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.
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In case you missed it, this year’s Walk/Bike/Places 2021 conference was a hybrid success. Featuring over 50 breakout sessions, held both virtually and in the public spaces of Indianapolis, the conference provided a safe space for a wide array of people passionate about walking, biking, and placemaking to explore what social, economic, and emotional recovery looks like in cities.
Among other highlights, one plenary panel brought together accessibility advocates including Quemuel Arroyo, the first First All-Agency Chief Accessibility Officer for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, to discuss how practitioners can work to ensure that public spaces are accessible and inclusive. Read more.
More Events & Opportunities
September 19, 2021 • Award: 2021 Farmers Market Celebration, American Farmland Trust & Farmers Market Coalition
September 27 – October 3, 2021 • Porch Placemaking Week, Fourfold Studio
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Designing Spaces that Foster Inclusion. As communities and organizations seek to make concrete change to promote racial equity, there is growing awareness of the role of physical spaces and systems. Recently published research examines the relationship between diversity and inclusivity, with some counterintuitive findings.
In communities that feature greater overall diversity, the researchers found that institutions also exhibit higher barriers to intergroup contact. These included higher membership fees at country clubs and other elite institutions. The researchers promoted using physical design and placemaking strategies—including some from Project for Public Spaces—to break down these barriers. (HBR)
Lessons Learned from Surfside. The recent collapse of a condo building in Surfside, FL, has brought renewed attention to issues surrounding community ownership and governance. While a conclusive report has not been released, deferred maintenance is believed to have been a factor in the Surfside incident, which claimed the lives of 98 residents. (Brookings)
Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Includes Accessibility. The Senate passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill after months of negotiation. The legislation includes an amendment by Senator Tammy Duckwork that aims to make transit stations fully accessible. However the allocated funding of $1.75-billion is far below Duckworth's original request of $10 billion. (Planetizen)
Reexamining Jane Jacobs. Sixty years after the publication of The Death and Life of American Cities, the book remains influential. However, some are looking to evolve its concepts. Doug Saunders argues that the last few decades have introduced a new set of community challenges that Jacobs' book did not envision, including the suburbanization of immigrant communities and poverty. (Globe and Mail)
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As always, here is a roundup of 10 inspiring placemaking ideas from the week:
- A city using public art to help local businesses through the pandemic (NWI Times)
- A suggestion to think of nonprofits as infrastructure (Next City)
- These lessons from this year's Strong Towns Champion (Strong Towns)
- These partnerships between parks and libraries advancing community well-being (ULC)
- The intergenerational parks programming that supports healthy aging (NRPA)
- An app that helps employees pay for child care on demand (SoJo Exchange)
- These parks strengthening community with e-sports (NRPA)
- A community reducing crime through community engagement (SoJo Exchange)
- A DMV that serves the unhoused and other vulnerable populations (Next City)
- A suggestion to treat our communities like perennial gardens (Strong Towns)
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