The first step to evaluating the health and vibrancy of a space might be to sit down. That is, if you can. More than forty-five years have passed since Holly Whyte issued a call for more and better seating in New York City in his essay, "Please, Just a Nice Place to Sit," and cities are still struggling to make comfortable seating available in public spaces. We know that fixing seating can fix a space, bringing back the characteristic interactions that define great places...

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.

Have a Seat, Take a Survey! The first step to evaluating the health and vibrancy of a space might be to sit down. That is, if you can. More than forty-five years have passed since Holly Whyte issued a call for more and better seating in New York City in his essay, "Please, Just a Nice Place to Sit," and cities are still struggling to make comfortable seating available in public spaces. We know that fixing seating can fix a space, bringing back the characteristic interactions that define great places. Read our latest piece on the crucial importance of seating in public spaces, here.  We want to hear from you about how we can improve our newsletter — Tell us what you think in our survey!   TAKE THE SURVEY! More Placemaking Stories & Ideas These Planners Stepped Away from the Spreadsheets and Into the Community (NextCity) To See the Future of Cities, Watch the Curb. Yes, the Curb (Wired) Video: Why Cities Are Full of Uncomfortable Benches (Vox) Economic Inequality and Health Inequality are Inextricably Linked (CityLab) Events and Opportunities Job: Special Assistant to the Executive Director, Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (Washington, D.C.) Job: Public Realms Contract Manager, Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (Washington, D.C.) CFP: URBACT III Call for Transfer Networks (Deadline: January 10, 2018) Conference: UN-Habitat World Urban Forum, Cities 2030 (Kuala Lumpur, February 7-13, 2018) Conference: 2nd Annual Complete Streets Conference, "Intersections: Creating Culturally Complete Streets" (Nashville, TN: April 3-4, 2018) Conference & CFP: 55th International Making Cities Livable (Ottawa, Canada: May 14-18, 2018) Conference: EDRA49, "Social Equity by Design" (Oklahoma City, OK: June 6-9, 2018) Conference: Walk Bike Places 2018 (New Orleans, LA: September 16-19, 2018) Instagram of the Week Toronto, Ontario Underpass Park is the most extensive park built under an overpass in Canada, and the first ever in Toronto. How will Sidewalk Labs' urban waterfront experiment impact this public space, along with others in Toronto's Quayside and Eastern Waterfront districts? Be sure to check out more of our shots at pps_placemaking. Have something to share? Please send your placemaking stories, news, job openings, grants, awards, calls for proposals, and events to [email protected] today. We'll be sure to give you a tip of the hat. Copyright © 2017 Project for Public Spaces, PPS, All rights reserved.