Weekly Placemaking Round-Up | June 19 - 25, 2017

Here is the latest issue this new weekly roundup of news, ideas, opportunities, and more - a curated list of content for placemakers by placemakers - from the Project for Public Spaces [1].

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This Week's Highlights: June 19 - 25, 2017

Looking at Smart Growth America’s recently released “Best Complete Streets Policies 2016 [3]” report from an equity [4] lens, Leah Binkovitz [5] finds that these “best” policies are concentrated in whiter, wealthier areas. So while the rapid expansion of “complete streets [6]” in the U.S. is certainly laudable, it’s also important to recognize that low-income communities are still being left behind [7], with a disproportionate rate of bicycle and pedestrian fatalities.

Topics: Transportation [8], Equity [4]
The city of Akron Ohio will address urban inequality by turning an unused highway into a pop-up forest [9]. Due to intense population decline since the 1970s, when the city was in its manufacturing prime, 30+ acres of Route 59 will permanently close. But with a grant from the Knight Foundation [10], rather than being sold to the highest bidder, this stretch will become a shared public space [11] with plants, seating, and programming such as concerts, a farmers market, and movie screenings.

Topics: Streets as Places [12]
The recent attack at a North London mosque, which came on the heels of an assault on London Bridge and in Borough Market earlier this month, has forced many to acknowledge that the threat of urban terrorism [13]has become a part of everyday life. Given the inevitability of further global incidents, University of Warwick Professor Jon Coaffee [14] asks what role designers and planners can play in mitigating the impacts of terrorism and keeping our cities safe and livable [15].

Topics: Resilience and Public Space [13]
In preparation for Placemaking Week [16] 2017 this October, PPS visited Amsterdam to meet with conference partners STIPO, City at Eye Level, Placemaking Plus, and Pakhuis de Zwijger. During the visit, local partners organized a Placemaking meet-up [17] to share experiences and ideas for the conference program, and it was clear that Amsterdam truly is a leader in the city building movement.

Topics: Placemaking Week [18]

More Placemaking Stories & Ideas

Six Lessons from People Shaping Tomorrow's Cities [19] (Knight Foundation)
Main Street Ottowa Opens as (Almost) Complete Street [20] (Hat Tip: HansOnTheBike [21])
Public Art: The Feel-Good Hit That Makes Us Linger...and Spend Money [22] (The Guardian)
In Singapore, the Preservation Debate Comes Down to a Single House [23] (CityLab)

Events and Opportunities

Webinar: Land Use Planning and Zoning for Public Health: Exploring Legal Issues [24] (June 27, 2017)
Job: Market Director [25] for Flatbush Caton Market (Urbane Development: New York, NY)
Grant: NEA "Art Works II" Grant [26] (Deadline: July 13, 2017)
Grant: People for Bikes Fall 2017 Community Grant Program [27] (Deadline: July 21, 2017)
Conference: Placemaking in Manchester [28] (September 7-8, 2017)
Conference: Placemaking Week 2017 [18] in Amsterdam (October 11-14, 2017)

Instagram of the Week

[29]City Hall Courtyard, Philadelphia
Glad to join in today's “Everyone's Welcome in the Courtyard” event, celebrating the official opening of City Hall Courtyard [30]—a project made possible by PPS and Southwest Airline's Heart of the Community Program [31]. Be sure to check out Fred Kent's Instagram shots at pps_placemaking [32].

Have something to share? Please send your placemaking stories, news, job openings, grants, awards, calls for proposals, and events to [email protected] [33] today. We'll be sure to give you a tip of the hat.

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Weekly Placemaking Round-Up | June 19 - 25, 2017 - Project for Public Spaces