Michelle Bruch talks with placemaking expert Fred Kent about the makeover he helped orchestrate of Detroit's Campus Martius Park.
Campus Martius Park did very well in Planetizen's recent survey to list the Top 100 Public Spaces in the U.S. and Canada, a collaboration with Project for Public Spaces (of which Kent is president). Kent says the poor economy is actually helping drive placemaking:
"In a way, the economy is helping us," Kent says. "People know they can't do big expensive projects, and instead they're doing a lot of little ones. There has been an explosion of interest because of that."
Bruch writes:
"Kent says the key to creating good public spaces is making people feel comfortable."
FULL STORY: What works in cities: Why placemaking requires passion even more than big budgets
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association