Making Places Newsletter

Making Places, the PPS newsletter, puts you at the forefront of the movement to create more livable towns and cities, delivering the latest developments in Placemaking from the U.S. and abroad. Don't miss these exciting issues of Making Places, available free online!

April First, 2006 The third annual edition of our April Fools spoof, Faking Places.
January 2006 Photo Edition: All you need to turn a mediocre street, park, market, downtown or city into a great place are a few simple things: enthusiasm, dedication, and willingness to truly listen to the people who live, work and visit there. Oh yes, and a camera.
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December 2005 Public Squares Edition: People today are crying out for lively gathering places where civic life flourishes and different cultures can mix, places that heal social isolation. Any community that wants to discover the rewards of public life can make a square its centerpiece. PPS shows why great squares are not just for tourists to admire -- they belong right in our backyards.
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November 2005
Neighborhoods Edition: There's a growing recognition that to create great communities we need good places to hang out with our friends and neighbors. And people everywhere--in suburbs, cities, and small towns--are beginning to take action. It can range from simple steps like forming a block club to big projects like establishing pedestrian-friendly streets. PPS is launching a new project to promote these exciting new developments--and we'd like your help.
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- Saving the World One Streetcorner at a Time
- What Would Your Neighborhood Look Like With Fewer Cars?
October 2005
Public Markets Edition: Ever since humans first congregated in cities, markets have exerted a magnetic power over us--and they are on the upswing today because people are naturally drawn to the agreeable mix of both social and commercial activity that any good market offers. The next generation of markets is emerging as a viable alternative to conventional development projects like convention centers or big-box retail.
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August 2005
Great Places Edition: This year's inductees to Great Public Spaces include a street market in a working class neighborhood of Amsterdam, an immigrant shopping street in Chicago and public squares in provincial cities of Brazil and Mexico, as well as the highly expensive and much hyped renovation to New York's Museum of Modern Art--proving once again that the best public places come in all shapes, sizes, and styles.
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June 2005
Special Transportation Edition: The stories in this newsletter chronicle the first wave of a revolution in how we approach transportation and public space. PPS is showing the way forward, helping communities realize a different vision of what transportation can be.
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April First, 2005
Faking Places Guerilla satirists The Yes Men say: "Your Faking Places is hysterical!!" We hope you also enjoy our second annual April Fools spoof.
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March 2005
Birth of a Movement: Over the past few years, people have grown accustomed at looking to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest as a source of new ideas and inspiration. Grunge rock, Microsoft, Starbuck's coffee and now... Placemaking? See how a spirited gathering in the Northwest has kickstarted the Great Places movement.
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30 Years of Placemaking
PPS began in 1975 as a small group of iconoclasts determined to reclaim public spaces from the entrenched interests that dehumanize cities. Now, after working with a wealth of dedicated partners in over 1000 communities, the Placemaking philosophy is on the verge of overtaking the status quo.
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November 2004
What If We Built Our Cities Around Places? The secret of every thriving neighborhood's success is the small steps citizens take to enliven their local streets, parks, and other public spaces. PPS's new Great Cities Initiative applies this grassroots energy to the broader mission of improving entire cities and regions.
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September 2004
Six Parks We Can All Learn From: People everywhere are searching for ways local parks can better serve their communities. In the pursuit of great parks, here are the six best places to learn from.
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July 2004
Mixing with the Kool Crowd: Have architecture critics forgotten how to judge public spaces? PPS presents a plan to remind them how it's done.
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May 2004
The Pantheon of Placemakers: To make great places effectively, it helps to know the thinkers and doers who have shaped the movement for the past 40-plus years.
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Faking Places: April First, 2004
Faking Places: We hope you enjoy this April Fools edition of our newsletter. Just don't take it seriously.
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Placemaking: The Year in Review
For those who understand that great public spaces are essential to great cities and towns, 2003 was a year to celebrate.
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January 2004
The Road Ahead: PPS and the Federal Highway Administration are ushering in a new era of transportation planning, changing the way we think about streets and roads.
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- The Road Ahead,
- Park Talk,
- Monthly Snapshots,
- News from PPS,
- The Place Poll,
- Public Voices
November 2003
Shedding Light on Markets: Seen enough office complexes and civic centers downtown? New PPS research shows how public markets can replace the tired big-project approach to revitalization.
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September 2003
The Politics of Placemaking: The Deputy Prime Minister knows that places matter. So does the Mayor of London. And their belief in better public spaces is yielding major results in the UK.
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July 2003
Barcelona, A PPS City Commentary: You know the names--Parc Guell, Las Ramblas--now see what PPS has to say about these and other places that make up the gem of Catalonia.
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May 2003
New York City Parks--Thriving in Tough Times: As budget deficits mount in states and cities across the US, urban parks and green spaces face a familiar challenge: innovate, or else.
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March 2003
The San Mateo Solution: PPS and an unlikely group of partners are helping residents of the San Mateo Peninsula set a new standard for livability.
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December 2002
The Return of the Civic Square: From San Francisco to Vienna, squares are rebounding to become centers of civic life once more.
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