NEWS RELEASE

February 4, 2026 – Detroit, MI, Traverse City, MI, and Newport, KY. Project for Public Spaces announced today that it has selected two nonprofits and one municipality to receive Community Placemaking Grants: Streets as Places & Destinations Stations to transform outdoor public spaces that will improve street safety and mobility. The grant recipients are Downtown Detroit Partnership for Campus Martius Park in Detroit, Michigan, City of Traverse City for the East Side Social District in Traverse City, Michigan, and Southbank Partners for Saratoga Plaza in Newport, Kentucky. Thanks to support from General Motors, each organization will receive $100,000 in direct funding, as well as planning, implementation, and capacity building assistance from Project for Public Spaces. Together, these projects will make streets and mobility hubs safer and more welcoming for over two million people annually once completed.

Since launching in fall 2021, Project for Public Spaces’ Community Placemaking Grants have supported 22 U.S.-based nonprofits and local government agencies in partnering with communities to transform their public spaces into inclusive, vibrant places that welcome underserved community members, strengthen social connections, and enhance quality of life for all. This new cohort of grantees was selected for their proposed initiatives that aligned with one of two strategic focus areas. Streets as Places aims to improve traffic safety while elevating streets as the most accessible public spaces across the United States. focuses on enhancing user experience and increasing awareness of micromobility options, and public transit at mobility hubs through public space amenities and programming.

Applicants were selected based on their commitment to engaging community groups, participating in an open-ended visioning process, demonstrating the capacity to deliver projects on time and on budget, and building strong partnerships with relevant organizations and public agencies. These placemaking projects will follow a “lighter, quicker, cheaper” approach, prioritizing high-impact, low-cost improvements that advance long-term community goals.

“We are proud to welcome our new Community Placemaking Grantees and look forward to reimagining these unique places together as safer and more vibrant public destinations for everyone. We are deeply grateful to our sponsor General Motors for being an essential partner in our efforts to unlock the full potential of streets and transit plazas  as great places for people.”

— Elena Madison, Project for Public Spaces’ Director of Projects

‍Here is more about each project:

Campus Martius Park in Detroit, MI

Campus Martius Park is an award-winning, highly programmed 1.8-acre public park in the heart of Downtown Detroit that hosted over 1,200 events and activities in 2024 alone. Due to growing programming and crowding during the peak holiday season and major events, the streets surrounding Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square are temporarily closed to vehicles. The Community Placemaking Grant awarded to the Downtown Detroit Partnership will allow them to work with Project for Public Spaces to strategically approach and implement longer-term design that will safely pedestrianize the area and add traffic-calming improvements to better safeguard the community year-round.

"Campus Martius Park serves as a critical civic anchor in the heart of Detroit, supporting a wide range of cultural programming and everyday public life," said David Cowan,Chief Public Spaces Officer for the Downtown Detroit Partnership. "This opportunity allows the city to evaluate and test more pedestrian-centered uses for surrounding streets, prioritizing safety, flexibility and multimodal access. By rethinking how these streets evolve, the city can better accommodate peak demand during large events, relieve pressure on the park and create adaptable public spaces that respond to how people use the area year-round. The Downtown Detroit Partnership is grateful to Project for Public Spaces and General Motors for supporting forward-thinking urban design."

East Side Social District in Traverse City, MI

The East Side Social District occupies slip lanes along a main street in Traverse City, MI, where seasonal street closures create a public commons that features outdoor seating, and local food and drink. While the District functions as a neighborhood gathering place and designated social area open to all, its temporary design is limited in accessibility, and lacking safe pedestrian crossings and amenities to connect both sides of the street. With a Community Placemaking Grant, the City of Traverse City and Project for Public Spaces aim to develop a flexible, people-first design that improves safety, accessibility, and comfort, and supports expanded programming and business activity.

“Traverse City is thrilled to be awarded the Project for Public Spaces Community Placemaking Grant,” said Traverse City Mayor Amy Shamroe. “This award is a testament to the power of a grassroots effort to create a gathering space for locals, by locals.”

Saratoga Plaza in Newport, KY

Saratoga Plaza in Newport, KY, is one of several community gathering spaces at Newport on the Levee, an entertainment-driven, mixed-use development situated along the Ohio River. The site sits at a key multimodal crossroads—adjacent to a bus stop, a bike share station, the scenic Riverwalk at Riverfront Commons, and the pedestrian-only Purple People Bridge that connects Newport, KY to downtown Cincinnati, OH—yet the plaza currently lacks the design, activation, and safety features needed to fully serve all users. Through a Community Placemaking Grant, Project for Public Spaces will work with regional economic development nonprofit Southbank Partners to transform the Plaza into a vibrant Destination Station by adding amenities and programming that help connect it to surrounding streets and transportation networks. These improvements will enhance safety, support community gathering, and energize downtown activity.

 “We are grateful to be selected for a Community Placemaking Grant,” said Will Weber, President & CEO of Southbank Partners. “Saratoga Plaza will play a pivotal role in connecting people to urban mobility options while also creating an inviting gathering spot for everyday meetups. We are excited to partner with Project for Public Spaces and Newport on the Levee to transform this small urban space into a great place for all walks of life.”

Starting in February 2026, Project for Public Spaces’ Placemaking team will work with grantees to  engage with their communities, co-create a vision for activation, develop designs, and support construction, and programmatic implementation for each place. Projects are expected to be completed by November 2026. 

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‍About Project for Public Spaces

Project for Public Spaces has spent the past five decades bringing some of the most successful public places in the world to life. Today, it remains committed to putting community participation at the center of everything it does, from placemaking partnerships with corporations and foundations to workshops, trainings, conferences, on-the-ground design and planning services, and more. The interdisciplinary team has helped over 3,500 communities in 52 countries create inclusive places that change society for the better. Project for Public Spaces is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Learn more at PPS.org.

‍CONTACT‍
‍Anne Tan-Detchkov
‍Director of Communications & Marketing
Project for Public Spaces
‍atan@pps.org
‍(212) 620-5660