In this issue: Equity and inclusion at the heart of placemaking; The broken promise of public space; The benefits of innovation and placemaking; Pokémon in public space; and a look at community success in rural New Hampshire.

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This newsletter connects people who share a passion for public spaces to ideas and issues, news, quotes, places, and events from the placemaking movement.

In this issue: Equity and inclusion at the heart of placemaking; The broken promise of public space; The benefits of innovation and placemaking; Pokémon in public space; and a look at community success in rural New Hampshire.

Editor's note: We are now in the final countdown to Placemaking Week! There are only 37 days left to register for the 2016 P [2]lacemaking Leadership Forum [2] in Vancouver, Canada, so make sure to do so soon! Find more details, FAQs, [3]and registration information here. [4]

Equity and Inclusion: At the Heart of Placemaking [5]

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This week, we highlight "Equity and Inclusion," [5] one of the ten transformative agendas [6] that will guide our discussions during the Placemaking Leadership Forum [2] at Placemaking Week [7].
Placemaking [8] is about increasing quality of life and economic opportunity for everyone [9], not just a privileged few [10]. But how can communities be empowered [11] 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 [12] ages, abilities, income levels, and backgrounds [12].

The Broken Promise of Public Space [13]

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Recent, tragic events in cities across the country have brought to the fore many questions [13] 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 [14], 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 [15], blockbusting [16], and gentrification [10] to food deserts [17] and racial disparities in law enforcement [18], 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 [19] places that offer opportunity and respite for all [11]?

The Movement of Innovation and Placemaking [20]

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Communities around the country are leveraging the nexus of innovation and place [20]. Really, it’s happening [21] all over the place [22]—and it's one of the transformative agendas [6] we will discuss this September during the Placemaking Leadership Forum. [2]

Innovation [23] 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 [24],” Brookings [25] and PPS [26] announced their collaboration on The Bass Initiative on Innovation and Placemaking [26] in 2015 to extend this work. Clearly, the movement [20] has caught on [27].

Pokémon in Public Space [28]

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In just a few weeks, Pokémon GO has become a global phenomenon [29]. And while many are still unsure [30] about the mobile game (in fact, some openly hate [31] it), it's surely encouraging more folks to get out and use public space [28].
Pokémon GO [28] highlights Holly Whyte [32]'s idea of Triangulation [33], 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 [34]

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Residents of Franklin New Hampshire recently came together [34] to celebrate a year of momentum and engagement that was kicked off by a Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design [35]™ (CIRD) workshop called “Franklin for a Lifetime.”

Last year’s convening [36] 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 [6]” component of the Placemaking Leadership Forum [2] at Placemaking Week [7].

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 [37].

Want to write for the PPS blog? We are now taking pitches for articles, you can submit a query here [38].

Real people do real things. A collective of a whole bunch of people who do things in their own locale, in their own neighborhoods - the sum is bigger than the parts, and the parts will grow.
- Chuck D, emcee, author, producer and New Yorker

A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.

- Henrik Ibsen, playwright

We can never get a re-creation of community and heal our society without giving our citizens a sense of belonging.

- Patch Adams, physician and comedian

Apparently there's a place in our brain, for place [39] (New Scientist)
Walkable cities fight climate change and mortality [40] (Grist)
Urban alleyways are places too [41] (City Lab)
Governor's Island might become NYC's favorite public space [42] (City Lab)
And, the best motto for urban designers? Don't be a... [43](Next City)

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These are the places we remember most vividly, the places where serendipitous things happen, the places we tell stories about.
Submit your Great Public Space today! [46]

Training: How to Create Successful Markets [47]

October 14-15, 2016 | New York City

Training: Placemaking "Making it Happen [48]" [48]

October 26-28, 2016 | New York City

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