From Urban Times — 10 Ways to Improve Your City Through Public Space

Union Square, New York City. Image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/1_new_york_city_union_square_2010.JPG

Public spaces are increasingly being recognized as a crucial ingredient for successful cities, and for their ability to revitalize and create economic and social development opportunities. But actually finding ways to build and maintain healthy public space remains elusive to many municipal governments, especially in thedeveloping world. The vast web of streets, parks, plazas, and courtyards that define the public realm is often lacking, too poorly planned, or without adequate citizen participation in the design process.

Recognizing these challenges, the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) released earlier this month a draft of their handbook Placemaking and the Future of Cities. It’s intended to serve as a best practices guide for those wishing to improve the economic, environmental and social health of their communities through the power of successful public space.

Read more at Urban Times: 10 Ways to Improve Your City through Public Space