New York, NY (June 19, 2001) - Project for Public Spaces, Inc. (PPS), a non-profit organization specializing in the planning, design and management of the public realm, is adding five new members to its board of directors. Founded in 1975, PPS's mission is to create and sustain public places that build communities through technical assistance, research, educational activities and advocacy.

PPS's new directors are: Tom Downs, Executive Director of the National Center for Smart Growth; Daniel M. Fox, President of the Milbank Memorial Fund; Emily Lloyd, Executive Vice President for Administration at Columbia University; David McCune, a writer/consultant who has been active in the publishing field for over 20 years as a journalist, editor, publishing executive and electronic publishing expert; and Robert A. Peck, Commissioner of the Public Buildings Service of the U.S. General Services Administration from December 1995 to January 2001.

Last year, PPS developed a new strategic plan, which calls for further development of its four major programs - parks, plazas and civic squares; transportation; public markets; and community institutions and public buildings - through three new crosscutting initiatives including strategic partnerships, a public space (educational) institute and an extended technical assistance program. "Our new directors will bring valuable skills that will enhance the expertise of our current directors in helping us to fulfill the goals of our strategic plan and expand our capacity to serve communities throughout the world," said Fred Kent, president of PPS.

In the 26 years since its founding, PPS has worked in over 1,000 communities throughout the United States as well as internationally, helping them create and carry out strategies for turning their public spaces into places that highlight local assets, serve common needs and provide the foundation for community rejuvenation.

The other, previously appointed, members of PPS's board of directors include Jonathan Rose, president of the Affordable Housing Development Corporation in Katonah, New York and chairman of the PPS board; Richard Bradley, executive director and CEO of the D.C. Business Improvement District in Washington and former president of the International Downtown Association; Ricardo Byrd, executive director of the National Association of Neighborhoods; Elizabeth Smith Cashin, director of underwriting and portfolio analysis for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation; Dana H. Crawford, president of Urban Neighborhoods in Denver which develops historic properties; Douglas Durst, president of the Durst Organization, a real estate firm in New York City; Paul Elston, chairman of the New York State League of Conservation Voters; Roberta Brandes Gratz, an author (most recent book: The Living City) and a former award-winning reporter for the New York Post; Donald Jacob, senior partner for the Patient Advocate Group in Poughkeepsie; Don Miles, associate partner with Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, an architectural-urban design firm in Seattle; Joel Schiavone, owner of the Schiavone Realty and Development Corporation in New Haven; William Sharman, chairman and chief executive officer of Lancaster Hotels and Resorts in Houston; Kent G. Smith, president of Crowley Cheese in Healdville, VT; Jennifer Vickers, president of the Community Investment Corporation in Austin; and Michael Whiteman, president of Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Company, a restaurant merchandising and operations consulting firm.