Project for Public Spaces Vice President, Ethan Kent, writes about Melbourne's successful new public space development, Federation Square, and a Placemaking training course that he helped lead, which included many city staff, local developers and "place managers."

 

This interview with Fred Kent appeared in the February 2007 issue of Urban Land:

"As an internationally known advocate for public spaces, Fred Kent, founder of the New York-based  Project for Public Spaces (PPS), sees cities - and the people who inhabit them - through the measured senses of an urban provocateur."

Although New York prides itself on its public life, New Yorkers inhabit a public realm that pales beside what it could become. "After working in cities around the world, we've developed a rich understanding of public spaces that begs to be put to use back in our home town," explains PPS President Fred Kent. "New York can benefit from our experience and become an even greater city in the 21st century."

Museum Mile Festival, 5th Avenue 

Read this special issue of PPS's newsletter Making Places, which includes the city commentary, New York great public spaces and hidden gems, and the places that provide the biggest opportunities for improvement.

Congratulations to the San Jose/Guerrero Coalition to Save Our Streets, co-recipient of the 2006 Grand Award, given by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in San Francisco.

The Coalition of neighborhood activists successfully transformed a dangerous 6-lane arterial into a traffic-calmed street with wide medians, safe pedestrian crossings, and bike lanes. PPS worked with the Coalition to create a Neighborhood Plan, to further redevelop the neighborhood's streets into great public spaces.

Read more about PPS's work with the San Jose/Guerrero Coalition to Save our Streets here.

Less room for cars translates to more room for bicyclists. (Photo: Noah Berger)

PPS is seeking a Transportation and Placemaking Project Manager in its transportation line of business. Candidates should have experience in several of the following areas: transportation and land use planning and/or policy, TOD,  transportation facility design, public participation and facilitation, community development, redevelopment and real estate development  market analysis. The selected candidate will report to the Vice President for Transportation and work with other VPs, project associates and interns on a range of planning, research, and marketing projects, including land and community development projects and general and specific plans for communities, cities and counties.

Read more about this position at: http://www.pps.org/info/aboutpps/jobopenings

An interview with Fred Kent, President and founder of PPS, on what it means to create a great place and why the concept of Placemaking has gone international.

Phil Myrick and David O'Neil returned to the Republic of Georgia to work on market projects in two small towns, Akhaltsikhe and Ninotsminda. 

Phil and David assisted community members in Ninotsminda with creating a new central market.  The site of the new market is now empty, but the market is planned to be up and running by this September.

Amazingly, PPS's former COO Aram Khachadurian is now living in Armenia, an hour's drive from Ninotsminda, making cheese and raising cattle!

Project for Public Spaces invites you to its popular "How to Create Successful Public Markets" workshop on May 11-12, 2006 and "How to Turn a Place Around" workshop on May 4-5, 2006 in New York City.

HOW TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL MARKETS www.pps.org/info/ppsnews/markets_training_course

Is a two-day workshop led by our own public market experts Steve Davies and David O'Neil. Cities and towns across the US are rediscovering the benefits of public markets.

At this workshop, you will:

Learn how to start a market in your neighborhood or town; look at case studies and explore the market planning process, including goal-setting, concept development, economic feasibility, management, site selection and design; visit and analyze some of New York's most famous markets -- both indoor and outdoor; and meet other folks from around the country working on a variety of public market projects.

The registration fee covers two days of tuition, including tours, in-depth presentations and discussions, on-site evaluation, case studies, and training support materials. Light lunch and refreshments will be provided on both Thursday and Friday. There is a reception Thursday evening (included) and an optional dinner Friday night (please note, the dinner is not included in the fee.)

Sign up now and join a small, dynamic group of people which in past workshops has included mayors, planning officials, community development officials, neighborhood organizers and market sponsors.

About the instructors:

STEVE DAVIES, as senior vice president of PPS, has directed nearly 500 major projects in the U.S and abroad and is sought out as one of the foremost thought leaders in public markets. He oversees the activities of PPS's Public Market Program, where he currently works on a multi-million dollar grant-making and policy initiative for public markets and farmers markets with the Ford Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

A specialist in all phases of market development, DAVID O'NEIL has worked on over 200 market projects around the world and has directed four international public market conferences, the most recent in October, 2005 in Washington DC. David recently published "Reading Terminal Market: An Illustrated History," a beautifully illustrated narrative about one of the country's largest public markets located in Philadelphia, PA.

For more information about the workshop, or to register online now, go to http://www.pps.org/info/ppsnews/markets_training_course

For additional inquiries, please contact Chris Heitmann at 212-620-5660.

HOW TO TURN A PLACE AROUND
http://www.pps.org/info/ppsnews/httapa_training_course

How to Turn a Place Around is a two-day workshop designed for professionals and non-professionals who help shape towns and cities -- from highway engineers and real estate developers to community garden advocates and housing specialists. Based on PPS's 30 years of experience in Placemaking, and inspired by our popular book, "How to Turn a Place Around," the course shows step-by-step our unique approach to revitalization.

During the course, participants will spend two days exploring the principles of making places through walking tours, presentations, case studies, PPS's Place Performance Evaluation Game, and the close examination of several contrasting neighborhoods. The sites will be used to illustrate complexities in making places, encourage a user's point of view, and to provide insight into how public spaces function.

The registration fee covers two days of tuition, including a neighborhood tour, in-depth presentations and discussions, on-site evaluation, case studies, a copy of How to Turn a Place Around, and training support materials. Light lunch and refreshments will be provided on both Thursday and Friday. There is a reception Thursday evening (included) and we will make recommendations for dinner Friday night should you want to continue the discussion (not included in the fee).

To register and for more information, please visit the workshop webpage, www.pps.org/info/ppsnews/httapa_training_course or contact Kathleen Ziegenfuss at 212-620-5660.