly contributed to the vibrancy and variety of New York City.

Click here for the full press release

Click here for the The 2008 Jane Jacobs Medal Nomination Form

How Smart Towns Fight Dark Winter

rdahl@pps.org — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:10:47 +0000

Do plunging temperatures, gray skies and the year’s shortest days have to force us to huddle indoors? When we flick on the television, do we have to cringe at the weathermen’s dire warnings of monster storms on the way?

Not at all, argues Jay Walljasper, a writer on world cities, in a Christmas-season bulletin for Project for Public Spaces. There’s a tremendous amount that cities, towns, even individual neighborhoods can do to brighten the wintertime scene. And not just for Christmas and the holidays — though that’s a great start — but until the crocuses bloom.

In Search of a Great Street

rdahl@pps.org — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:39:46 +0000

Inspired by Las Ramblas in Barcelona, this article discusses what makes a good street – how elements come together to make streets “the river of life.” Community is influenced positively with pedestrian-friendly streetscapes that value social encounters, as primary to commercial endeavors.

A Simple Path to Strong Neighborhoods

rdahl@pps.org — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:36:00 +0000

A Simple Path to Strong Neighborhoods

Author Jay Walljasper Shows How Small Efforts Build Community

Dave Hage of the Star Tribune has a Q&A session with Jay Walljasper, author of the The Great Neighborhood Book, about how strong neighborhoods are the building blocks of great cities and a healthy society.

Q. So what makes a great neighborhood?

A. The first fundamental is a public gathering spot — a park, a little town square, even a bench in front of the corner grocery store. You want a place where people know they’re likely to run into someone they know or meet someone they like.

The second is walkability. It’s really hard to build a sense of community when you know your neighbors only by waving at them through the windshield or honking at them as you drive by.

The key is to promote spontaneous, informal encounters — that’s the building block of strong communities.

But here’s another, simpler way to think about it: When you create a neighborhood that’s friendly to dogs, it’s friendly to people, too. The traffic is not speeding and dangerous. There are green places to hang out and walk. So dogs are a good indicator species.

KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play announces Playful City USA

rdahl@pps.org — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:03:12 +0000

(Washington, DC) — The KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play today announced the 31 founding members of the Playful City USA initiative. Playful City USA is a national recognition program that honors cities and towns across the nation for a vision, plan and commitment to creating an agenda for play. Cities were recognized based on a pledge to five specific commitments to play:

Creating a local play commission or task force;
Designing an annual action plan for play;
Conducting a play space audit;
Outlining a financial investment in play for the current fiscal year; and
Proclaiming and celebrating an annual“play day.”

The founding members of Playful City USA have activated powerful citizenship by creating play agendas with deep and lasting impact on public policy issues including childhood obesity, public safety, and quality of life issues. Through the collaborative support of corporate and community resources, these civically-grounded cities are inspiring and transforming lives; building strong and healthy communities, and fostering brighter futures.

“Playful City USA reflects the hope, opportunity and possibility inherent in municipal collaborations anchored by a shared vision for play,” said Darell Hammond, Co-Founder and CEO of KaBOOM! “The innovative practices these cities adopted are a call-to-action for other municipalities across the country to rally behind proactive, city-wide agendas in support of broader physical activity and play.”

Founding members of Playful City USA include:

Ankeny, IA, Atlanta, Ga., Canton, Ga., Cedar City, UT, Chandler, Ariz., Creedmoor, N.C., Dothan, Ala., East Cleveland, OH, El Paso, TX, Gilbert, Ariz., Greenbelt, Md., Jamestown, N.Y., Kenner, La., Kerman, Calif., Kingsburg, Calif., Lake Charles, La., Lake Worth, Fla., Longview, Wash., Mountain Grove, Mo., New Lenox, Ill., New Roads, La., Norfolk, Va., Phoenix, Ariz. , Portsmouth, OH, San Francisco, Calif., San Jose, Calif., Shirley, Mass., Spartanburg, S.C., Tucson, Ariz., Wapello, IA, Yuma, Ariz.

A number of Playful City USA founding members have created and implemented pioneering play commitments. In San Francisco, the Department of Parks and Recreation, along with the non-profit National Parks Council and Mayor Gavin Newsom, created Parkscan to assess the conditions and safety of the city’s playgrounds. In a city where identifying and maintaining open space can be a challenge, communities are now working together to improve and enhance failing playgrounds and play spaces. City Council members in Creedmoor, NC have enacted legislation to ensure developers include playgrounds and open space in every new neighborhood. Each May residents in El Paso, TX gather for the annual Ciclovia celebration which closes major thoroughfares and opens them up for walking, family time and safe connections to the city’s playgrounds and open space.

Along with receiving national recognition for blazing a playful trail for other cities, 2007 founding members are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $25,000 to help support one of their playful initiatives.

For cities interested in applying for Playful City USA 2008, KaBOOM! is teaming up with America’s Promise Alliance 100 Best Communities for Young People to provide one lucky city with a brand new KaBOOM! playground. 100 Best is an annual competition that recognizes those cities and towns across America that go above and beyond for children and youth. Communities who are named one of the 100 Best, and also apply to be named a Playful City USA, will be eligible to receive a new playground in their area.

KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Since 1995, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,200 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of online resources, regional and national trainings, and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play which includes Playful City USA and the Playmaker Network- a national network of individual advocates for play. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago, Atlanta and San Mateo, CA. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

Designing Places for People to Meet

rdahl@pps.org — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 15:42:46 +0000

Designers are working to create spaces and situations to encourage and promote interaction in a time where people are living closer together physically, but farther apart socially. Community cannot be built; what can be built are spaces and situations to draw neighbors together. These spaces come in all forms. Multi-family complexes can center on a water feature, a nearby park, a common yard, a special tree or a barbecue patio.

New Urbanism = Historic Urbanism

rdahl@pps.org — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:06:40 +0000

In essence new urbanism is really historic urbanism. If you look at how city centers were established pre-1900 you will notice that almost all downtown areas were bustling economic centers with a high level of density. Looking further back in historical times to the towns across Europe you will find this urban model mimics itself over and over – - why? Because it was a successful way to build new urban centers for commerce and ultimately sustainability.

Here are the 10 New Urbanism Principles:

1. Walkability

2. Connectivity

3. Mixed-Use & Diversity

4. Mixed Housing

5. Quality Architecture & Urban Design

6. Traditional Neighborhood Structure

7. Increased Density

8. Smart Transportation

9. Sustainability

10. Quality of Life

Despite Objectors, Skateboard Park Idea Grows

rdahl@pps.org — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:32:41 +0000

For one skateboarding advocate here, creating a system of skate parks in West Seattle isn’t just about building places to do aerials and flip tricks.

So far it’s just a blueprint with no funding, but the citywide skate park plan is gaining momentum in West Seattle, fueled by passionate skaters like West Seattle resident Matt Johnston.

Johnston, who served on the skate park advisory task force that helped develop the plan last year with Seattle Parks and Recreation, is also determined to change some minds along the way. At 36, he remembers what it’s like to be thought of as a delinquent simply for the kind of sport he enjoys.

“What we want to do in West Seattle is make sure skate parks are successful for everyone in the community and not just the skateboarders, because a successful skate park requires community support,” said Johnston. “The last thing we want to do is be skateboarding in a community who hates us or who doesn’t want us there.”

SKATEBOARDERS DESIRES. “It would be awesome if my friends and I could walk down here every day,” said Max Sadow, 10, of a possible skateboard park in the Alki neighborhood. His father notes they have to go to Burien or Renton for skateboarding now. Photo by Steve Shay. Courtesy of West Seattle Herald

He brought up a community meeting held this past March to discuss the design of the future Myrtle Street park at the site of Myrtle Reservoir on 35th Avenue Southwest. The location was recommended for a skate facility in the citywide plan but so far the community has been largely opposed to the idea.

Some at the meeting said a skate park would attract “derelict teenagers” and be noisy. Johnston is concerned common fears like these associated with the sport will isolate West Seattle’s skate parks and its estimated 4,000 skateboarders.

Built in the right location, with an appropriate design and a welcoming community, skate parks can actually serve as a vibrant part of a neighborhood and discourage bad behavior. But anything pushed to the fringes, whether it’s a skate facility or a basketball court, can invite unsavory activities, he said.

“(Skate parks) actually deter bad activities because it programs the space and puts people there,” Johnston said. “You have to build it for some people to see how great it can be. This is something positive for the kids.”

PPS Training Courses Open for Registration!

rdahl@pps.org — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:45:38 +0000

Registration is now open for our two-day public training courses here in NYC: How to Create Successful Markets, Oct. 12-13 and How to Turn a Place Around, Oct. 18-19

National Farmers Market Week: August 5-11, 2007

rdahl@pps.org — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:11:19 +0000

Farmers markets are important, nationwide outlets for agricultural producers. The popularity of these markets continues to rise as more consumers discover the joys of shopping for unique ingredients sold direct from the farm, and the pleasure of buying familiar products in their freshest possible state.

More than 4,300 farmers markets across the country offer consumers farm-fresh, affordable, convenient, and healthy products and also serve as integral links between urban, suburban, and rural communities.

For more information on National Farmers Market Week or to search for a market in your area click here.

Melbourne, Australia After a Decade of Focus on Public Spaces

ksalay@pps.org — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:19:55 +0000

Project for Public Spaces Vice President, Ethan Kent, writes about Melbourne’s successful new public space development, Federation Square, and a Placemaking training course that he helped lead, which included many city staff, local developers and “place managers.”

PPS Takes Public Spaces Inventory of Fallon, Nevada

ksalay@pps.org — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:30:38 +0000

Three urban planners from PPS visited Churchhill County and Fallon, NV, in an effort to inventory and assess local gathering places and destinations around town.

Phil Myrick, vice president of PPS, and Elena Madison, assistant vice president, presented a list of sites they felt could be better utilized in Fallon. The team, which also included farmers market expert David O’Neil, toured downtown and the county and polled local residents on needed changes or additions to bring people together and to the downtown area.