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New Research: How Public Spaces Improve Community Well-Being | Placemaking Weekly

Posted August 29, 2021 - 08:40

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

Report on Public Space Investments in Albuquerque, Buffalo, and Flint
In case you missed it, the Brookings Institute has released new qualitative research examining the relationship between public spaces and community well-being. The report dives into three projects—Civic Plaza in Albuquerque, Canalside in Buffalo, and the Flint Farmers' Market in Flint—in the Project for Public Spaces portfolio.

In his summary of the report, Project for Public Spaces Deputy Executive Director Nate Storring says, “the true test of a public space is whether or not its economic, social, civic, and physical outcomes improve over time.” Read the four key takeaways.

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More from the Blog


Flyover Park: Empowering the Next Generation of City Builders in Calgary
June 25, 2021 • by Ximena González

Social Alchemy: Jim Walker on Placemaking as Utopian Experiment
May 12, 2021 • by Jim Walker

Six Trends in Placemaking & Active Transportation from Walk/Bike/Places
May 6, 2021 • by Nate Storring
 

Events & Opportunities
September 15, 2021 Webinar on Models and Practices for Meaningful Community Engagement, The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design

September 19, 2021 • Award: 2021 Farmers Market Celebration, American Farmland Trust & Farmers Market Coalition

September 27 – October 3, 2021 • Porch Placemaking Week, Fourfold Studio  
 

Have an event or opportunity you would like to share? Email us at [email protected].
 

Public Space News
Hostile Architecture at Penn Station. A new entrance to Penn Station features colorful wooden pyramids on top of the flat metal security bollards. In a recent interview, PPS Deputy Executive Director Nate Storring helps expose these as just another example of hostile architecture: “These designs and related policies are frequently aimed at excluding people experiencing homelessness, as well as youth, vendors and other marginalized groups.” (The City)

Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III Nominated to be First Native American to Head National Park Service. President Biden announced the nomination of Chuck Sams who is Walla Walla and Cayuse with family ties to the Yankton Sioux and Cocopah Tribes. Secretary of the Interior and first Native American to lead a cabinet agency, Deb Haaland, released a statement saying, “The diverse experience that Chuck brings to the National Park Service will be an incredible asset as we work to conserve and protect our national parks to make them more accessible for everyone.” (Indian Country Today)

Companies Coax Workers Back with Nature-Forward Offices. With office buildings in 10 major metropolitan areas hovering at just a third of their occupancy rate, employers are offering on-site "nature themed" perks such as beekeeping programs to compete with remote work. While we like to see more companies recognizing the value of fun and inviting outdoor nooks, it would be far better to support a local public space to share with the rest of the community. Like this perhaps? (New York Times)
 

Placemaking Playbook
As always, here's a roundup of five placemaking projects and ideas that inspired us this week:
    1. Much like watering holes in the wild, city intersections bring cars, cyclists, and pedestrians together to perilous effect (Outside)


    1. A new law in Los Angeles effectively bans unhoused people from most public spaces including within five feet of any exit or entrance (Vice)


    1. A pop-up park in London charging visitors an entry fee ends up as the city's "worst attraction" (Fast Company)


    1. An 80-foot-long public installation in New York City offers a little something for everyone including a hammock to lounge in (Curbed)


  1. Thanks to a community effort, Beirut gets its first-ever free community skate park (Now Lebanon)

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