Registration will open on Sunday, June 1, 2025.

While placemaking often emphasizes the role that public spaces play in supporting community well-being, the public realm is also a vital place of politics. 

From publicly-owned spaces, where freedom of speech and assembly are protected rights, to privately-owned third places where critical civic actions take place—like the lunch counter protests of the Civil Rights movement or the countless church-basements organizing meetings around the country—the public realm serves a vital double duty as both our social and civic infrastructure. These two types of infrastructure have the potential to create a virtuous cycle of community-building, but in some downtowns civic and social life compete for space, while in some neighborhoods both are underserved. 

At a time when fundamental rights feel under threat, join a panel of national leaders in the fields of civic engagement, civil liberties, and public space for a discussion about how placemaking can actively support civic life in the public realm, from town squares to third places to vacant spaces. 

Speakers 

Elena Madison, Director of Projects, Project for Public Spaces (New York, NY, USA). A planner and placemaking veteran, Elena has led and contributed to some of Project for Public Spaces' most exciting projects including transforming the area under an overpass into a park for young people, doubling the capacity of a library, and designing public spaces in communities impacted by natural disasters, among many other projects, over her more than two decades with the team. In her current role, she leads our placemaking program in project work, developing our social impact-supported grants initiatives and managing collaboration with grantees and funders while helping to shape organizational direction. Having a passion for advocacy and education, Elena can often be found developing and leading trainings, sharing PPS's work with the media, and cultivating collegial relationships with our clients and social impact partners.

Richard Young, Founder & Executive Director, CivicLex (Lexington, KY, USA). Richard Young is the Founder and Executive Director of CivicLex, a nationally recognized nonprofit that strengthens civic health in Lexington, Kentucky. Under his leadership, CivicLex has reshaped public meetings, boards and commissions, and planning processes, developed a K-12 civics program, launched a newsroom covering local civic life, and established Kentucky’s first Civic Artist in Residence program. He is also a founding Steering Committee member of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange. Richard is an Ashoka Fellow, and his work has been featured in Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more. A performing artist, Richard holds a degree in Double Bass Performance from the University of Cincinnati.

***Additional speakers to be announced.

Moderator 

Nate Storring is a Co-Executive Director at Project for Public Spaces. Prior to his current role, Nate led the production of several resources on district revitalization and placemaking, from the second edition of the placemaking handbook How to Turn a Place Around to guides on innovation districts, inclusive placemaking, and balancing transportation and placemaking on main street. He is also the co-editor of two books on participatory city building, Hyperlocal: Place Governance in a Fragmented World and Vital Little Plans: The Short Works of Jane Jacobs.

Pricing 

Historically, placemaking as a profession has only been accessible to a privileged few. To that end, we are offering a sliding scale of registration pricing so that this event can be accessible to individuals and organizations of varying budgets. 

The suggested registration rate is $30 USD, however we are also offering registration at the rate of $15 USD and $45 USD. Please pay what you can, and consider contributing more to cover the cost of those who can afford less. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about this training or registration, please contact events@pps.org.

(Photo Credit: Harry Connolly)