Equity and Inclusion: At the Heart of Placemaking

• This week, we highlight "Equity and Inclusion," one of the ten transformative agendas that will guide our discussions during the Placemaking Leadership Forum at Placemaking Week.
   
• Placemaking is about increasing quality of life and economic opportunity for everyone, not just a privileged few. But how can communities be empowered to become active agents in the co-creation of their public spaces?
   
• Great places are active, useful, and economically prosperous, and they are welcoming to people of all ages, abilities, income levels, and backgrounds. 

The Broken Promise of Public Space

• Recent, tragic events in cities across the country have brought to the fore many questions about the relationship between the “Black Lives Matter” movement and the ideal(s) of public space.

• While public space is, in theory, the cornerstone of democracy, where our social contract protects us all equally, in practice it is where policing can be as comforting for some as it is dangerous for others.

• From redlining, blockbusting, and gentrification to food deserts and racial disparities in law enforcement, the planning decisions, policies, and practices that have shaped today’s cities were not designed to benefit everyone equally. As placemakers, how can we confront these disturbing legacies as we strive to create safe and accessible places that offer opportunity and respite for all?

The Movement of Innovation and Placemaking

• Communities around the country are leveraging the nexus of innovation and place. Really, it’s happening all over the place—and it's one of the transformative agendas we will discuss this September during the Placemaking Leadership Forum.

• Innovation does not happen in isolation. It happens as a result of the synergies that are made possible by place: between people, ideas, and opportunities.

• After the Brookings Institution released their 2014 paper on “The Rise of Innovation Districts,” Brookings and PPS announced their collaboration on The Bass Initiative on Innovation and Placemaking in 2015 to extend this work. Clearly, the movement has caught on.

Pokémon in Public Space

• In just a few weeks, Pokémon GO has become a global phenomenon. And while many are still unsure about the mobile game (in fact, some openly hate it), it's surely encouraging more folks to get out and use public space. 
   
• Pokémon GO highlights Holly Whyte's idea of Triangulation, providing a linkage between people and prompting strangers to talk to one another as if they knew each other.
   
• While our eyes may still be glued to our phones, at least we will still look up from time to time to say hello to a stranger.

Community Success in Rural New Hampshire

• Residents of Franklin New Hampshire recently came together to celebrate a year of momentum and engagement that was kicked off by a Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design™ (CIRD) workshop called “Franklin for a Lifetime.”

• Last year’s convening at the workshop revealed of shared vision of Franklin as a welcoming and supportive place for people of all ages. These discussions will be front and center during the “Rural Communities and Main Street” component of the Placemaking Leadership Forum at Placemaking Week. 

• Since then, five action groups have implemented ideas and and projects in Franklin, and the community has leveraged more than $82,000 of grants and resources, including a $50,000 USDA Rural Development Grant.

• Apparently there's a place in our brain, for place (New Scientist)
• Walkable cities fight climate change and mortality (Grist)
• Urban alleyways are places too (City Lab)
• Governor's Island might become NYC's favorite public space (City Lab)
• And, the best motto for urban designers? Don't be a... (Next City)

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