The Placemaking Round-Up
A biweekly newsletter with public space news, resources, and opportunities.
The Biweekly Bazaar
A curated dispatch on all things public markets plus the latest announcements from the Market Cities Program.
A biweekly newsletter with public space news, resources, and opportunities.
A curated dispatch on all things public markets plus the latest announcements from the Market Cities Program.
Registration is now open and will close on November 18, 2025.
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 12 - 1pm Eastern Time
Join Project for Public Spaces and the Farmers Market Coalition for a FREE webinar on how recent projected federal SNAP cuts will affect public markets nationwide.
We'll cover:
Hear directly from public market leaders and advocates who are on the front lines of these changes, and connect with peers facing the same challenges. The webinar will also include a facilitated Q&A.
Kelly Verel, Co Executive Director, Project for Public Spaces. Kelly believes that unlocking the potential of Public Spaces can foster social change. This commitment inspires her work as the Co-Executive Director at Project for Public Spaces, where she drives and executes our nonprofit’s vision as well as oversees the Market Cities Program, Events, and Finance and Operations. In almost two decades at Project for Public Spaces, Kelly has led the planning, design, and development of public markets and undertook pilot projects in Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Toronto to kickstart citywide market strategies. As someone who enjoys gathering professionals in the field, she has spearheaded many of our popular online trainings, including How to Create Successful Markets. Since 2009, she has planned and now directs our International Public Markets Conferences, which have taken place worldwide, including Toronto and Barcelona.
Willa Shiekh, Interim Executive Director, Farmers Market Coalition. Willa is a community organizer, racial equity educator and a systems thinker. She has worked in Diversity and Inclusion in institutions of higher learning, food education and advocacy, and with community-owned food cooperatives, supporting grassroots community economic development focused on equity, justice and sustainability.
Ruby Ferguson, Food Equity Policy Lead, City of Chicago. Ruby Ferguson is the City of Chicago’s first Food Equity Policy Lead, reporting jointly to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Mayor’s Policy Office. Ruby is an innovative leader in nutrition with a decade of experience successfully implementing programming that addresses food insecurity. She believes that nutrition can return power to underserved populations, and thus provide the community with the agency to be an active stakeholder in its own health. Ruby is a registered dietitian and certified lactation specialist whose work has gained her recognition as a Health Equity Champion by the National WIC Association. She is a Phi Betta Kappa graduate of Spelman College and holds Masters degrees from Auburn University and University of Illinois at Chicago.
Emily Grassie, Director of Food Access Programs, Maine Federation of Farmers Markets. As the Director of Food Access Programs at MFFM, Emily leads a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing equitable access to Maine farmers’ markets and Maine food. She oversees the Maine Harvest Bucks program, supporting over 80 farmers’ markets and farm stands running that program, and manages the farmers’ market model of Maine Senior Farmshare. In addition, Emily provides regional outreach, handles database management, and offers general consultation to farmers’ markets. Emily has been serving the Maine farmers’ market community with pride since 2015.
Additional speakers to be announced!
This webinar is a FREE event.
Please contact us at events@pps.org.
Project for Public Spaces is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings public spaces to life by planning and designing them with the people who use them every day. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, Project for Public Spaces has spent the past five decades bringing some of the most successful public places in the world to life. Today, we remain committed to putting community participation at the center of everything we do, from placemaking partnerships with corporations and foundations to our workshops, trainings, conferences, and more. Our interdisciplinary team has helped over 3,500 communities in 52 countries create inclusive places that change our society for the better. Together, we can build a world where every public space is community-powered.
Cover Photo: Anne Tan-Detchkov
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