Some highlights from this past weekend experiencing the magic of Paris’s public spaces!

In How Paris Breaks All the Rules to Be the Best City for People (Social Life Project), by Fred Kent, the iconic creator of placemaking , we see how proximity, walkability, and local life shape a more human city. A shared path forward. www.moreno-web.net/social-life-...

A very exciting vision, that masterfully builds on great momentum and meets emerging needs. We will support from @placemakingx.bsky.social, @sociallifeproject.bsky.social and PlacemakingUS.

Project for Public Spaces was started in 1975 to set out and prove why public space matters. Now we're charting what comes next. Read our full letter from our Co-EDs and new strategic plan. 🔗 www.pps.org/article/lett... #Placemaking #PublicSpace

‪Excited for #PlacemakingWeek to be in Detroit, the city from which PPS launched the placemaking movement, back in 2013: www.pps.org/article/plac... ‪A fertile moment to reflect on & reinvigorate the movement. We will support from @placemakingx.bsky.social & @sociallifeproject.bsky.social.

📣 Early Registration for the 5th Int'l #PlacemakingWeek is now open! 🔗 www.placemakingweek.org Co-hosted with the Downtown Detroit Partnership, this year's event will take place in Detroit, MI, from 6/24-26. Our last Placemaking Week sold out—registering early is strongly recommended!

"Placemaking succeeds when we design for behaviors & interactions rooted in everyday life... If we want vibrant, equitable, democratic #publicspaces, we must prioritize what people do over what physical objects we put there." @guillbernal.bsky.social www.sociallifeproject.org/the-vital-fr...

Discussing #placemaking in Goa with #PlacemakingIndia co-founder Prathima Manohar of The Urban Vision, Joanna Pyres of Act for Goa, and our @ethankent.bsky.social: www.youtube.com/live/PKC9yBS... #PlacemakingGoa #PlacemakingAsia

Creative Placemaking - How Murals, Sculptures, and Public Art Inspire Social Life www.sociallifeproject.org/creative-pla... by Fred Kent & @drtpanova.bsky.social @placemakingx.bsky.social #CreativePlacemaking #PublicArt #Murals #Placemaking

#PlacemakingCanada was founded 10 years ago here in Montreal. Great to have another #PlacemakingMontreal workshop for @placemaking-canada.bsky.social, led by @tjhfx.bsky.social and @ethankent.bsky.social.

International #WinterPlacemaking conversations and connections thanks to @qdsmtl.bsky.social with @placemaking-canada.bsky.social @tjhfx.bsky.social @maxmusicant.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social. #PlacemakingCanada #PlacemakingMontreal

‪Excited for #PlacemakingWeek to be in Detroit, the city from which PPS launched the placemaking movement, back in 2013: www.pps.org/article/plac... ‪A fertile moment to reflect on & reinvigorate the movement. We will support from @placemakingx.bsky.social & @sociallifeproject.bsky.social.

Please join us Monday evening to hear the inspiring @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social deliver the Lewis Mumford lecture at the Spitzer School of Architecture. Our Fred Kent will be introducing Carlos. Info and registration: ssa.ccny.cuny.edu/events/lewis... #PlacemakingNYC

Highlights from #PlacemakingWeekMexico. @guillbernal.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social #PlacemakingMexico #PlacemakingLatinoamerica

Which talk title would most attract you? 1. Reconnecting People & Places: Placemaking with Local & Global Networks. 2. The Tragedy & Triumph of Place: From Degenerative Placetaking to Regenerative Placemaking 3. Towards a Global Place Movement: From Corporate Capitalism to Place Capitalism

"There are more and more of us fighting for a different vision of the world—a world that takes care of our most precious resources: the air we breathe, the water we drink and the places we share." — Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris www.sociallifeproject.org/how-paris-br...

Paris's Peerless Placemaking: How the City of Light Breaks the Rules to Get Things Right (new article) www.sociallifeproject.org/how-paris-br... by Fred Kent and @drtpanova.bsky.social @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social, @placemakingx.bsky.social #PlacemakingParis #PlacemakingEurope

Great news! The program was one of the best things to happen to NYC streets and public spaces. Wonderful what it will do again for businesses, sidewalks and social life: www.sociallifeproject.org/reasons-nyc-... @sociallifeproject.bsky.social

Great news! The program was one of the best things to happen to NYC streets and public spaces. Wonderful what it will do for businesses, sidewalks and social life: www.sociallifeproject.org/reasons-nyc-... @sociallifeproject.bsky.social

"From Crisis to Proximity: A New Social Contract for Cities" @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social is giving this year's Lewis Mumford Lecture February 23, 2026, 6 pm at @cuny.edu: www.eventbrite.com/e/from-crisi...

The Future is Local: Global Voices on #Placemaking’s Role in Shaping a Better Future conversations.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/events/place... @is4urbanhealth.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social @urbanroomsnetwork.bsky.social @theurbanroom.bsky.social #PlacemakingAotearoa

How #BryantPark Catalyzed the Transformation of Midtown Manhattan and Inspired #PublicSpaces Everywhere (new article!): www.sociallifeproject.org/how-bryant-p... by @drtpanova.bsky.social Including the 1980 @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social master plan report, led by our Fred Kent. #PlacemakingNYC

“The powerful have their power. But we have something too – the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home and to act together.” @mark-carney.bsky.social Progress in Places People Love Will Persevere: www.linkedin.com/pulse/progre...

