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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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.
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New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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