Surveying the public discussion for answers about how to make sense of placemaking.
The placemaking ethos has produced many successful examples, according to an article by Zoya Gul Hasan, but "to delve more deeply into the process and outcomes of the placemaking movement is to find oneself in a mire."
Hasan asks if placemaking is "understood and defined clearly enough for it to be a useful tool for urbanists." Also the debate about placemaking has many critics and supporters: it's "simultaneously a much-lauded global movement, an academic discipline, a field, discourse, process, and tool, but is also, among other charges, heavily criticized..."
Hasan links to many sources that have raised questions about placemaking, regarding its connection to gentrification and the field of architecture, among other critiques. The article concludes by suggesting that 2018 should be a year of introspection by practitioners of placemaking.
FULL STORY: Placemaking: Movement, Manifesto, Tool, Buzzword—or What?
Has Placemaking Become Cliché?
There’s very little that differentiates proposals by four distinguished planning and design firms to better connect my university to its immediate neighborhood and the wider city. Why is that, and does it have to be that way?
What Makes Placemaking Work
New qualitative research into three example public spaces in the United States offers best practices and obstacles to avoid in the placemaking process.
The Housing Supply Debate: Evaluating the Evidence
Let's rely on science, not ideology and propaganda, when planning solutions to urban unaffordability. Look for credible evidence in the peer-reviewed publications referenced here.
How Sharrows Became Cycling’s Most Hated Symbol
Originally designed as a low-cost way to encourage safer road sharing between bikes and cars, the sharrow has become a symbol of the lack of commitment to protected bike infrastructure in many cities.
Keanu Reeves Set to Play Daniel Burnham in ‘The Devil in the White City’
Planning is going to get a new level of star power as a limited series adaptation of The Devil in the White City gets ready for television screens in 2024.
Marrying Urban Identity and Economic Prosperity
A new book posits that truly successful communities have a strong economic base and a firmly rooted sense of place.
Sports Stadiums Bring Few Economic Benefits
While their developers often tout jobs and local economic development as benefits of major stadium projects, research shows these venues often make little impact on local economies.
A How-To for ‘Freeway Fighters’
Ten recommendations for effective freeway removal advocacy.
Miami Rapid Transit Project Moves Forward
The county completed the draft environmental impact study for a monorail and people mover planned as part of its rapid transit system.
McKenna
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
Kinexus Group
Cohousing Association of the US
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Rail~Volution
Sun City Center Community Association, Inc
City of Mesa
Town of Gilbert, Arizona
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
