PlacemakingX

16/09/2026

Celebrating the launch of the new book Place and Placemaking (Routledge, 2026) in NYC at the AIA NY AIANY Center for Architecture, Sept. 17th, 6pm-7:30.

In the book, over a dozen leading thinkers debate how to position, envision, co-create, and communicate place. This is the first in the Rudy Bruner Center Debates on Urban Excellence book series, produced at the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning. The book is available for sale in print, and free to access online.

Moderated by editors Conrad Kickert, Robert G. Shibley, FAIA, FAICP, and award-winning place author Tony Hiss, this book launch asks contributors Tracy Hadden Loh, Ethan Kent, Marc Norman, Dan Pitera, FAIA, Tim Tompkins, Leonardo Vazquez, Joyce Weil, and Sharon Zukin to debate their views on place and .

Audience questions are welcomed and light refreshments will be served.

Speakers:
Conrad Kickert, Program Director,Rudy Bruner Center for Urban Excellence and Associate Professor, University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning
Robert G. Shibley, FAIA, FAICP, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Founding Director, Rudy Bruner Center for Urban Excellence
Tracy Hadden Loh, Fellow, Brookings Metro
Tony Hiss, Author, Lecturer, Planning and Environmental Consultant; Visiting Scholar, New York University
Ethan Kent, Executive Director,
Marc Norman, Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair and Associate Dean, NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, New York University
Dan Pitera, Dean, University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture and Community Development, University of Detroit Mercy
Tim Tompkins, Fellow, NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management, New York University
Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation
Joyce Weil, Associate Professor, Gerontology, Towson University
Sharon Zukin, Professor Emerita of Sociology and of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College, The Graduate Center, City University of New York

Placemaking US , Project For Public Spaces , Social Life Project

10/08/2026

"The only way to ramp towards a more healthy capitalism is towards what we call . Place is the shared value that we forget to invest in and placemakers are the people that are leading that convening, that investment, in every corner of the world. We invest in , human,

financial capital. obviously in the built capital, but is the one that has the most synergies with all those, and anchors them, connects them, and also it has the most infinite potential for shared value. We want the shared value of the public realm to go up exponentially and sustain and support the value the private value of investment around it." Ethan Kent being interviewed on Ivy Lupco's new podcast Third Place Makers, discussing :

SummaryEthan Kent, a leader in placemaking, shares insights on how...

16/07/2026

In order for people to spend time in a place, there need to be things to do there. Through our placemaking work, we've learned that 10 is the magic number.

03/07/2026

Last week was an epic homecoming, to the place where we first launched the global movement from Project for Public Spaces back in 2013. Detroit has taken off since, with much leadership and investment to celebrate!

The conference opened with PPS co-ED Nathan Storring describing the growth of placemaking as a field. Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, reflected on Michigan’s leadership in placemaking. Eric Larson, David Cowan of Downtown Detroit Partnership and Elena Madison of PPS also all discussed the inspiring legacy of placemaking in Detroit.

Generous tours included one from Bedrock Detroit, all ending in a party in Campus Martius Park, an iconic public space planned by Fred Kent and Kathy Madden with the late great Bob Gregory.

The Placemaking Week culminated in a party in the more recently PPS planned Beacon Park. The gathering of 650 placemaking leaders, from 12 countries, was a celebration of the steady momentum of collective learning, advocacy and impact in the movement.

Detroit has helped to build a steady foundation of people and projects to continue to define and build the movement, and still faces persistent challenges to make sure Detroit, and the movement, we continue to evolve and grow.

23/06/2026

One placemaking act can make a difference by becoming catalytic and spreading its impact down the block through the power of reciprocal gestures and improvisation.

23/06/2026

We’re participating in ’s this week in Detroit, the city from which we first launched the global movement back in 2013.

We will be:

-Launching a book on Place and Placemaking on Tuesday at 5:30 with Wayne State Welcome Center(free registration)
-Launching our global agenda on on Friday the 26th at 10:45AM
-Helping to lead a network building session on the 26th at 1:30PM

20/06/2026

A model new mission and values statement.