“A world of fortresses will be poorer, more fragile and less sustainable… Collective investments in resilience are cheaper than everyone building their own fortresses… Canada is a pluralistic society that works. Our public square is loud, diverse and free.” @placemaking-canada.bsky.social

Join us at #PlacemakingWeekMexico next week: www.placemaking.mx/placemaking-... with @guillbernal.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social #PlacemakingLatinoamerica #Placemaking #PlacemakingMexico

Fred Kent: "Don't let architects design the 1st 3 floors of a building." 😳 #PlacemakingWeek

“Public Space may be the prerequisite for democracy, but its presence alone is not enough. Only the People can ensure the publicness of our public spaces and the vitality of our #democracy.” Fred Kent www.pps.org/article/open... @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social @placemakingx.bsky.social

The best way to create world class streets is to start with world class sidewalks. Sidewalks are the foundation of what make cities affordable, accessible, and loved. Our resource guide: www.sociallifeproject.org/sidewalk_res... by Fred Kent & @drtpanova.bsky.social #UrbanDesign #Placemaking

!Venga a Ciudad de Mexico por #PlacemakingWeekMexico! Un programa increíble para conectar y hacer crecer el movimiento. www.placemaking.mx/placemaking-... #PlacemakingMexico #PlacemakingLatinoamerica #Placemaking

“The heart of an affordable, vibrant and inclusive city needs to be public spaces that support more informal local economies, informal social life, and informal local culture.” @ethankent.bsky.social

Now that #CongestionPricing is proven a success, it's time to realize its potential impact for #PublicSpace: sociallifeproject.org/nyc-is-stuck... @yatingliu.bsky.social @openplans.org @nyc.streetsblog.org @transalt.org @bfurnas.bsky.social @kathyparkprice.bsky.social #PlacemakingNYC

Many great ideas here to support; Vote on 17 Ways That Mayor Mamdani Could Improve New York www.nytimes.com/interactive/... @openplans.org @transalt.org @bfurnas.bsky.social @streetfilms.bsky.social #PlacemakingNYC

Kathy <3 Such an inspiration. www.sociallifeproject.org/kathleen-a-m... #placemakinng #Kathymadden

Montreal continues to lead and innovate on #WinterPlacemaking. @placemaking-canada.bsky.social @sociallifeproject.bsky.social @placemakingx.bsky.social

Reflecting on the 50th Year of Building the Placemaking Movement: www.sociallifeproject.org/reflecting-o... By the Social Life Project & @placemakingx.bsky.social teams, w/ reflections from our favorite articles, by Fred Kent, @drtpanova.bsky.social, @ethankent.bsky.social & @kpeinhardt.bsky.social.

Tipping Our Hats to #Placemaking: Why Unique Headwear is an Indicator of a Great Public Place Hats create places that brim with personality! Our fun post for the holidays: www.sociallifeproject.org/why-unique-h... by Fred Kent and @drtpanova.bsky.social #PublicSpace #PublicLife #StreetFashion

Seeing with Kathy Fred Kent reflects on his decades looking at, and learning from, #publicspaces with his partner and wife #KathyMadden, co-founder of @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social , Social Life Project and @placemakingx.bsky.social: www.sociallifeproject.org/what-we-saw-... #Placemaking

Gehry said “99% of architecture is shit,” while making the profession more about objects and less about place. Having design critics, rather than urban critics, has further caused the fetishization of objects rather than supporting the greater goals the many urban players can together support.

My critique of #FrankGehry and his Guggenheim Bilbao from my 2003 visit: www.pps.org/places/gugge...

Reflecting on the life of #FrankGehry. He served as a helpful antagonist to the placemaking movement, particularly during an exchange between him and our Fred Kent during the Aspen Ideas Festival with James Fallows: www.pps.org/article/smac...

#𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 The 61𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘚𝘖𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘗 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴  Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | 1–4 Dec @amaken.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social #ISOCARP #WPC61 #ArabPlacemaking

Tour of New York City Hall today after meeting with Chief Public Realm Officer @yatingliu.bsky.social and Helsinki Placemaking officer @arvindrchn.bsky.social. And then bumped into #placemaking advocate @jacksonchabot.bsky.social of @openplans.org!

Following #ICUH25 our ED joined a fantastic healthy #placemaking event co-hosted by Auckland rban Development Office, The Urban Room Foundation & Catalyse together with Ethan Kent from @placemakingx.bsky.social Great discussions on #community-centered #design — thanks to all involved!

#PlacemakingAotearoa was one of the first national #placemaking networks, and they continue to lead in exciting new directions today, like #IndigenousPlacemaking and #PlaceLedDevelopment.

The @is4urbanhealth.bsky.social Conference masterfully brought together #placemaking & #UrbanHealth leaders from around the world, and then connected us with the deep indigenous Māori wisdom of how place and health need to support each other. #PlacemakingAotearoa #IndigenousPlacemaking #ICUH25

Placemaking leaders are pioneers that stick their necks out and are not defined by disciplines, departments or how things have been done before. @placemakingx.bsky.social

👏😊 Time for a NYC shaped by all, for all. Affordability starts with public space for all to enjoy. Shared places that people love anchor and support inclusive, diverse economies and drive local investment, further attracting and attaching talent to further build the city. 😍🇺🇸

"One felicity leads to another." Just screened it for my students (as I do every semester). William Holly Whyte changed everything & “created the roadmap for communicating the human factors that make successful public spaces…” www.sociallifeproject.org/the-social-l...

Despite the divisive media noise at the national level, at the local level is where our needs are most met, where our contributions most matter, and where divides most melt.

“Through Placemaking, we can create natural, easy, organic ways for people to be in each other's presence and remind them that life is defined by genuine moments and real-life interactions and relationships, not by labels, online groups, and angry rhetoric.”