Introducing PPS Socials, our revamped online store, and the new pps.org

"People are attracted to other people..."

--William H. Whyte

Ever wonder who else in your community is as passionate about placemaking as you are? Come to our PPS Social to find out! We've set aside a time each month for us and local placemakers to meet and discuss the latest in placemaking.

As a New York-based organization, we thought we would be limited to our home city, but other cities quickly responded enthusiastically. Thanks to the many dynamic placemakers out there, PPS Socials will be held in Providence, RI, Minneapolis, Asheville, NC, and even South Africa. We are absolutely delighted. Just let us know what you need! We look forward to your reports from afar.

After the inaugural New York City PPS Social on December 16, 6-8PM at the Good World Bar and Grill in East Chinatown, New York City PPS Socials will meet every third Wednesday of the month. New Yorkers, we hope to see you there! Feel free to distribute the invitation - everyone is welcome. To start a PPS Social in your own community or for more information about our events, please contact Shin-pei Tsay, stsay@pps.org or 212-620-5660.

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Just in time for the holidays...

If you need to do some last minute shopping for that special placemaker in your life, the new PPS Online Store is just what you've been looking for. With a new, user-friendly interface, it's easier than ever to find the books and videos you want.

From starting a public market to improving your local park to calming traffic in your neighborhood, there's something for everyone interested in making better public spaces. You'll find our best-seller, How to Turn a Place Around, and William H. Whyte's historic Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, as well as recent additions to our catalog like David Sucher's City Comforts, and Reading Terminal Market: An Illustrated History, by our own David O'Neil.

And don't forget, members receive a 20% discount on all PPS products. Join today and get the most out of your membership.

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Get ready for the new pps.org

Visit pps.org in early 2004 and everything might suddenly look different, but don't be alarmed. That's just our thoroughly researched and re-designed new look. We're in the final stages of implementing an overhaul that will make our website easier to search and navigate, so you can easily find what you need and take advantage of the full depth of resources we offer.

In addition to the re-design, you'll notice new features like our "Placemaker Profiles" section, which will examine the critical figures in the placemaking movement, from pioneers like Jane Jacobs and William H. Whyte, to contemporary thinkers like James Howard Kunstler. It's our way of acknowledging both the visionaries who came before us and the leaders who today are working towards the same goals we are.

"Placemaker Profiles" will be joined by many additions that are currently in the works, like the Context Sensitive Solutions resource center we are building with the Federal Highway Administration (see this month's feature story). When you see the finished product, we think the new pps.org will be a place you'll return to again and again.

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