Tuesdays, September 16, 23, & 30, 2025 (10am-12pm ET)
Thursdays, September 18 & 25, and October 2, 2025 (10am-12pm ET)
All sessions will take place over Zoom.
About the Course
Are you looking to unlock the potential of a street, park, plaza, empty lot, market, or other outdoor space in your community?
Project for Public Spaces’ signature three-week online course welcomes professionals from the field—designers, planners, place managers, community organizers, and other advocates—who are interested in learning essential placemaking principles and tools to implement and manage a public space improvement project. Whether you're working in the field or in the boardroom, this course supports placemakers across the spectrum.
Over six sessions, our instructors will provide guidance that can be tailored to your unique needs and help you develop a community-informed vision and translate it into an actionable plan. Materials will include case studies from inspiring public spaces around the world as well as recorded presentations from leaders in the field. Attendees will leave with knowledge of place analysis techniques, useful case studies and reference materials, and an expanded sense of possibility for turning underused outdoor sites into vibrant gathering places.
Topics will include:
The placemaking process
Core principles of transforming public places
Community and stakeholder engagement
Tools and techniques to observe and evaluate public spaces
Translating a vision into an action plan
“Lighter, quicker, cheaper” public space activations
Public space management
Core Facilitators & Speakers
Nate Storring, Co-Executive Director, Project for Public Spaces
Elena Madison, Director of Projects, Project for Public Spaces
Emily Putnam, Project Manager, Project for Public Spaces
Juliet Kahne, Director of Events, Project for Public Spaces
Guest Speakers
Marisa Denker, Founder & CEO, Connect the Dots (Philadelphia, PA). Marisa is Founder and Director of Connect the Dots, bringing over a decade of knowledge on stakeholder and public engagement practices. As a Fulbright scholar, she earned an MA in Design from Technological University Dublin and later received a Knight Foundation award for civic engagement. She currently teaches a course on Participatory Cities at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also earned her BA in Urban Studies & English. As Founder, she established CtD as a WBE/DBE firm specializing in strategic stakeholder and public engagement, serving clients based in sectors such as urban planning, transportation, community development, and more. She leads the vision and mission of a diverse core team to consult with intergovernmental and transportation agencies, local and state governments, and nonprofits to employ creative, innovative public engagement strategies.
Sylvia García-García,Managing Principal, Connect the Dots (Philadelphia, PA). Sylvia leads the team with 18+ years of experience in cross-sector collaboration around social impact and community development, having a BA in Economics from Universidad de Monterrey, an MS in Strategic Thinking from Tec de Monterrey, and an MS in Management and Economics from Université Toulouse. Her commitment to social impact extends to her role as a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches about the power of community participation in urban spaces. Previously, she worked as Advisor for the Office of Community Services at Garza García, Mexico and as Lead of Social Studies at FEMSA (Coca-Cola, Heineken). As Managing Principal, she specializes in Strategic Planning and People Management, while also serving as Principal in Charge of key projects; her forte is around welcoming and culturally accessible spaces and interactions.
Leona Medley, Executive Director, Joe Louis Greenway Partnership (Detroit, MI). Leona Medley is a transformational leader and proud Detroiter driving equity, access, and opportunity across the city. As Executive Director of the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership, she leads one of Southeast Michigan's most impactful initiatives to connect neighborhoods, create public spaces, and preserve community voice. A former senior executive with the Rock Family of Companies, Leona served as Director of Strategic Community Partnerships and led diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts that shaped long-term investments in underserved communities. She holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan–Dearborn and a Master’s in Community Development from the University of Detroit Mercy. Recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business, the Michigan Chronicle, and Globe St., Leona remains rooted in a legacy of service. She continues to push boundaries, fighting for sustainability, inclusion, and the future of Detroit’s communities.
Elizabeth Mills, Community Engagement Manager, Downtown Dayton Partnership (Dayton, OH). Elizabeth is plugged into many parts of the downtown community. From managing the Downtown Dayton DORA program to keeping our downtown residents engaged and well represented, Elizabeth makes sure these projects are well organized and running in ways that keep the community involved (and spending Downtown Dollars at our businesses!). She's also a big help with making our events and other marketing initiatives come together. You can find Elizabeth downtown taking in a free concert on the lawn at Levitt Pavilion, drinking a chai at THE NEON, having lunch at Little Fish, or taking a class at The Black Box Improv Theater.
Mandy Moody, CEO, Odeo Consulting (Chicago, IL). Mandy Moody knows what it’s like to lead a nonprofit with big goals and limited capacity. Nearly two decades ago, she began her career in fundraising and eventually went on to lead the nationally acclaimed Chicago's Green City Market as Executive Director, scaling the organization’s budget from $750K to nearly $2M and building a strong, mission-driven team of 15. But she didn’t stop at raising more money. She rebuilt the systems behind the fundraising because what good is growth if it breaks your team or burns you out? That’s the foundation of Odeo Consulting: a people-centered, strategy-forward approach to nonprofit growth. Mandy isn’t just a consultant. She’s a career-long nonprofit pro and former Executive Director who’s been in the trenches, understands the pressure, and shows up as a true partner—collaborative, kind, and deeply invested in your success.
Pricing
Despite rising costs and economic challenges that persist globally, at Project for Public Spaces, we are maintaining our pricing for this signature training. We remain committed to accessibility for those in our industry who could not otherwise afford professional development. We offer early and group rates, as well as scholarships. Click here to learn how you can help us continue providing affordable learning opportunities for professionals in this rapidly growing field. Project for Public Spaces is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Individual Rate $550 Group Rate $440 per person for a group of 3+
Invoices
If credit card payment is not an option, please email events@pps.org to request to pay by invoice (via check or wire transfer). Once your payment is received, we will send instructions on how to register for the training.
Scholarship Application
Our scholarship application has ended.
Please note we only have a limited amount of scholarship funding and our process will follow a pay-what-you-can model where you will propose what you are able to pay to attend this training. This amount will not factor into your application review.
Historically, placemaking as a profession has only been accessible to a privileged few. To that end, this scholarship application process will prioritize candidates from low-income communities, communities of color, and other communities affected by social inequities. Priority will also be given to candidates who clearly describe how the training will support their current work or professional development.
Application Deadline: Thursday August 14, 2025 by 11:59pm ET
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.
Photo Credit: Erin Sintos
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