WHO WE ARE

Kathy Madden

Kathy Madden is an expert in the field of Placemaking as it relates to urban design and livability. As director of PPS's parks program, she is a leading authority on parks, plazas and open spaces, and a charismatic speaker.

Since joining Project for Public Spaces shortly after its inception in 1975, Kathy has been involved in all aspects of the organization's work. She has directed over 300 projects throughout the U.S and abroad - from major urban design plans, to small-scale design and streetscape improvements to parks, plazas, central squares, and transit facilities.

In 1995, Kathy started the Urban Parks Institute with $2.2 million grant funding from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. The institute has brought together over 2,000 parks leaders from both the private and public sectors in eight national conferences and several regional workshops. They have produced a volume of research and publications relating to urban parks and created a web site, 'Urban Parks Online' which attracts over 1 million page views annually.

Kathy has written and co-authored books and articles, including the PPS best-selling publications 'How to Turn a Place Around', 'Public Parks, Private Partners', "Streetscape Amenities: A Look at How they Work", "User Analysis in Park Planning and Design", "Film in User Analysis" among others. These books and articles provide case studies and principles on the PPS community-based planning process.

She taught for six years in the Pratt School of Architecture Graduate Program in Urban Design and has lectured extensively during the past 29 years. Audiences have included the National Park Service, the American Institute of Architects, the American Institute of Landscape Architects, the Prince's Foundation, the General Services Administration, The Institute for Transportation Engineers, the American Society of Graphic Designers, in addition to hundreds of neighborhood and community-based associations.

Kathy is currently directing PPS's program with the General Services Administration to create better public spaces around public buildings which includes the development of a resource web site on public buildings, training, technical assistance and publications.

Prior to working at PPS, Kathy traced the historical development of cities and participated in a variety of urban planning projects at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies. She also conducted an evaluation of park equipment and street furniture for the New York City Parks Department.

Education

University of Minnesota, Bachelor of Arts in Design, Marketing and Advertising

Parsons School of Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Environmental Design

Selected Professional Presentations and Lectures

Urban Design Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, May 2005

Mid South Planning and Zoning Institute, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, April 2005

Experts In Residence Program, Battle Creek, MI, April 2005

Greenspace Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, February 2005

Scottish Executive Committee, Edinburgh, Scotland, February 2005

Great Parks, Great Cities, London, UK, July, 2004

Iowa ASLA Annual Conference, Des Moines, IA, May, 2004

Guest Speakers Series, South Bend, IN, May 2004

Texas ASLA Annual Conference, Dallas, TX, April 2004

International Congress in Management of Urban Parks, Terrassa, Spain, April 2003

Publications

"Five Ways to a Great Place," Yes! Magazine, Summer 2005

"Public Parks, Private Partners," Project for Public Spaces 2001

"How to Turn a Place Around," Project for Public Spaces 2001

"Creating Places that Work," Planning Commissioners Journal, Summer 2001

"Streets vs. Malls: The Modern Dilemma of Urban Public Spaces," Los Angeles Times, December 4, 1994.

"A Cry for Community," Planning Commissioners Journal, Fall 1994

Streetscape: A Guide to the Design and Management of Pedestrian Amenities in Downtowns and Neighborhood Commercial Districts, Project for Public Spaces, Inc., 1987

User Analysis: An Approach to Park Planning and Management, American Society of Landscape Architects, l983

Film in User Analysis, National Park Service, l979

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