Project for Public Spaces

Context Sensitive Solutions Training

New Hampshire (2005 - 2007)

Client: New Hampshire DOT

A group begins a training exercise on site.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation hired Project for Public Spaces, Tom Warne & Associates and Oldham Historic Properties to design and host a series of two-day long workshops on Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS), each with about 30 participants from NHDOT, other agency partners, client communities and other consultants.

In these workshops, participants are learning how to look at a Place, how to better involve the public and build consensus, and how to integrate CSS techniques in the engineering and design phases of project development. The trainings, which will go through 2007, help to kick off new projects where CSS is applied throughout New Hampshire.


Wisconsin (2002 - 2003)

Client: Wisconsin Department of Transportation

In 2002-2003, PPS helped develop a “Placemaking” session for a three-day training program for Wisconsin DOT. This course, which was offered to almost 500 state DOT employees in 2003, included an introductory PowerPoint show developed and presented at four sessions by PPS.


New Jersey (2000-2002)

Client: New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Funding: Federal Highway Administration

PPS headed a teaching team that included the Rutgers Transportation Policy Institute and national experts in highway design, traffic calming, public outreach and involvement, and conflict resolution. Under PPS's leadership and coordination, the team developed and is conducted a training program for New Jersey highway engineers, New Jersey Transit staff, transportation consultants, local officials and community organizations.

The program consisted of a series of five one-day training sessions that were run several times to accommodate all of the various participants. These sessions included an introductory awareness conference entitled "What Is Context Sensitive Design?" and four smaller, hands-on classes entitled "Placemaking: Tools for Getting Started," "Respectful Communication, Consensus Building and Public Involvement," "Flexible Design," and "Negotiation and Conflict Resolution." A total of 650 people went through the training program in two years.


New York (2002)

Client: New York State Department of Transportation

In the fall of 2002, PPS taught its course “Placemaking: Tools for Getting Started” for 350 employees in New York State DOT’s Design Division as the introductory module of the Division’s new Context Sensitive Solutions training program. The one-day course was offered seven times in both Poughkeepsie and Syracuse, with a case study and site visit prepared for each city.