At Project for Public Spaces, Inc. we think successful public spaces are the key to the future of cities. By “successful spaces” we mean spaces that are used, but what we find more often than not, in the centers of cities, are some very bad spaces – meaning that they are pretty much devoid of opportunities to do anything – even though they look good. We have also found that the least successful spaces and buildings are often the newest ones.
At Project for Public Spaces, Inc. we think successful public spaces are the key to the future of cities. By "successful spaces" we mean spaces that are used, but what we find more often than not, in the centers of cities, are some very bad spaces – meaning that they are pretty much devoid of opportunities to do anything – even though they look good. We have also found that the least successful spaces and buildings are often the newest ones.
We have seen this both in the United States and in Europe. Some of the most popular destinations in several cities in Europe are also some of the most brutal and dehumanizing buildings and spaces for people who encounter them. For example, the new Contemporary Art Museum in Vienna, the Mozart Museum in Salzburg, the new in the center of Munich and the Branly Museum in Paris are all touted as major destinations but at the ground floor they are dead. The main question I have is why can't we build buildings and public spaces that are both "must see" buildings but that also add to people's experience of the ground floor of the cities around them? We would like to develop a new agenda around "The Architecture of Place". And we need ideas about how this could happen.

Vienna's new Contemporary Art Museum

The Mozart Museum in Salzburg

Munich's new central Synagogue

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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