“Placemaking” is an overarching idea and a hands-on tool for improving a neighborhood, city, or region. It has the potential to be one of the most transformative ideas of this century.
-Metropolitan Planning Council, Chicago, IL
A two-day PPS training course, How to Turn a Place Around in Ireland introduces new ways of thinking about public spaces and how Placemaking can be used to bring communities together and revitalize underperforming spaces.
Participants will explore the principles and strategies of making places through presentations, case studies of public space innovations, on- site evaluation and interactive discussions of critical issues and challenges. Discussion sessions will focus on the particular issues of participants.
We know from our work in more than 2,500 communities around the world that the Placemaking approach is emerging as a revolutionary development paradigm that reflects community history, needs, and aspirations. Instead of focusing development on shopping destinations like malls, strip centers and lifestyle centers, Placemaking creates authentic, multi-use destinations that have the potential to define the identity of cities and communities in the future.
Topics that will be discussed include: why public multi-use destinations are the best attractors of downtown activity; using public markets as generators of local economies; implementing an architecture of place strategy; and building community through transportation.
Transportation issues will be explored in a special “Streets as Places” session which will focus on how to rebalance the transportation system for people versus vehicles. It will give participants insight into the parameters and thought processes of decision-makers who plan streets, and provide tools for evaluating streets and working with designers.
Drawing on PPS’s work in cities across the globe, this training course will provide case study examples of successful solutions that unlock both the social as well as economic potential of public spaces.
Specific Topics will include:
- Placemaking and the Power of 10 – How the Placemaking Process is different from traditional planning; how to use this process most effectively; applying the Power of Ten in different situations and scales of projects.
- Engaging the Community - How to most effectively engage the community in the planning process; what to avoid and what tools to use
- Successfully Implementing Placemaking Projects - Case studies from throughout the world ranging from small scale interventions to large scale public destinations with insights into how they were achieved and why they are successful.
- Lighter, quicker, cheaper – A low cost, high impact incremental framework for improving communities. How to implement a local development strategy that has produced some of the world’s most successful public spaces — one that is lower risk and lower cost, capitalizing on the creative energy of the community to efficiently generate new uses and revenue for places in transition.
- Developing Campaigns – Working with local leadership, grassroots and public agencies to affect change in communities; how Placemaking can be applied to cross-cutting issues such as sustainability, health, diversity, and livability.
- Applying Streets as Places concepts – Characteristics of Great Streets and how they can address both transportation mobility and community goals; fundamentals of street design – principles (and jargon) behind street design; tools for effectively negotiating for Place based outcomes; and achieving better outcomes from transportation professionals.
Who Should Attend:
The workshop is designed for professionals and non-professionals alike who help plan towns and cities — from landscape architects and real estate developers to park managers and community activists. Enrollment is limited to 40 participants in order to promote a close-knit environment that fosters a deep understanding of what makes public spaces function and of PPS’s innovative methods for analyzing them.
We especially encourage people to come to the course with a small team of people who will be critical in implementing and managing the project and space.
Project for Public Spaces (PPS): Training Course Host:
Project for Public Spaces, Inc. is a non-profit technical assistance, research, and educational organization. We complement our project work, training, and services with public space advocacy that sets the stage for broad change. Our goal is to enhance Placemaking efforts everywhere by promoting good policy and professional practice.
Your instructors for this course are:
- Fred Kent, PPS President and Founder who has led workshops across the globe on Placemaking and the revitalization of city spaces;
- Kathy Madden, PPS Senior Vice President and environmental designer who has directed research, design and training projects worldwide;
- Gary Toth, PPS Director of Transportation Initiatives and former Director of Project Planning and Development for the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
Training Course Location:
The training course will be held in the Assembly Hall at the County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland.
Training Course Cost:
The training course cost if 475 USD per person. The registration fee covers breakfast and lunch on both days and a cocktail reception.
For more information about registration and training course cost, please email Casey Wang at cwang@pps.org.